hollow men (1925) Flashcards
what are the two key ideas in hollow men
1) the conflict between religious desire/ spirituality and rational self
2) the lack of spiritual institutions to sustain morality in the modern age
quote about the conflict between religious desire and rational self & representation of lack of spiritual institution to sustain morality in the modern age.
“we are the hollow men, we are the stuffed men” –>
- the paradox suggests that religious doctrines don’t last and can create a feeling of paradox
- suggests a lack of spiritual institution that can sustain morality and meaning in modern age.
quote that Eliot uses to dehumanise personas represented in modernity. + technique + link
“leaning together, headpiece filled with straw”
- dehumanises us through metaphor, to refer to us as scarecrows
- reaffirms the hollowness of individuals that are unable to be fulfilled by religion.
quote that represent fragmentation through form.
“for thine is.. life is.. for thine is”… followed by repetitious “this is the way the world ends”
the disrupted/ fragmented syntax, accompanied by the repetition, portrays individuals agencies ending up to be meaningless repetitions, clinging to rituals that serve no purpose.
quote that represents the lack of spiritual institutions to sustain morality in a modern age.
“lips that would kiss, form prayers to broken stone”
the broken stone, with religious connotations have been stripped away & making them an metanym of themselves.
what are the quotes you are going to write in the hollow men?
“we are the hollow men, we are the stuffed men”
“lips that kiss, form prayers to broken stone”
“for thine is… life is.. for thine is..”
“leaning together, headpiece filled with straw”
when was hollow men written and what contextual concern does Eliot voice out?
hollow men was written in 1925, post world war 1, he had the contextual concern that individuals were hopeless and lacked spiritual institute to sustain morality in the modern age.
