mod b: journey of magire

Question 1

weather

complex nature of spiritual rebirth and suffering

Answer 1

“The ways deep and the weather sharp, the very dead of winter,”

pathetic fallacy, geographical and seasonal imagery, symbolism
* symbolism of winter and cold to allude to death and moral decay - depciting the existential crisis before epiphany which foreshadows the spiritual journey the persona embarks on
* setting reflects feelings of alienation through pathetic fallacy

Question 2

villages

complex nature of spiritual rebirth and suffering

Answer 2

“And the night-fires going out, and the lack of shelters,
And the cities hostile and the towns unfriendly
And the villages dirty and charging high prices”

polysyndeton, descriptive language
* language of “lack”, “hostile”, “unfriendly”, “dirty” -> journey towards enlightenment is arduous but necessary
* eliot is not subverting images in the same was as of Hollow Men or Prufrock
* magi has not chosen easy road of pleasure, chosen demanding path of virtue - spiritual fulfilment > materialistic desires of a capitalist world
* high prices show impact of increasing modernity which results in the existential crisis that can only be resolved through finding a spiritual meaning

Question 3

satisfactory

complex nature of spiritual rebirth and suffering

Answer 3

“(you might say) satisfactory”

tone of confusion, low modality, irony, euphemism
* result of spiritual journey is not entirely fulfilling nor does it resolve their existential crisis
* euphemism to mask the true nature of magi’s feelings
* ambivalence is couched in faith to mirror the complex emotional and spiritual states the magi experience throughout their journey