MOD B - TS Eliot Flashcards
Intro
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TS Eliot skilfully utilises poetry as a form of critical discourse on the world he was experiencing through condemning the struggle and disillusionment of individuals in (a nihilistic) modern day society. This is epitomised in The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock (1915) and Preludes (1910) where the seemingly fragmented structure allows Eliot to present a disconnected persona who remains in the state of eternal stasis as he leads a stagnant life of superficiality. Correspondingly, The Hollow Men (1925) conveys Eliot’s growing fear of existing in a society that lacks spirituality and morality, suggesting how this leads to an isolated existence in the state of purgatory. However, this disjointed structure is unified, enhancing the textual integrity of his poems as they continue to engage with contemporary audiences, highlighting their enduring literary value.
prufrock quotes and analysis
“when the evening is spread out against the evening sky like a patient etherised on a table”
-simile subverts the romanticist notions of sublimity by transforming the sky into a surgical image - embodies the state of the modern man
“they will say: how his hair is growing thin” and “how his arms and legs are thin”
- parenthetic internal dialogue exposes the alienation and internal destruction that occurs from existing in a judgemental society
“I grow old.. I grow old”
“Do I Dare?, “Do I dare disturb the universe?”, “Should I then presume”, “How should I begin?”
- further emphasised in “when the wind blows the water white and black”
-nihilistic perspective that is a result of living in total isolation, causing one to exist in a state of emotional paralysis as they try to assimilate into society
critical quote: occupying a consciousness that is destined to go nowhere very much.”
Andrew Spacey, 2017
preludes quotes and analysis
‘haze dominated’ setting of the “burnt out ends of smoky days”
- sordid and solitary existence of a flaneur - an observer of ruin and debris in this environment
“muddy feet” and “one thinks of all the hands”
- synecdoche - exemplifies how the human body becomes an arbitrary assemblance of organs when one becomes morally bereft.
“grimy scraps”, a “lonely cab-horse”, “smell of steaks”, “vacant lots” and “smoky days”
- Eliot illustrates the barren and desolate modern landscapes that accentuate how the existence of a highly urbanised society causes one to become metaphorically empty.
“dingy shades” and “stale smells of beer”
- accumulation of sordid images communicate the continuity of repugnant stasis in the modern world.
critical quote: Roma Shrestha, 2017
“every part of the poem is intended to concentrate the overall impressions of sordid hopelessness, shabbiness, and disenchantment.”
hollow men quotes and analysis
“we are the hollow men, we are the stuffed men”
-paradox of “hollow” and “stuffed” (which symbolises superficial desires) implies fragility and a lack of substance - representing spiritual and moral decay that occurs - eliot is emphasising that human existence is sordid and causes us to become metaphorically empty (purgatory)
“wind in dry grass”, “dried voices”
-motif of aridity - ‘dryness’ of the physical environment and voice of the modern individual represents the hollow nature of existence as they lose all sense of purpose - loss of meaning was needed for one to align with collective viewpoints.
“for thine is the kingdom”
- fragmentation of the lord’s prayer
“here we go around the prickly pear, the prickly pear, the prickly pear”
-monotony of life (stuck in a cycle of meaningless actions)
repetition of “this is the way the world ends” followed by “not with a bang but a whimper”
- abrupt change of pace in this anticlimactic ending portrays how there is no grand conclusion as the hollow men start to slowly ‘dissolve’ as they lose their capacity to act.
critical quote: Dr. Renu Singh, 2013
“the destruction brought on by technological developments in the early modern era.”
“It is a stagnant poetry for repentance which portrays mans dilemma in turn with spiritually sluggishness.”
rhapsody on a windy night quotes and analysis
“the street lamps sputtered” and “muttered”
- Eliot amplifies the despondent and fragmented perception of the sensibilities of the human condition
“twelve o’clock”, “half past one”, “half past three”, “four o’clock”
- death like atmosphere and bleak tone portrayed by sinister time stamps exposes the isolation experienced by the modern individual as a result of their pursuit of materialistic desires.
“midnight shakes the memory as a mad man shakes a dead geranium”
-He is describing lunacy, or temporary insanity brought on by changes in the moon. The absurd image of a lunatic shaking a dead flower represents how far the speaker’s imagination has gone into fanciful associations.
“the last twist of the knife”
- metaphoric acceptance of death exemplifies how there is no hope for humanity as they have already assimilated in to the squalid lifestyle with no intention of keeping their individuality
critical quote: Roma Shrestha, 2013
“carefully controlled…although it might appear to be a collage of fragmented images.”
“a complex tracery of closely interconnected images in the poem.”
journey of the magi quotes and analysis
“and the villages dirty”, “and the cities hostile and the towns unfriendly”
- Eliot subverts audience’s expectations and represents the magi’s state of doubt and uncertainty as they exist in a world that is in transition
“the very dead of winter”
“there was no information so we continued”
- symbolism of the modern man struggling to find information in order to complete their spiritual transformation - captures Eliot’s own experience with his conversion to Anglo Catholicism + to find answers to existential quandaries
“were we brought all this way for Birth or Death?”
- existence is rather uncertain as the magi wonder whether this was the birth of new spiritual principles and faith or the death of old ideals - modern man needs to experience aa sense of upheaval to be reborn
critical quote:Julia Powers, 2016
“Eliot views Christianity as a journey of gradual, difficult discovery rather than sudden, glorious epiphany.”
prufrock context
his poem reflects the cultural anxieties of the 20th century, caused by the fear of war, that were centred around spiritual confusion and a lack of purpose and meaning.
Through the characterisation of the tentative persona Prufrock, which is represented by the melancholic stream of consciousness, Eliot emphasises the emotional paralysis that is experienced by the modern individual.
preludes context
His poem presents the mundane outlook that society imparts upon an individual, reflecting on the lack of individualism and human connection present in post WWI society
This poem is structurally fractured into four separate vignettes with no clear, unified poetic voice which Eliot utilises to represent a fragmented modern existence and identity that has been distorted by uncertainty
hollow men context
His poem paints the dismal human condition in the aftermath of World War 1 by presenting the purposeless life of the modern individual, a consequence of emotional paralysis and disillusionment from prewar ideals.
Eliot utilises a chaotic layering of imagery and allusion to represent a collective of individuals trapped in a stagnant state of spiritual emptiness and desperation.
rhapsody on a windy night context
His poem explores the feelings of hopelessness and futility by showing the parallel between the associative nature of memory and the corruption of the uncertain mental psyche of individuals living in a despairing urban environment of the despairing WWI world.
It is a linear journey from 12am to 4am in which the persona moves through the city streets, where a personified street lamp illuminates the grotesque and corrupt elements of modern society.
journey of the magi context
This deeply allegorical poem marks a change in Eliot’s spiritual convictions and his conversion to Anglo catholicism; highlighting the pain of spiritual rebirth, addressing the pivotal moment of the birth of Christ.
