Thinking activity on waste land

 *The waste land :

           

1)The Waste Land' is an epic of the modern times. Discuss it with the illustrations from the text.

     The waste land considered as a modern epic of the English literature. The best example of modernist literature is T. S. Eliot's “The waste land”. Throughout this poem Eliot shows us the real image of culture and society after the World War 1 and 2 

         This poem depicts an image of the modern world through the perspective of a man finding himself hopeless and confused about the condition of the society.

“The waste land illustrates the contemporary waste land as a metaphor of modern Europe.”

                Eliot’s the waste land is very hard to describe and analysis because this poem mainly deals with the idea of modern age and its new technique. In this poem the waste land there are so many features and influence of the modern age, and we can apply some of the characteristics of the modern age in this poem the waste land. 

              The modern age is the most complex, complicated and revolutionary age in the history of the world. The people of this age challenges everything . 

2) Give your comments on the five parts of the poem.

* Five parts of the poem: 

        The poem Waste Land is divided into five sections. The first, "The Burial of the Dead", introduces the diverse themes of disillusionment and despair. The second, "A Game of Chess", employs alternating narrations, in which vignettes of several characters address those themes experientially. "The Fire Sermon", the third section, offers a philosophical meditation in relation to the imagery of death and views of self-denial in juxtaposition influenced by Augustine of Hippo and Eastern religions. After a fourth section, "Death by Water", which includes a brief lyrical petition, the culminating fifth section, "What the Thunder Said", concludes with an image of judgement. 

1) The Burial of the Dead : 

                 This first section deals mainly with issues of death and introduces the diverse themes of disillusionment and despair. In this section the opening lines begins with the protagonist musing on spring.

        The burial of the dead can also possibly refers to the agricultural practice of planting the dried or dead seed just before spring, so that the seed may germinate and sprout in summer.

        The title also recalls the Christian burial service in the Church of England’s “The Book of Common Prayer and hence suggests death”

2) Game of chess: 

          This second part of the poem deals mainly with issues of sex and employs vignettes of several characters alternating narration that address those themes experientlly.

               In this part the two women of this section of the poem represents the two sides of modern sexuality while one side of this sexuality is a dry, barren interchange inseparable from neurosis and self destruction, the other side of this sexuality is a rampant fecundity associated with a lack of culture and rapid aging. 

3) The Fire Sermon: 

              In this third section its deals with sexual issues and offers a philosophical meditation in relation to the imagery of death and views of self-denial in juxtaposition influences by Augustine of Hippo and Eastern religion. 

             In “The Fire Sermon” the depravity of man is further illustrated. A woman is shown in her apartment eating dinner with her lover. Their encounter after dinner is described thusly. 

4) Death by water : 

                  This section is deals with issues of death and includes a brief lyrical petition. This is one of the shortest sections of the poem. In “Death by Water” the way of escape from the degradation of society is revealed. The protagonists tells us of Phlebas the Phoenician, who experienced death by water, which can be seen as a representation of baptism, the shedding of the sinful nature, and the acceptance of the “living water” of Christ. 

5) what the thunder said : 

     This is the fifth and final part of the poem. It is mainly about resurrection or restoration, which may or may not be attainable. This part concludes with an image of judgment. 

             The protagonist concludes by explaining his own realization that, like “Jerusalem Athens Alexandria” modern society is deteriorating: “London Bridge is falling down”. 

           At this time he has a decision to make: “Shall I at least set my lands in order?” will he avoid the decay of society and abandon his meaningless life for one with significance? His decision is evident in the stanza of the poem. Amid the madness of the ruin of society. 

 Thus , in the waste land poet shows us the modern people and modern life , sexuality , homosexuality , feeling less relationship  ,etc .

3) Do you find any Autobiographical Elements in this poetic work ? Explain it in details.  

          The first part : " The Burial Of The Dead " means - fertility God, burial service by Anglican Christian Church. 

In this part the opening lines are meditations Tiresias - representing Human being. 

April is the cruellest month, breeding

Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing

Memory and desire, stirring

Dull roots with spring rain.

This part is connected with Eliot's early life when he was not physically well. He is struggling from a congenital double inguinal hernia, so that Eliot could not participated in many physical activities and he was prevented from interacting socially with his peers.

    Second part " A Game Of Chess " is from Middleton's play women beware women- related with sexual values - sex becomes the matter of intrigue and seduction - cause of spiritual death and dissolution. 

          " The Fire Sermon " is about Buddha's sermon and sermon on the Mount. There is also description of fire of " Lust " and " Desire ". Our good inner ideas are burning because of lust.

     Here Eliot expresses his emotions , experiences and feelings though the poem The Waste Land. But it is not his personality. 

       Eliot's personal emotions and feelings drawn many images in front of  a world. It is unmasks the man behind.

“Poetry is not a turning loose of emotion, but an escape from emotion; it is not the expression of personality, but an escape from personality”.

 4."Life in Death and Death in Life" Explain this theme with the reference of the poem The Waste Land. 

* Death : 

Death

Two of the poem’s sections -- “The Burial of the Dead” and “Death by Water” --refer specifically to this theme. What complicates matters is that death can mean life; in other words, by dying, a being can pave the way for new lives. 

           Eliot asks his friend Stetson: “That corpse you planted last year in your garden, / Has it begun to sprout? Will it bloom this year?” Similarly, Christ, by “dying,” redeemed humanity and thereby gave new life. The ambiguous passage between life and death finds an echo in the frequent allusions to Dante, particularly in the Limbo-like vision of the men flowing across London Bridge and through the modern city. 

Rebirth

The Christ images in the poem, along with the many other religious metaphors, posit rebirth and resurrection as central themes. The Waste Land lies fallow and the Fisher King is impotent; what is needed is a new beginning. Water, for one, can bring about that rebirth, but it can also destroy. What the poet must finally turn to is Heaven, in the climactic exchange with the skies: “Datta. Dayadhvam. Damyata.” Eliot’s vision is essentially of a world that is neither dying nor living; to break the spell, a profound change, perhaps an ineffable one, is required. Hence the prevalence of Grail imagery in the poem; that holy chalice can restore life and wipe the slate clean; likewise, Eliot refers frequently to baptisms and to rivers – both “life-givers,” in either spiritual or physical ways. 

5. "April is the cruellest month" ; "Shantih shantih shantih." Explain this two lines and its mythical meaning. In which context it is used in the poem?

  

    " April is the cruellest month" 

           April is the cruellest month’ is the opening line to T. S. Eliot’s 1922 poem The Waste Land. To understand why April the “cruelest month” for Eliot, we need to understand that he is not making a general argument about Aprilness. April is not inherently cruel. 

         But Eliot is ventriloquizing on behalf of the inhabitants of the world of his poem — a bizarre, high-Modernist fantasy realm called “the Waste Land” — a land that has been profoundly shaped by a global pandemic. 

most important way that Eliot uses these underlying myths in "The Waste Land" to comment on the modern world is to describe modern cultural.