T.s. Eliot Essay

The modern society rejected him, and as an outcast, Eliot found himself to be extremely attentive not only to the surrounding world, but aware of a self-identity. Jeannette Winterson writes that Eliot wrote in “a language to luminous that for us is not in any sense a screen but rather a way in,” though Eliot wrote about his own personal experiences and the overwhelming situations and events, the meaning and connection between the composer and the reader creates a universally human meaning. A meaning created from an infinitely gentle, infinitely suffering

By looking through a critical lens at T Stearns Eliot’s poetry in light of his 20th century, modernist context, much is revealed about his personal and the rapidly evolving societal beliefs of that era. Through his repeating motif of time and fragmentation throughout his poems, Eliot reveals the prevalent feelings of isolation while in society along with the need to hide one’s feelings and emotions in this degrading society. His exploration of the use of ambiguity and stream of consciousness by Eliot, which is a characteristic of modernist artists, allows his work to resound over decades while being interpreted and differently understood by every audience that encounters them.

T.S. Eliot, was a renowned poet within the early 20th century whose poetry was largely influenced by the effects of the modernism era. His poems were reflective of contextual concerns such as the Enlightenment period, and largely explored the thematic concerns of desire whilst simultaneously exploiting the tension of human suffering. Eliot, in his poems, explores the ambiguity of identity explicitly through both The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, and Prelude. Both poems examine the complexities of human suffering through a post World War climate and capitalises upon the revolution of industrialisation. Concurrently, the excerpt of Jeanette Winterson's critique and commentary of Eliot's poetry within the BBC documentary, Arena: T.S. Eliot

In order to understand T.S. Eliot’s poem, Choruses from “The Rock,” one must first understand Eliot’s views on contemporary theology and spirituality. He felt as if people were moving away from the Church and were losing their religion in favor of more secular worship. The following passage from Eliot’s poem can summarize his entire argument that he makes in Choruses from “The Rock”.

Throughout his college years, Eliot was active in the writing of literature, even having some of his early poetry published in the Harvard Advocate. In England, Eliot met and befriended fellow expatriate Ezra Pound, who was very

When discussing the greatest poetic minds to ever put their genius to use, it is nearly impossible to not mention Thomas Stearns Eliot. Eliot used his works to develop and display his emotions and his morals by writing complex themes and descriptive scenes that are all based on simple situations that either Eliot himself had lived through, or that someone he knew closely had. By doing so, Eliot was able to convey some of the core human emotions well enough to leave the reader unsure on how he or she feels about the topic themselves. Often times, the only way to express emotion, was through his works. The analysis of the life, and the writings of Thomas Stearns Eliot reveal the possible influences in his works, and the facts behind what led

            I think this style of writing is also a reflection of Eliot's feelings about the time.  Eliot was more of a Modernist than Victorian poet and as such held to beliefs like: there is no higher power in the universe, man is alone on this planet to govern his own affairs, everyone is truly alone, there is no unity, no support, for we live in a godless heartless world (Stacey Donohue).  The floating, confusing, jumbled mix of emotions and directions in this poem mirrors the modernist image of society.

   Thomas Stearns Eliot was not a revolutionary, yet he revolutionized the way the Western world writes and reads poetry. Some of his works were as imagist and incomprehensible as could be most of it in free verse, yet his concentration was always on the meaning of his language, and the lessons he wished to teach with them. Eliot consorted with modernist literary iconoclast Ezra Pound but was obsessed with the traditional works of Shakespeare and Dante. He was a man of his time yet was obsessed with the past. He was born in the United States, but later became a royal subject in England. In short, Eliot is as complete and total a

Q5 "Much of what Eliot writes about is harsh and bleak, but he writes about it in a way that is often beautiful". Comment fully on both parts of this assertion.

In this discussion of Eliot’s poem I will examine the content through the optic of eco-poetics. Eco- poetics is a literary theory which favours the rhizomatic over the arborescent approach to critical analysis. The characteristics of the rhizome will provide the overarching structure for this essay. Firstly rhizomes can map in any direction from any starting point. This will guide the study of significant motifs in ‘The Waste Land.’ Secondly they grow and spread, via experimentation within a context. This will be reflected in the study of the voice and the language with which the poem opens. Thirdly rhizomes grow and spread regardless of breakage. This will allow for an

In T.S. Eliot’s most famous poem The Wasteland, a bleak picture of post-war London civilization is illuminated. The inhabitants of Eliot’s wasteland are living in a morally bankrupt and spiritually lost society. Through fragmented narration, Eliot recalls tales of lost love, misplaced lust, forgone spirituality, fruitless pilgrimages, and the “living dead”- those who shuffle through life without a care. These tales are the personal attempts of each person to fulfill the desires which plague them, though none ever stop to consider that what they want may not be what they need, nor do they consider why it is they feel they must do these things. Through studies in Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic perspective

From His Life to the Page T. S. Eliot's work was greatly influenced by his life. There was a basic pattern in his works that corresponded with the events in his life. This pattern brought about many changes and phases in his poetry. Even Eliot's attitude was reflected in his work. A quote from T. S. Eliot: The Man and His Work states, " Eliot was a man with the highest standards in his poetry, his critisism, and his behavior to others." ( Spender 34). Perhaps much of this can be attributed to his birth toward the end of the Victorian Era. Eliot's background also had a major effect on his writing style. He was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on September 26, 1888. Though Eliot was born in America, he spent much of his life in England. Although

The Waste Land, written by T.S. Eliot, is poem portraying the lack and/or the corruption of culture in England during the post WWI period. Eliot uses a form of symbolism, in which he uses small pieces from popular literary works, to deliver his message. He begins by saying that culture during the post WWI period is a “barren wasteland.” Eliot goes on to support this claim by saying that people in England are in a sort of shock from the violence of World War I. Eliot believes that the lack of culture open doors for immorality to grow among the populace.

Thomas Stearns Eliot, or T.S. Eliot, as the world would come to know him was born in St. Louis, Missouri on the 26th of September, 1888 (5). The NY Times states that Eliot came from a family of “some privilege that had a good background in the intellectual, religious, and business life of New England” (3). Eliot was in possession of great intelligence, but he often lacked in emotion due to the demands of the Unitarian faith his family embraced. When talking about his childhood Eliot once said: “I was brought up to believe it was a selfish indulgence to buy candy for oneself” (qtd. in Worthen 12-13). Eliot’s writing was also influenced by those he grew up with as evidenced by some of the pseudonym’s he used in his

T.S. Eliot changed the face of poetry. He has been regarded as the most celebrated poet of his era. This Nobel Prize winning poet is credited with viewing the world as it appears, without making any optimistic judgements. Despite the ire of Mr. Eliot, it would be safe to regard him as a prophet of doom. His works reflected his frustration with mankind, and the seeming need to be released from this cold world. It was once said, “How unpleasant to meet Mr. Eliot.” (Time 1) His rather cynical view of man’s accomplishments leads one to regard him as a pessimist who prophesies nothing but doom for mankind.