The Hollow Men : An Analysis And Interpretation Of The Hollow Men

“Choosing a Map for Life,” by M. Scott Peck, “The Allegory of the Cave,” by Plato, “The Truman Show” and “Salvation” by Langston Hughes describe the views and perspective of the reality in our world. We have to get out, discover the world around and revise it. By setting up a map or goal and revising it in the world, will make us to control our perceptions and draw close to the reality.

Imagine yourself sitting inside a dark, damp, cave where the only thing you can see are moving shadows on the cave wall in front of you. You can’t move anywhere or see anything besides the shadows, and these are the only things you’ve seen for your entire life, so these moving dark images are the most real things you’ve ever known. At some point in our childhood we were mentally in this state of darkness, we didn’t know anything about the world or have any complex thoughts. How then, were we brought out of our caves of darkness and misunderstanding? The Allegory of the Cave is a well known section of Plato’s

In the Allegory of the Cave there are chained prisoners in cave who can only stare at the cave wall in front of them. At the back there is a long entrance with a staircase the width of the cave and a fire burning in the distance. They see only shadows projected in front of them from a raised platform and hear an echo that they attribute to what they observe. They talk about and name the shadows of objects they see before them. To them the truth are the shadows. Then one day one of the prisoners is released. He is told that what he saw before was an illusion. Once he is outside it takes a while for his eyes to adjust to the sun. First he observed the shadows of thing then their reflection and finally the actual object. Remembering his previous state he goes back to the cave and tries to explain that everything is an illusion but they laugh at him and think he’s crazy. They believe it best not to ascend and they choose to remain as they are. The cave represented opinion. The shadows that are cast on to the wall represented physical objects. The prisoners represented the common people (Welles).

In Plato's Republic, the great philosopher describes what is needed to achieve a perfect society. He addresses several subjects still debated in today's society, such as justice, gender roles, and the proper form of education. He discusses these issues through his main character, Socrates. Socrates, another well-known philosopher for his time, happens upon a group of men, and what begins as a modest question, leads into a series of debates, metaphors, and allegories. Perhaps the most discussed allegory in today's popular culture is the Allegory of the Cave. Over the past decade, several movies have mimicked the fantasy, the most profitable being the Matrix Trilogy. But what makes this story so fascinating? Through it, Plato attempts to map

Education is a life-altering event that involves becoming more open- minded. When one’s horizons are expanded they begin to understand and view more. The process of becoming knowledgeable through education can differ from the individual or situation. The overall experience as well can change the perception. Two passages, “Learning to Read” by Malcom X and “The Allegory of the Cave” by Plato both contain an individual who goes through the path of gaining wisdom. Although both passages contain similarities involving one going through an experience resulting in the enlightenment of education, there are several differences in how the acknowledgement is approached and the type of predicament the individual is in.

“The Devils Language” by Marilyn Dumont and “The Hollow Men” by T.S. Eliot are quite similar. They both critique their culture in the ways they see it. Nothing Is missing from each authors poem because it is critiquing the world as they have seen and learned from different experiences in their lives. Marilyn Dumont writes about “The great white way” (pg365, line 4) or white culture and the way that aboriginal culture is snuffed out or looked down upon. T.S. Eliot writes about people being too cowardly to be good or bad and also what happens after we die. Therefore, Marilyn Dumont and T.S. Eliot’s works are similar in the way that they see the wrongs in their cultures.

“The Knights of Columbus were real head-breakers; true guineas. They took over their piece of the city. Twenty years after an Irishman couldn’t get a f-----g job, we had the presidency … That’s what the n-----s don’t realize … no one gives it to you. You have to take it.” (Scorsese)

The supporting quote is,“ If still you think me mad, you will think so no longer when I describe the wise precautions I took for the concealment of the body,” this quote are packed with a monumental amount of information. To briefly summarize, the quote illustrates the sinister atmosphere that overtook the chamber as he (the narrator) attempted to be as vigilant as feasible while concealing the dismantled corpse beneath the planks to a point where nobody would have the ability to unearth it. Further, specifically upon first fragment of the quote, the narrator apprises the reader that he camouflaged the body to an extent that even the he would not suspect a single inadequate implement of himself. Aside from the clarification of the quote, the quote itself is pinpointed at the crest of pg. 300, being the first sentence on the page and it is mentioned while the narrator is speaking to himself about the concealment of the corpse. In conclusion, this singular quote superbly provides you a intelligible interpretation of the terror this narrative is comprised of by, for instance saying, “the wise precaution I took for the concealment of the body,” which depicts the nefarious atmosphere that occupied the

“The image suggests a ruin in a classical landscape painting, a symbol of a broken-down system of belief” (Bloom 61). The “hollow men” do not have the faith to be judged and move on to “death’s other Kingdom.”

The Allegory of the Cave speaks its ancient challenge today by stressing the importance of education systems which free students from impediments to learning. Envisaging those “strange prisoners” - students who have been chained “in an underground cave [since] childhood [and must] grow accustomed to the sight of the upper world” (Plato) – compels recognition that such improvements only function once ingrained into student habits of study. One way of understanding the impact of removing such shackles comes to us from an examination of literacy. Literacy acts as a symbolic gateway to greater learning. It illustrates the power handed an individual to stride boldly beyond past limitations. Malcolm X, a famously eloquent civil rights leader, ruminates

The Allegory of the Cave or also known as, Myth of the Cave, is a good example of explaining the feature of the way people think. It is a concept that demonstrates how humans are fearful of change and what they don’t know. Plato says that men are living in an underground cave and it is a situation. The Allegory of the Cave is Plato's explanation of the education of the soul toward enlightenment. Plato talks about being free, everyday life, knowledge, and essentially what he wrote to be true. I think that he was very unique with his writings because there are so many ways to look at the world and his way was just one. He was educated highly and is recognized as a philosopher to this day.

Ch-1: The allegory presupposes that there is distinction between appearances and reality. Do you agree? Why or why not?

Beyond the shield of civilization and into the depths of a primitive, untamed frontier lies the true face of the human soul. It is in the midst of this savagery and unrelenting danger that mankind confronts the brooding nature of his inner self.  Joseph Conrad’s novel, Heart of Darkness, is the story of one man's insight into life as he embarks on a voyage to the edges of the world. Here, he meets the bitter, yet enlightening forces that eventually shape his outlook on life and his own individuality. Conrad’s portrayal of the characters, setting, and symbols, allow the reader to reflect on the true nature of man.

The short story of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” by Washington Irving introduced the character Ichabod Crane. Ichabod’s name means “No Glory” which is the essence of the character himself. Ichabod’s legacy became a sort of an old wives’ tale by which he believed in so much he ultimately fell victim to. Ichabod is a character that is a bit of an underdog that you feel compassion for but inevitably conclude he received the outcome he deserves.

The end of The Hollow Men can only be the beginning of a deep and long reflection for thoughtful readers. T.S. Eliot, who always believed that in his end is his beginning, died and left his verse full of hidden messages to be understood, and codes to be deciphered. It is this complexity, which is at the heart of modernism as a literary movement, that makes of Eliot’s poetry very typically modernist. As Ezra Pound once famously stated, Eliot truly did “modernize himself”. Although his poetry was subject to important transformations over the course of his