"The Waste Land" by T.S.Eliot (classroom activity)

This blog is a part of my classroom activity.

Here is the link of classroom activity : http://dilipbarad.blogspot.in/2014/10/presentations-on-ts-eliots-waste-land.html

·        My answers to the three questions about contradiction of Eliot with Nietzsche and Freud and the use of Indian thoughts in “The Waste Land”:

1)  What are your views on the following image after reading 'The Waste Land'? Do you think that Eliot is regressive as compared to Nietzsche's views? or Has Eliot achieved universality of thought by recalling mytho-historical answer to the contemporary malaise?

       

         T. S. Eliot and Nietzsche both are totally opposite in their views, but both can be considering as right on their place.

        Eliot believes in supernatural power and he wanted to evoke that supernatural instinct in the heart of people for better future, he has taken the old mythical as well as logical ideas from past with the help of Upanishads as well as various cultures.

On the other hand Nietzsche is like an atheist, he believes in human power as a “superman” that only man can help themselves and “God is dead”. He was convinced that traditional values represented a “slave morality”.

       Both interpretations are true, but we cannot say that Eliot is regressive as compared to Nietzsche's views because what Eliot is using past reference to answer the contemporary malaise. Those myths and thinking has earlier changed the way of thinking of people, for example Buddhism was a prominent religion which has developed humanity in people. As far as Nietzsche’s views are concerned, he is believing in “superhuman”, yes that is true that the concept is good but not everyone can became a man with super powers of strong will or The Übermensch which means ‘beyond man’. 

       

        The view of Eliot can be considered as more realistic than Nietzsche. Nietzsche is finding the solution of present in future, and Eliot is finding the solution of present and future in past. Nietzsche believes in assumptions while Eliot has proved it universally correct, by examine all the cultures.

2) Prior to the speech, Gustaf Hellström of the Swedish Academy made these remarks:

What are your views regarding these comments? Is it true that giving free vent to the repressed 'primitive instinct' lead us to happy and satisfied life? Or do you agree with Eliot's view that 'salvation of man lies in the preservation of the cultural tradition'?

         Yes, it is truth that giving free vent to the repressed “primitive instinct” can lead us to happy and satisfied life, but only individually. If the whole universe is concern we cannot behave which is not good for the world. The things and happiness which is satisfying us can harm others and which gives pleasure to others can harm us. But if all will follow such culture tradition and believe in such lifestyle and moralities, a network of understanding can be created and humans can live peacefully.

3) Write about allusions to the Indian thoughts in 'The Waste Land'. (Where, How and Why are the Indian thoughts referred?)

       

           In “The Waste Land” Eliot has presented various cultures and languages to connect the world with one universal thought. In first four parts Eliot has described that how sexual perversion has overpowered the spirituality of humans and in the last part “What the thunder said” he described the solution of spiritual degradation by referring in Indian culture and Upanishads. The allusions to the Indian thoughts are:

Eliot refers to Wisdom of India for spiritual salvation of modern humanity by giving the reference of

“Ganga was sunken, and the limp leaves

Waited for rain, while the black clouds

Gathered far distant, over Himavant.

The jungle crouched, humped in silence. 

Then spoke the thunder”

Then there is a reference of three ‘Da’

 

             1)  Datta : to give: not only charity but giving oneself for some noble cause – passionate participation, not mere mechanical – devote oneself for noble deeds and for that he has given an example of  Daan-vir Karna, Bhamasha.

2)    Dayadhvam: sympathise – empathize yourself with the 

sorrows and suffering of others, come out of your isolation

 and live into others.

3)    Damyata: Self Control, control over one’s passions and 

desires.

This all are the deep rooted philosophy of Indian culture

 which Eliot wants to be followed by Waste lander.

The last lines,

  “Shantih    shantih    shantih “

 suggests ‘the peace which passeth understanding’. The word ‘Shanti” is used for peaceful life in most of the chants of Indian Vedas and Upanishads and Eliot has also used it to end his poem and to give the message of peace.

Interpretation of ten short poems

This blog is a part of my classroom activity,

Here is the blog link of a task : http://dilipbarad.blogspot.in/2016/06/modernist-poems-activity-identify_25.html

Here is my interpretation of ten short poems, with modern metaphors and symbols.

1.) ‘The Embankment‘- T. E. Hulme

Once, in finesse of fiddles found I ecstasy,

In a flash of gold heels on the hard pavement.

Now see I

That warmth’s the very stuff of poesy.

Oh, God, make small

The old star-eaten blanket of the sky,

That I may fold it round me and in comfort lie.

In this poem, the poet is missing his life as a “fallen gentlemen”, the metaphor contains complexity by using word ‘gentleman’ rather than ‘man’. Poet is recounting his experiences of past and that enjoyment, also the words like “flash of gold heels”  but now in the cold winter night he only needs a blanket rather than anything else and he has not blanket so he requests God to give a blanket of stars, but here the word he has used is “Star-eaten blanket” which suggests that blanket of God is in poor condition but though there is a need of blanket suggests spirituality is in poor condition but in cold winter night of brokenness and sexual perversion the blanket of spirituality can give us life.

2.) "Darkness" - Joseph Campbell

      

               Darkness

        I stop to watch a star shine

        in the boghole -

        A star no longer, but a silver

         ribbon of light.

        I look at it and pass on.

In the poem poet presented the view of night that how the sky has became dark without stars and there is night everywhere. Night is mostly presented to show beauty of moon and peace of mind but in ‘The Embankment‘ by T. E. Hulme the night has represented as negativity. Here poet wants to see shining stars from ‘boghole’ (land surface having a miry or songy bottom) he is not able to see stars, but there is “a silver ribbon of light” (the silver ribbon is a sign of awareness towards the brain disorders, stalking awareness) and poet looked it at that there is no stars but light is still there.

3.) 'Image' - Edward Storer

   

          Forsaken lovers,

       Burning to a chaste white moon

       Upon strange Pyres of loneliness and

       drought.

 

The poem as per its title “Image” presents an image of the modern people and their way of living, they requires purity like moon. They all are burning with various diseases like sexual perversion and nothingness which T. S. Eliot has also presented in The Waste Land and in these four lines this image of loneliness of modern era is presented.

4.) "In a station of the Metro" - Ezra Pound

       

  The apparition of these faces in the Crowd;

  Petals on a wet, black bough

The word “Metro” in title clearly suggests the hasty lifestyle of modern civilization. “these faces in the Crowd” suggests that there are together but isolated. The metaphor of “wet, black bough” suggests that they are from same tree(city, civilization) but that civilization is like “withered stump” and they are like petals, isolated from flower without identity.

5.) 'The Pool' - Hilda Doolittle

      

       Are you alive?

       I touch you

       You quiver trembling like a sea-fish

       I cover you with my net

       What are you- banded one?

The first line of poem, “Are you alive?” was the question asked by T. S. Eliot and many literary writes in their works, the modern people are suggested as trembling like a sea fish and when they are covered by net, again they are banded or controlled but still not alive. The poem recalls us to Wordsworth’s poem “London 1802” which has the same metaphor for London.

6.) "Insouciance" – Richard Aldington

      

      In and out of the dreary trenches

       Trudging cheerily under the stars

       I make for myself little poems

       Delicate as a flock of doves

       They fly away like white-winged

        Doves.

The poet presents that how people are living their life in insouciance way with carelessness. They try to express their feelings in literature as poet says “I make for myself little poems” the way of living is with no excitement “In and out of the dreary trenches” but though all are walking on their path with such cheer, the reference of  “white-winged Doves” (originally a bird of desert thickets) is also used for modern culture of living life and feeling of isolation is there.

7.) Morning at the Window - T. S. Eliot

They are rattling breakfast plates in basement kitchens,

And along the trampled edges of the street

I am aware of the damp souls of housemaid

Sprouting despondently at area gates.

The brown waves of fog toss up to me

Twisted faces from the bottom of the street,

And tear from a passer-by with muddy skirts

An aimless smile that hovers in the air

 And vanishes along the level of the roofs.

The poem has a imagery of morning that how people starts their day that plats are rattling in kitchens, on streets there are people walking but with damp souls and because of that the atmosphere seems gloomy. The fog and twisted faces gives negative glimpse and an aimless smile suggests artificiality of Modern civilization. their smiles hovers in the air but it is artificial and that is the reason that it cannot touch the heart, so poet said, “And vanishes along the level of the roofs.”

8.) The Red Wheelbarrow -William Carlos Williams

so much depends

 upon

a red wheel

barrow

 glazed with rain

water

beside the white

chicken.

The poem has such agricultural metaphors like “wheel”, “rain” and “chicken” but the interpretation could be that so much depends upon wheel, without wheel the cart cannot work, one cannot transport anything without wheel, the red colour suggests the aggressiveness but that red wheel is now covered with rain water and not able to work. The chicken word also suggests a young inexperienced person.

9.) Anecdote of the Jar- Wallace Stevens

I placed a jar in Tennessee,    

And round it was, upon a hill.  

It made the slovenly wilderness  

Surround that hill.

The wilderness rose up to it,

And sprawled around, no longer wild.  

The jar was round upon the ground  

And tall and of a port in air.

It took dominion everywhere.  

The jar was gray and bare.

It did not give of bird or bush,  

Like nothing else in Tennessee.

The poem is about the state “Tennessee” in United States of America. Poet placed a jar on the hill in Tennessee and because of that untidiness and wilderness has grown around the hill the jar was on the ground but was tall and like port. The word “dominion” suggests that the jar which was outsider at hill has made its place strong slowly and steadily. There was nothing which can be produced by jar, but though it was dominion upon the hill.

10.) ‘l (a‘- E. E. Cummings

l(a

le

af

fa

ll

s)

one

l

iness

The first reading of poem can confuse us but it is all about the experiment with structure of poem and play with words. The meaning if we search on internet it is “a leaf falls on loneliness” but the poet has parted loneliness and (a leaf falls), which suggests modernist way of writing. It was a time when people were alone and self cantered and even nature was not praising him, “a leaf falls” suggests the disconnection of people with nature and isolation with natural world.