The Wasteland, by T.S. Eliot

872 Words4 Pages
In the twentieth century, T.S. Eliot transformed the traditional poetry form into a more modern style. Eliot was born in St. Louis, Missouri on September 26, 1888. At the age of 25, Eliot moved to England where he began his career as a poet. Eliot greatly attracted the modernist movement, which was poetry written in the reaction of Victorian poetry. His first poem, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, was known as one of the most famous pieces of the Modernist movement. In his poetry, Eliot combines themes such as aridity, sexuality, and living death. He uses techniques such as narration, historical, literary, and mythic allusions. Using themes and techniques from his earlier work, Eliot publishes The Wasteland.

The Wasteland is a poem Eliot wrote after his divorce with his wife Vivienne Haighwood. Critics say the title of the poem, the wasteland, comes from his thoughts on his marriage. This poem is considered to be “one of the most difficult poems in a difficult literary period”. The Wasteland is a poem that is said to be of his most influential work. At first glance, critics considered the poem to be too modern but then opinions changed as they realized the poem reflected Eliot’s disillusionment with the moral decay of World War I in Europe. T.S. Eliot in The Wasteland combines theme, style, and symbolism to explore life and death.

The Wasteland was written in 1922 and is a long poem divided into five sections. The first section is called “Burial of the Dead” which is a reference to a burial service in a church. In the poem it says that April is the cruelest month, which is ironic because April is normally considered to be the month of renewal. In the beginning of the poem, the passing of seasons, symbolizes a natural c...

... middle of paper ...

...lore life and death in his poetry. He portrays significant themes of disillusionment and restoration. Eliot believes in restoring the bad having new beginnings. In conclusion, Eliot revolutionizes poetry to a new level and is one of the most prestigious poets to this day.

Works Cited

Childs, John Steven. "The Waste Land." Magill’s Survey of World Literature. Rev. ed. Salem, 2009 Literary Reference Center. Web. 7 Jan. 2014.

Conlon, John J. "The Waste Land." Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Rev. ed. Salem, 2006. Literary Reference Center. Web. 7 Jan. 2014.

Sullivan, James. "The Waste Land." Masterplots, 4th ed. Salem, 2010. Literary Reference Center. Web. 6 Jan. 2014.

“The Waste Land” Poetry for Students. Ed. Anne Marie Hacht. Vol. 20. Detroit: Gale, 2004. 246-266. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 6 Jan. 2014.
Get Access
Related

  • Technological Takeover in The Veldt

    1383 Words  | 6 Pages

    269-286. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 21 Jan. 2014.

    Read More

  • Edwin Arlington Robinson

    1399 Words  | 6 Pages

    2014. “Overview. ‘Richard Cory.’” Poetry for Students. Ed. Mary Ruby.

    Read More

  • William Butler Yeats: Modernism

    1470 Words  | 6 Pages

    Therefore, William Butler Yeats was a great poet, who greatly influenced the style of writing during his time, and the Modernistic style of writing after him. Works Cited “Modernism” – literature periods & Movements N.P, N.D. web. 1 Feb 2014. Literature.com/periods/Modernism.php “Modernism” Merriam Webster’s encyclopedia of literature. Springfield, MA: Merriam- Webster 1995.

    Read More

  • T.S. Eliot

    814 Words  | 4 Pages

    In conclusion, Thomas Stearns Eliot was a well-known poet influenced by both political and personal events whose famous modernist poems “The Hollow Men” and “The Waste Land” led him to fame because of their themes that reflected the broken society Eliot lived in after WWI. In my opinion, T.S. Eliot’s message is that society should never be this “dead” and “hollow,” and that we should never let this kind of depression dominate society once again. We should appreciate the fact that today, in some parts of the world, we live a “happy” life, but at the same time, notice that even though we are in peace there is still some places in the world where the desire to live is miniscule and that we should fix it or prevent it.

    Read More

  • Comparison Between “The Cask of Amontillado” and “The Tell-Tale Heart”

    2130 Words  | 9 Pages

    Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 3 Dec. 2010. Chua, John. "An overview of 'The Tell-Tale Heart,'."

    Read More

  • Author Robert Frost

    1276 Words  | 6 Pages

    201-02. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 4 Mar. 2014.

    Read More

  • Wayne Gretzky: A Modern Outlier

    801 Words  | 4 Pages

    “Porphyria’s Lover” is an example of the Themes madness, love and violence in which the Victorians loved and proclaimed him as one of England’s greatest poets. Uma Kukathas has high remarks of Browning and his motivation to write poetry for the Victorians. Robert Browning motivation to become a poet shows throughout his poetry and his life as his is considered one of the greatest poets to ever grace earth. Works Cited Browning, Robert. “Porphyia’s Lover.” Poem Hunter n.p.

    Read More

  • Rupert Brooke’s Connection to the Modern Era

    1242 Words  | 5 Pages

    Web. 27 Jan. 2014. Brooke, Rupert. "The Soldier." Poets.org.

    Read More

  • The Importance of the Settings in Novels

    1469 Words  | 6 Pages

    13 Jan. 2014. Sutton, Brian. "Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby." Explicator 55.2 (1997): 94. Literary Reference Center.

    Read More

  • Barbarous Retribution and Revenge

    947 Words  | 4 Pages

    12 May 2014. Nevi, Charles N. "Irony and ‘The Cask of Amontillado’.” The English Journal 56.3 (Mar 1967): 461-465. Literary Reference Center. Web. 11 May 2014.

    Read More

More about The Wasteland, by T.S. Eliot

Get Access