Ghaffar 1

Areej Ghaffar

Ms. Aneela Azhar

ENG- 501

22 December 2020

Analysis of ‘’The Wasteland’’

(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:

“April is the cruellest month, breeding

Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing

Memory and desire, stirring

Dull roots with spring rain.

Winter kept us warm, covering 5

Earth in forgetful snow, feeding

A little life with dried tubers.”

                 This passage is an indication of the extent of the degradation of man. He sunken son

low into depravity that he has prefers to live a life of ignorance and to disregard the fact

that he is living a half life. April, the month in which spring begins, is no longer a joyous

time in which new life is celebrated, but a cruel time of rebirth that reminds man that his

own life is terribly empty.

                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
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summer. The title also recalls the Christian burial service in the Church of

England’s “The Book of Common Prayer and hence suggests death”

             These starting lines of the poem strike an ironic contrast between the modern waste land

and that in remote and primitive civilizations. Ancient societies celebrated the return of

spring through the practices of their vegetation cults with their fertility rites and

sympathetic magic. These rituals demonstrate the unique harmony that then existed

between human cultures and the natural environment.

                  In the starting lines of the poem we can define that there is vast difference between

ancient societies and modern waste land. And is not kindest but “the cruellest month”. So

in these lines of the poem poet has reflects the characteristic of “variety of technical

experiment” that Eliot has use differences of ages and time and also use of new technique

to describe natural environment and also experiment on nature. This lines often compared

to the description of April in the general prologue of Chaucer’s “The Canter bury

Tales” which adopts a more “conventional and cheerful treatment of spring”.

                      “And drank coffee, and talked for an hour.

Bin gar keine Russin, stamm’ aus Litauen, echt

deutsch.

                   And when we were children, staying at the archduke’s”

In these lines speakers seems to have changed and we, apparently, here the narration of Countess

Marie Larisch about her childhood memories and present life. This passage of her

reminiscences, her wanderings through Europe as a political refugee from her native

resulting from her life as an ex-royal exile.

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                  This section creates a picture of an emotional waste land in the lives of aristocratic

women like Countess Marie who suffered great physical hardships and psychological

dislocations as a result of the political turmoil soon after World War 1. In these lines poet

reflects the characteristic like “Psychology and literature” that Eliot uses the character

Marie and he tells about her state of mind and psychology.

“What are the roots that clutch, what branches grow

Out of this stony rubbish? Son of man, 20

You cannot say, or guess, for you know only

A heap of broken images, where the sun beats,

And the dead tree gives no shelter, the cricket no

Relief,

And the dry stone no sound of water.”

               In this part of the section we can hear again the voice of Tiresias, who depicts a sort of

spiritual waste land. The tone here is Rimini scent of old Biblical littering their somber

prophecies. The speaker describes a true waste land of “strong rubbish” in it he says, man

can recognize only “A heap of broken image” yet the scene seems to offer salvation

shade and a vision of something new and different. The vision consists only of

nothingness. In this episode again memory serves to contrast the past with the present. In

the episode from the past, the “nothingness” is more clearly a sexual failure, a moment of

importance. In these lines of the poem poet has reflects the characteristic like, “Emptiness

and Nothingness” and “Anxiety and Interrogation” and also “Pessimism” because he

talks more about Spirituality and Religion.

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               In this poem poet uses the mythical stories to describe modern society. Eliot picks up

on the figure of the Fisher King legend’s waste land as an appropriate description of the

state of modern society. The importance difference, of course, is that in Eliot’s world

there is no way to heal the Fisher King perhaps there is no Fisher King at all. The legends

imperfect integration the lack of a unifying narrative in the modern world.

               In this use of mythical story Eliot present the modern society in which he reflects the

characteristic like “using disjointed structure to reflects the disfunction of western

society”

“Unreal City,

Under the brown fog of a winter dawn,

A crowd flowed over London Bridge, so many,

I had not thought death had undone so many.”

In this lines of the poem Eliot describe the London Bridge. The speaker observes the “Unreal

city”, London, after the war. It presented the surreal and foggy image of London. The

final episode of the first section allows Eliot finally to establish the true wasteland of the

poem, the modern city. Eliot’s London references Baudelaire’s Paris, Dickens’s London

and Dante’s Hell. Eliot uses the poetic an image of the physical desolation of the war-torn

society and also communicates a sense of spiritual, disillusionment and despair.

                 According to Eric Svarny, the dry, barren, lifeless images in the poem and the

undeniable sense of futility from an “evocation of post war London”. Svarny notes that

the image of London in the poem characterized by “guilt, shock, and incomprehension of

traumatized society manifested… through historical, cultural, psychic dislocation”.

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                In these lines of “Unreal city” Eliot shows us the image of London city after world war

and how it impacts to the society of the western culture. In these lines poet has reflected

the characteristic “The Resurgence of poetry” and “The impact of Two world

wars” throughout his poem we can understand the situation after the world wars to the

western countries.

A 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.

               The second scene in this section further diminishes the possibility that sex can bring

regeneration either cultural or personal. The comparison between the two is not meant to

suggest equality between them or to propose that the first women’s exaggerated sense of

high culture is in any women’s form of sexuality is regenerative.

               In this section poet has reflects characteristic like “bad treatment of love and sex”. In

this part poet has used one line repeatedly “HURRY UP PLEASE IT’S TIME” it shows

one of the characteristic of modern age like “The speed of life” may be poet has uses it to

the importance of time throughout this section.

               In a modernist literature society that lacks hope and a sense of significance; many

aspects of life lose their meaning and are reduced to trivial things. In the waste land

relationships between people in the modern society are reduced to something that is
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sterile, lifeless, and dry. The various characters that appear in the poem are unable to

carry a logical and coherent dialogue.

                This impossibility of meaningful communication corresponds to the dismal and

hopeless reality of the modern society and also intensifies and dramatizes the speaker’s

anguish and frustration at world. For example, in “A Game of Chess”, demonstrate the

impossibility of communication and thus relationships:

“Speak to me. Why do you never speak? Speak.

What are you thinking of? What thinking?

What?

I never know what you are thinking. Think.”

               The speaker of these lines is unable to communicate with the person he is speaking to,

thus failure in communication reflects the isolation and lack of connection that

characterize relationships with in disillusioned and dismal modern society.

“What is that noise?”

The wind under the door.

“What is that noise now? What is the wind doing?”

Nothing again nothing. 120

“Do

You know nothing? Do you see nothing? Do you

remember

“Nothing?”

                 This lines suggest a sense of chaos and obscure the meaning of potentially

unequivocal expressions the speaker is unable to communicate anything articulate and

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meaningful. Through this depiction of relationships and communication, Eliot

demonstrate that one of the social effects of the war is the lack of harmony and

community and the ultimate isolation of the individual resulting from the sense of despair

and meaninglessness in the midest of the desolation of modern Europe.

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:

“The time is now propitious, as he guesses,

The meal is ended; she is bored and tired,

Endeavours to engage her in caresses

Which still are unreproved, if undesired.

Flushed and decided, he assaults at once;

Exploring hands encounter no defence;

His vanity requires no response,

And makes a welcome of indifference”.

                This attitude of indifference can be seen as even more depraved than lust and expresses

the apathetic attitude of many after the war.

                   The single most prominent aspect of the from and content of the waste land is

fragmentation. The waste land does not progress in a linear direction as most other poems
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do. In “The Fire Sermon” incomplete and choppy phrases are followed by an obscure

expression:

“Weialala leia

Wallala leialala”

                Clare R. Kinney also gives an example of deliberate fragmentation in the poem

demonstrated in the structure of “The Fire Sermon”.

                The fragmented nature of the waste land is not merely a stylistic element or an effect

that a reader perceives from the poem but most importantly a principal concept of

modernism. Eliot himself shows that this is significant concept in the poem, the speaker’s

recurring implying or mentioning is an essential aspect of the picture of modernity that is

presented in the poem.

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. Phleb as

is now dead to the world. He has forgotten,

“The cry of gulls, and the deep sea swell and the profit and the loss”

                He is no longer affected by the sin of modern society but lives separate from it. The

narrator then addresses the reader:

“Gentile or Jew

O you who turn the wheel and look to windward,

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Consider Phlebas, who was once handsome and tall

as you.”

                  With this address, the narrator reminds us that we are as mortal as Phlebas, and we

also require this “living water”. This passage is a direct contrast to “The Fire Sermon”

quenching the fires of lust with the “living water” that provides spiritual cleansing.

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.

                The protagonist finds, “Shantih  Shantih  Shantih” – peace that passes understanding

like Phlebas, he has chosen to bid farewell to his dishonest, worldly self and surrender to

the living water that has the power to quench the fire of corruption.

                 It is through this passage that Eliot suggests his own discovery and his decision to

experience the peace that passes understanding by surrounding the corrupt part of

himself. The poem composed of seemingly fragmented ideas and stream of consciousness

thoughts, end on a note of peace, a peace that Eliot has attained and wishes modern man

to experience.

                 In this final part of the poem poet again uses the Bridge of London which is falling

down which shows that the culture of London is also falling down. Throughout this
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section poet has uses the Hindu Upanishads which is the voice of God repeats, the

thunder, when it rolls “Da Da Da”, that is “Damyata, Datta and Dayadhvem”. Therefore

these three must be learned, self-control, giving, compassion.

               In this part there are some reflection of the 20 th century’s characteristic they are: “The

breakdown of established value”, “The impact of two world wars” and “The resurgence

of poetry” in that Eliot has uses new kind of technique and method to give his ideas

toward modern age.

                 Eliot’s “The Waste Land” is characterized by fragmentation, discontinuity, and

disjunction- quality descriptive of modern society. In this entire poem we can see all the

characteristics which are given above and describe as a very difficult and modern epic.

                 The waste land, because of its complexity and depth, is a difficult poem to understand

and analyses. The most notable aspects of the poem that have been discussed in this

analysis illumine some, though not all, characteristics of modernity that are depicted in

the poem.

                According to Eliot’s image of the modern world in the waste land, the modern society

is surrounded by obscurity, chaos, disillusionment, and a desire to return to the ancient

times of security and order. The waste land is one of the best examples to the modern age

and it also reflects the characteristic in “The Waste Land”.

Literary devices, a significant part of any literary piece, are used to highlight hidden meanings. Through

“The Waste Land,” T. S. Eliot brings clarity and richness to this poem using appropriate devices.

The analysis of some of the literary devices is given below.

 There are three major metaphors in the poem. The first one is used in the

first stanza where it is stated, “April is the cruelest month.” April represents cruelty and
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brings change which is a source of pain for the people.  The second metaphor is used in

the third section of the poem, “a rat crept softly through the vegetation / Dragging its

slimy belly on the bank.” Here rat represents the war and its aftermaths.  The

third extended metaphor is used in section five “Cracks and reforms and bursts in the

violet air / Falling towers / Jerusalem Athens Alexandria / Vienna London / Unreal.”

These cities show the destruction of cultural and traditional values.

 Personification is used to show human-like quality for inanimate objects. The first is used

in the third section where the poet has compared the musical sound made by a mandolin

to a whining sound of a human being. The second example is in also in the third section

where he personifies the sound of utensils coming from the restaurant with human

conversation. The third example of personification is in the last part where he personifies

river by giving it a human attribute “of sweaty oil and tor.”

 Irony is a figure of speech that states the opposite meanings of the situation being

discussed. Similarly, the poet presents irony in the very first line where he says that

“April is the cruelest month”. April is a pleasant spring month but has become cruel as it

brings the war memory back.

 A simile is a device used to compare two different objects. There are two similes in the

poem such as, “The Chair she sat in, like a burnished throne” / “Turn upward from the

desk, when the human engine waits, Like a taxi throbbing waiting.”

 Onomatopoeia is defined as a word which mimics the natural sounds of a thing which

makes the description interesting and appealing. Eliot has used this device in the section

of the poem called “The Fire Sermon “twit, twit, twit” / “jug, jug, jug.”
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 Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds such as the sound of /y/ in “year to

year” and /t/ sound in “twit, twit, and twit” and “time to time.”

 Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line such as the sound of /i/ in

“little life with dried “and sound of /a/ in “a wicked pack of cards” and /o/ sound in “a

crowed flowed over London Bridge.”

 Alliteration is the repetition of the same consonant sounds in the same lines of the poetry

such as the use of /t/ sound in “Twit, twit, twit” and /g/ in “jug, jug, jug.

Concluding the literary analysis, it can be rightly stated that Eliot has skillfully used these literary

devices to make his poem a masterpiece.

Poetic Devices refer to those techniques a poet uses to bring uniqueness in his text. The analysis of some

of the poetic devices used in this poem is given below.

1. A stanza is a poetic device comprising a different number of verses. There is no fixed

stanza type in this poem. Each section has various stanzas with a varying number of lines.

The first section has four, second has three stanzas, while three have eight and so on.

However, what is interesting is that there is no proper rhyme scheme or a set number of

verses in each stanza.

2. “The Waste Land” does not contain any specific rhyme scheme; it is rather written

in blank verse. Eliot has also used chunks from different songs in a different section with

specific meters to make his poem melodious at some points and rugged at other points.

3. Enjambment: Enjambment refers to a phrase that is carried over a line-break without a

major pause. Similarly, “The Waste Land” comes up with many examples where Eliot

has continued the verses without any appropriate pause such as;

‘’April is the cruelest month, breeding

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Lilacs out of dead land, mixing

Memory and desire stirring

Dull roots with spring rain.’’

4. Scansion refers to a poem that does not follow a traditional or patterned meter. Eliot has

not used any set meter pattern in this poem, making it a good scansion.

5. There is a repetition of the verses, “HURRY UP PLEASE ITS TIME” and “Datta.

Dayadhvam. Damyata.” Eliot enhances the musical quality of his poem with the help of

repetition.

The analysis shows that “The Waste Land” though, seems a simple depiction of confused modern

culture, points out the miserable condition of humanity reeling under materialism.

Characteristics of Modern Poetry

 The impact of the two world wars

 Anxiety and Interrogation

 Art for life’s sake

 Using disjoined structure to reflects the disfunction of western society

 Breakdown the tradition or breakdown of established values

 Realism

 Urbanization

 Psychology and literature

 Bad treatment of love and sex

 The influence of Radio and Cinema

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 Images in poetry

 A new use of myth, individualism in poetry.

 Idioms of everyday speech and different styles in poetry.

 Diverse subject matter, a shift from poetic diction to a new poetic language.

 Socio cultural dislocation is reflected in poetry.

 Poetry has become more polyglot. For example, T.S Eliot’s The Wasteland.

The modern age is the most complex, complicated and revolutionary age in the history of the

world. The people of this age challenges everything.