Pioneer of theModernist movement in literature, Thomas Stearns Eliot, is one of the mostoutstanding poet, literary figure, dramatist and editor in the twentiethcentury England.
Admired by many, Igor Stravinsky commented on Eliot as ‘notonly as a sorcerer of words but as the very keeper of language’. Born in 26Sept 1888, his hometown St. Louis, Missouri has fuelled and influenced hisliterary perception and career that provided him ample ambience and environment.
And considered him to be lucky to born there, rather than in the chaotic citiesof New York or Boston. After many travelling and his education in Oxford andHarvard, he settled in England in 1914.The Order of Merit and Nobel Peace Prizewere awarded to him until his death at the age of 76 in 4 Jan 1965.
Settling in England gave him theopportunity for the meeting the great American literary figure Ezra Pound thatchanged the course of his life for the better. It was Ezra Pound who encouragedhim and introduced him in the many social events and functions which helped himto gain recognition. In many years Ezra Pound is credited with the honour ofmaking Eliot who he is and helped him a great deal in establishing his careeras a poet. Eliot started writing atthe age of fourteen and exhibited his genius in writing through the many workslike The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock (1915),which is often hailed as the classical example of Modernist movement that usedthe method of stream of consciousness . It was later followed by many other notableworks like the Waste Land (1922), The Hollow Men (1925), Ash Wednesday (1930), FourQuartets (1943), Murder in theCathedral (1953) and The CocktailParty (1949). Original draft of the poem The Waste Land was twice as long as whencompared to the published version i.e.
the 434 line poem came to existence whenEzra Pound removed and edited the long and complex material. The Eliotpublished the LoveSong of J. Alfred Prufrock (1915), which is often hailed asthe classical example of Modernist movement that used the method of stream ofconsciousness .
It was later followed by many other notable works like the Waste Land (1922), The Hollow Men (1925), Ash Wednesday (1930), FourQuartets (1943), Murder in theCathedral (1953) and The CocktailParty (1949). Original draft of the poem The Waste Land was twice as long as whencompared to the published version i.e. the 434 line poem came to existence whenEzra Pound removed and edited the long and complex material. The Eliotpublished the poem in dedication to Ezra calling him ‘il miglior fabbo’ meaning ‘the better craftsman’.
The poemconsisting of five sections expressed in fragmented images that changes fromone speaker to another, from place to place which can be incomprehensible tomany a first. Alternating in narrations, the first part titled Burial of the Dead is followed by thesecond part titled ‘A Game of Chess. The third sectiontitled ‘The Fire Sermon’ merges theimages of the Thames, the legend of the seer Tiresias. The fourth section ‘Death by Water’ briefly discusses thedrowned sailor Phlebas while the fifth part titled ‘What the Thunder Said’ incorporates many religious themes. Fora poem discussing about intense and fragmented images that is deliberately madeunconnected to give a shifting effect, it also contains water as a symbolsignifying diverse meanings and interpretations. A dual meaning of life anddeath in particular. Destruction and reconstruction. When Eliot centres thepoem mostly on the barrenness of the land in the first part of the poem, wherethere is no water, he is indirectly portraying the psychological and culturalcatastrophe the World War I has brought upon the common life resulting in aworld that he could not stand.
His employment of the water as an image plays amajor role in different sections that corresponds to different contexts. It isthe lack of water that brings out the horrors in the waste land. Without water,the symbol of fertility, there is no scope for anything to exist. It not onlyplays the role of Giver of life but also of the Taker of life.
The many lines in the first section of thepoem indicates the land without water becoming dry and barren, which in returnrefers to the pathetic existence of the non-spiritual modern world and thehopelessness Eliot had for the world. The repeated references to the barrenland, without water, also indirectly refer to the sterility and absence of hopewhich is evident in the The Burial of theDead. The warning ‘Fear death by water’ given by Madame Sosostris afterdrawing a tarot card which says ‘the drowned Phonecian Sailor’ is reflected inthe fourth section. The Death by Waterwhich is considered to be the most organised and the shortest one briefly describesthe death of Phlebas, the Phonecian. As the poem progresses the length of theline varies, shortening and lengthening, as of the course of a river. As thetitle suggests, here the water is represented as the bringer of death, theultimate destiny of mankind. Phonecian who are expert in sailing and conqueringthe sea is brought down by the very sea he has been controlling and has beenfood of the sea life for a fortnight.
He who once had command over the currents tarot card which says ‘the drowned PhonecianSailor’ is reflected in the fourth section. TheDeath by Water which is considered to be the most organised and theshortest one briefly describes the death of Phlebas, the Phonecian. As the poemprogresses the length of the line varies, shortening and lengthening, as of thecourse of a river. As the title suggests, here the water is represented as thebringer of death, the ultimate destiny of mankind. Phonecian who are expert in sailingand conquering the sea is brought down by the very sea he has been controllingand has been food of the sea life for a fortnight.
He who once had command overthe currents now is under the command of currents. The speaker defines the man as handsome andtall, having the spirits of a young passionate sailor and his sudden death is awarning to everyone who thinks life is forever. The young sailor is broughtdown by a whirlpool (318) that shut him in the darkness forever in the waterygrave. A current under the sea picked his bone, the only remains of his bodyand it fell and rise as waves moves. His body has been reduced to something sotrivial when compared to nature and its power. Everything he has accomplishedso far in his life now floats above the sea like wind and it reminds him of hisage and youth again and again as the currents moves him.
He is helpless and istrapped in his circumstances that drowns him helplessand is trapped in his circumstances that drowns him again in his past enteringin a whirlpool.
