Hi everyone,
I have an exam in 2 days and I am in desperate need for some feedback on this essay on the works of T.S Eliot!!! I would also love some advice on how to condense it. It's at about 1400 words and I need it to be 1000
Essay question: Eliot’s poetry has been described as ‘a disturbing portrait of uncertainty amidst the turmoil of modern life’.
To what extent does this perspective align with your understanding of Eliot’s poetry?
In your response, make detailed reference to at least TWO of the poems se for study.
My Response:
T.S Eliot's oeuvre entails an unsettling and often ominous portrayal of the turmoil inherent in modern life. Exploring an atmosphere of trepidation and futility, Eliot ponders the internal struggle of the modern man. The modern era saw an age of heightened anxiety and the collapse of traditionalism. With industrial advancements and technological developments came spiritual and moral uncertainty, creating breakdown and disorder within society. Eliot’s insightful poetry seeks to plunder and examine the reality of this widespread sense of despair, framing the turbulent nature of modernity. His poems ‘Preludes’ and ‘Rhapsody on a Windy Night’ both depict the uncertainty concerning this fragmented society. Particularly, these works explore the disconnection and consequential insentience deeply manifested in the modern man, along with the widely conceived notions of predestinated doom and despair. Eliot’s portrayal does not only depict these concerns of despondency, but also the universal existentialism alluding to a slight, but seemingly possible, sense of hope.
Modernisation and urbanisation consequently fostered feelings of disenchantment, insentience and disconnection in many people as a result of the fragmentation of society. Eliot cleverly articulates an authentic reflection of life in this modern society, depicting the paradoxical despondency felt by the modern man, despite the supposed ‘progression’ of society. In his poem ‘Preludes’, Eliot paints an accumulation of sordid, fragmented images of the personas physical surroundings. He adopts a similar form in his poem ‘Rhapsody on a Windy Night’ as audiences traverse the streets with the persona as he reminisces an array of similarly sordid images. In both of these poems, Eliot inturn symbolises the state of society and the internal state of individuals within this despondent modern world. Particularly in ‘Preludes’, Eliot depicts a woman who “waited… dozed… watched… the thousand sordid images of which [her] soul constituted… flicker[ing] against the ceiling”. Eliot’s purposeful word choice alludes to a dissociation between the women and her actions. He illustrates imagery of shadows which, in itself, has connotations of disassociation and also evokes a sense of detachment from the conscious-self. Shadows may also suggest a depraving, insidious tone. This depiction of the women represents the widespread disconnection felt within this fragmented society. Similarly, ‘Rhapsody on a Windy Night’ explores this sense of disconnection felt by the modern man. In the fourth stanza, the persona articulates “the hand of a child, automatic, slipped out and pocketed a toy… I could see nothing behind that child’s eye.” Eliot illustrates a homeless child who, like the woman, has been desensitised to his surroundings as suggested by his lack of emotion in what is normally perceived as an act of youthful anticipation. As suggested by literary critique Carol L. Yang, “There is a child, the Romantic archetype of ideal inner humanity, to be reduced to and identified with the instinctive animal”, thus alluding to the moral deterioration of individuals within this modern era. In ‘The Use of Poetry’ Eliot states himself that “Our lives… are mostly a constant evasion of ourselves, and an evasion of the visible and sensible world”, furthermore expressing the modern man’s dissociation from, not only his own sentient being, but this despondent society he is in. Eliot illustrates this disturbing portrait of the dissociation of individuals to their emotional self, as a result of the societal turmoil in the modern era.
The absence of faith in modern life is crippling to the individual, consequently prompting them to view life through a futile and purposeless lense, and placing emphasis on a predestined doom. This was brought upon by the widespread uncertainty of spirituality and religion in a modern era rich with scientific discoveries and advancements. In ‘Preludes’ Eliot portrays this modern perspective in his last stanza: “Wipe your hand across your mouth, and laugh; The world revolves like an ancient women gathering fuel in vacant lots.” Eliot creates a contemptuous tone that is quite cynical, as reveals the fate of humanity; a futile, desolated fate of a monotonous cycle of life and death. He further alludes to these as he describes the endless gathering of fuel - a sisyphean task to no avail. In his poem ‘Rhapsody on a Windy Night’, Eliot emulates this dooming tone as he personifies the lamp in the first stanza “Every street lamp that I pass beats like a fatalistic drum”. The motif of the lamp has many connotations of exposure. In this sense, this exposure is interpreted as the revelation of metaphysical truth, whose unearthing is feared. This is reinforced by the simile of ‘fatalistic drum’, creating building suspense which unveils the impending and inevitable doom of the persona. This evokes a sense of futility as they move towards a fatalistic future which ultimately ends in a purposeless death. Through articulating the confusion regarding a dooming fate and the lack of purpose in modern life, Eliot provides insights into the repercussions of the degradation of faith in the modern world. These notions expressed in his poetry may have also been evident within himself, as literary critique Ackroyd says: “He was aware of what he called ‘the void’ in all human affairs - the disorder, meaninglessness, and futility which he found in his own experience”.
Although Eliot’s poetry, to an extent, paints a dark picture of the despondency and turmoil of the modern era, it is also arguable that he ponders the possibility of hope and wisdom within his poems. Despite his seemingly weary and disconsolate poetic tone, Eliot also explores the individual yearning for existentialism and transcendence. The voice of moral and spiritual degradation provides scope to the transcendental themes. This is evident in his poem ‘Preludes’, particularly in stanza IV where the persona says: “I am moved by these fancies that are curled around these images, and cling: The notion of some infinitely gentle...thing”. This sombre tone, brought about by an authorial interjection, alludes to the ‘clinging’ to a desperate hope for meaning beyond the modern mundanity of society. Eliot’s terminology of ‘infinitely’, having transcendental connotations, further suggests this yearning something more substantial. Although this existential tangent is short-lived, it provides audiences with a glimpse of hope for a purposeful life, hence enabling them to see the value of humanity, even amidst a cold, suffering society. Literary critique Prajna Pani articulates similar concepts in her ‘reflections on the existential philosophy in T.S Eliot’s poetry’ where she states: “The wisdom and pre-existential anguish found in Eliot’s poetry could only have been achieved through much suffering.” In Eliot’s ‘Rhapsody of a Windy Night’ he explores similar notions as the poem begins with: “Twelve o’clock. Along the reaches of the street held in a lunar synthesis, whispering lunar incantations”. The time Eliot establishes often has many connotations to a ‘witching-hour’ and magic, establishing a sense of dark enchantment. Furthermore, Eliot personifies the moon as a source of wisdom, as suggested by ‘whispering’, encouraging the persona to presume his exploration of the night and, perhaps, to presume his personal existential reflection on both society and himself. Rather then introducing these concepts at the end, Eliot introduces them at the start as the audience journeys with the persona on his reminiscence during the late hours of the night. These late hours of the night are often associated with vulnerability and existential contemplation, which in turn, may be what the persona is ‘weighing up’ as he reflects on a series of vignettes. The poem ends with the persona returning to his tedious life, where these recollections will be forgotten. For the modern audience, this may have been perceived as encouragement to consider these concepts of a greater individual purpose; to consider the prospect of something beyond a life of banal routines. Eliot, in ‘The Use of Poetry’, says that poetry ‘may make us from time to time a little more aware of the deeper, unnamed feelings which form the substratum of our being’, thus highlighting the brief but evident notions of hope and yearning for transcendental meaning in his poetry and their embedment in humanity; even in the modern era.
Both Eliot’s poems ‘Preludes’ and ‘Rhapsody on a Windy Night’ address the turmoil and confusion of modern existence. Eliot sought to enlighten audiences of the widespread despondency felt by individuals, condemning them to a life lacking in both meaning and purpose. However, Eliot also introduced slight glimmers of the yearning for meaning throughout his poetry, as a means to provide a sense of hope in the desolate era of modernism.
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Topic: In desperate need for some feedback on my T.S Eliot essay!! (Read 9390 times)