NCEA Level 3 English Connections Essay - T.S. Eliot
4 views 0 purchase
Course
English
Institution
Sixth Year / 12th Grade
Grade: E8 (equivalent to A+)
NCEA Level 3 English, New Zealand Curriculum, Connections Essay
Texts used: The Love Song Of. J. Alfred Prufrock, The Hollow Men, Gerontion, The Waste Land
An analysis of the overarching connections of allusion and setting within Eliot’s poem quartet –
“The Love Song Of J. Alfred Prufrock”, “The Waste Land”, “The Hollow Men”, “Gerontion”.
“Make it new” – Ezra Pound
Modernist literature is defined by a venture from Romanticism to a subject matter that is
traditionally mundane, where artists became more vociferous and aware of our decaying mental
state in the modern world. The modernist period in the early 20th century saw the development of
technological advancements, urbanization, and the theory of evolution, which revolutionized the
way people lived. The destruction post World War 1 (WW1) left several lives fragmented,
psychologically alienated and spiritually empty. During this period, artists sought to release the
creative potential and entelechy of the unconscious mind through philosophical language and
thought, as illustrated through the poetry of T.S. Eliot. The desolation following WW1 compelled
modernists to suggest solutions to provoke society to ‘make it new’ by finding meaning and purpose
in their lives. Poetry being a form of the highest art, is capable of presenting the thousandfold
problems of the day through its conscious content and the genius of the creator. Eliot’s “four
poems” – ‘The Love Song Of J. Alfred Prufrock”, “The Wasteland”, “The Hollow Men” and
“Gerontion” collectively reveal the fragmentation and (spiritual) emptiness that enveloped our
world post WW1, causing many lives to lose purpose and hope, which left them rotting in
stagnation. These four poems have fundamental, overarching connections between them due to
Eliot’s predominant use of techniques, namely allusion and setting (combined with the plethora of
metaphors, bathos, imagery, diction, structure, and symbolism) that reframes the preconceptions of
the reader. It is through these connections that Eliot reveals the universal notion of stagnation that
cripples our lives, thus urging us to find meaning and purpose, lest we fall into the same abyss that
these inactive characters have fallen into, never reaching our full potential, nor progressing in life.
In the modern period post WW1, individuals found themselves living inactive, meaningless lives, as
they were unable to find their position in the world. Eliot’s use of allusion through his texts reflects
upon this modern condition where individuals lacked meaning and purpose as they were imprisoned
in an ‘in-between’, passive state where they were unable to move from. Eliot opens ‘The Love Song
Of J. Alfred Prufrock’ with an epigraph that alludes to Dante’s ‘Inferno’ and translates to – “If I
believed that my answers would be to someone who would ever return to earth”. Here, Guido – a
character embodied in a flame - establishes his submission to his imprisonment in hell; The allusion
signposts the sense of entrapment in the titular character ‘Prufrock’, who feels futile and is trapped
in an overwhelming sense of inaction and depression. His feelings of inadequacy and the fact that it
could be a limiting factor from his ‘ultimate goal’ is a self-fulfilling prophecy in itself. His inability to
take control and action cripples his chances of progression. “I do not think they will sing to me” is
linked to Eliot’s allusion to ‘Odyssey’ - the works of the Greek artist Homer, where the bathetic
language suggests that Prufrock’s inaction has doomed him to such an extreme, dire situation,
where he is losing his grip on reality. It reveals a gradual descension – one from the sublime into the
ridiculous. Neither real love (from the women) nor idealized love (from the mermaids) is within
Prufrock’s grasp. His inaction has placed him in such an absurd state where he believes that even
mermaids will not sing to him. Despite his hopeless, ‘in-between’ state, and the painful situation he
is trapped in, he is never driven to take action and constantly regresses into his subconscious state.
Similarly in ‘The Hollow Men’, Eliot opens the text with – “Mistah Kurtz – he dead”, an epigraph that
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller alanangelo. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $16.49. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
