"The Waste Land" a poem by T.S. Eliot
Click HERE for a hypertext version of the poem.
Modernism: A movement that dominated the arts and culture of the early 20th century.
The "earthquake in the arts which brought down much of the structure of pre-twentieth-century practice in music, painting, literature, and architecture" (Barry, 78).
Barry, Peter. Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory. Manchester, UK: Manchester UP, 2009. Print.
The "earthquake in the arts which brought down much of the structure of pre-twentieth-century practice in music, painting, literature, and architecture" (Barry, 78).
Barry, Peter. Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory. Manchester, UK: Manchester UP, 2009. Print.
What did a Modernist society look and feel like?
High Modernism: 1910-1930
Victorian Period Modern Period |
Inventions and Technological Breakthroughs
Focus on 2-3 inventions
Rise of the City Brooklyn Bridge, Chrysler Building, Empire State Building
Factory Life Factory fire images 1911, Girls Taking Time Checks, Girls winding armatures, Factory Panorama
World War I Photos of Great War, WWI Trivia, Western Front trenches
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Introduction to Modernist Poetry
Activity 1:
The Daffodils
I wandered lonely as a cloud That floats on high o'er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. —William Wordsworth,1804 Click to read full poem |
Sonnet 43 from the Portuguese, “How Do I Love Thee?”
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight For the ends of being and ideal grace. —Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Published, 1850 Click to read full poem |
introduction_to_modernist_poetry.docx | |
File Size: | 53 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Response to poetry: Using your assigned poem and the "Intro to Modernist Poetry" grid, answer the following questions
- Who is the speaker in the poem?
- What is the tone of the speaker?
- How would you describe the poet’s language and choice of words (diction)?
- What formal poetic and structural devices can you identify?
- For “Daffodils” – What is the poet’s relationship to nature? How does he feel about the natural world and how do you know?
- For “Sonnet” – Would you say the poet believes in the power of love? Why or why not?
Activity 2
The English novelist Virginia Woolf declared that human nature underwent a fundamental change "on or about December 1910." The statement testifies to the modern writer's fervent desire to break with the past, rejecting literary traditions that seemed outmoded and diction that seemed too genteel to suit an era of technological breakthroughs and global violence.”—from the EDSITEment-reviewed Academy of American Poets“The Modernist Revolution: Make It New”
- Compare the setting of “Daffodils” to the city scenes, factory scenes, and WWI landscapes. What symbolic differences can you identify?
- How would these speakers feel if they lived during the 1900s? How might the subject matter of their poems change?
Activity 3
Click to read: "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird"
Click to read: "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird"
- What are the fundamental differences that you notice between this poem and the previous ones?
Activity 4
Epigraph
Epigraph: (definition) a short quotation or saying at the beginning of literature intended to suggest its theme
Epigraph: (definition) a short quotation or saying at the beginning of literature intended to suggest its theme
“Nam Sibyllam quidem Cumis ego ipse oculis meis vidi
in ampulla pendere, et cum illi pueri dicerent:Σιβυλλα τι θελεις; respondebat illa:αποθανειν θελω.” Click here for translation and story |
Ancient Greek oracle (classical allusion numero uno!):
1. A person (in ancient Greece) through whom a god was 2. a message or prophecy often told by a medium |
Discussion:
- Why has the epigraph been used? In other words, what might we encounter in this poem?
- What does the classical allusion represent? What might Eliot be suggesting about society through the use of a classical allusion?
"The Burial of the Dead"
Vocabulary - Click for definitions
What is the purpose or overall message of the vignette? What is Eliot saying about society, memories, the past etc.? For each vignette, identify:
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Questions for analysis
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"A Game of Chess"
High society versus low society: modern sexuality
Part 1
Guiding Question: How is the high society portrayed? Structure: What is different about this section of the poem? Title: What is meant by the title? What is the denotation and connotation of the title? Characters: What do we know about first woman? Identify her social status, her surroundings, and look at the dialogue to identify her mental state Allusions: What could the allusions imply about this character and high society?
Repetition: What could the repetition suggest about the upper class? In lines 120-126, the word "nothing" is repeated six times. In lines 130-133, the idea of not knowing what to do (ex. "What shall I do now?") is repeated in four different ways. |
Part 2
Guiding Question: What type of waste land is Eliot portraying here? Plot:
Allusion: Lines 170-173 are an allusion to Ophelia's suicide speech in Shakespeare's Hamlet. This is the only allusion in the lower class section. What might Eliot be trying to say through this allusion? |
"The Fire Sermon"
Sexual Intercourse
"The title of this chapter, The Fire Sermon, is a sermon given by Buddha. In this sermon, he encourages people to stay away from earthly passion – free themselves from the fire of lust." Click HERE for reference
Click HERE for the Sermon on the Mount
Sexual Intercourse
"The title of this chapter, The Fire Sermon, is a sermon given by Buddha. In this sermon, he encourages people to stay away from earthly passion – free themselves from the fire of lust." Click HERE for reference
Click HERE for the Sermon on the Mount
- Why is this ironic when we think about the waste land that Eliot portrays?
General guiding questions for the whole section:
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Guiding Question: To what extent is this section a satire of modern romance?
The Typist and the Carbuncular (lines 214-256)
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"What the Thunder Said"
Activity 1: Imagery
Lines 331-358
Activity 2: The Road to Emmaus Three sections to "What Thunder Said" as stated by Eliot himself in his notes.
Watch the video below to get the story of the road to Emmaus. It is vital that you understand the story of the crucifixion and resurrection in order to understand Eliot's allusion. Entrance Question: Why is Eliot mixing a religious allusion with such harsh, dry imagery? |
Guiding Questions for The Road to Emmaus Allusion
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- Brihadaranyaka upanishad - a story from the Hindu faith: gods, men, and demons asked their father how to live well. He answered with the sound of thunder, which was heard as "Da." Each interpreted it differently:
- Datta - give (charity and selflessness) What is Eliot worried about in society?
- Dayadhvam - compassion What is Eliot worried about in society?
- Damyata - control (self-control) What is Eliot worried about in society?
- "London Bridge is falling down falling down falling down" (line 426). Yes, this is a popular nursery rhyme, but how could this be symbolic of modern culture?
- Why might the poem end with the words give, sympathize, control, and peace that passes understanding?