The Waste Land - T. S. Eliot

The Waste Land

   T. S. Eliot

                                  

       T. S. Eliot is one of the very famous 20^th century poets. This epic poem “The Waste Land” highly considered poem in the world. T. S. Eliot criticized his own culture, own people, and his own land by called it as a “Waste Land”. “The Waste Land” is the reflection of the western society. The West now becomes Waste and also the land of West became unfertile, sterile, deserted and nothing grows.

The poem divided into five parts such as:

The Burial of the Dead

A Game of Chess

The Fire Sermon

Death by Water

What the Thunder Said

      It is one of the characteristics of the modern writer that they aren’t follow the writing tradition instead of that they are believe in breaking down the writing tradition. T. S. Eliot is one of them. At the very beginning he tries to beak the rule and regulation like:

Chaucer- “April is the sweetest month”

T. S. Eliot- “April is the Cruelest month”

      Breaking archetypal patterns, tradition or basic symbol is the characteristics of modern writer. The Waste Land is in the form of fragmentation. The structure of this poem is unstructured. Tiresias is the narrator of this poem and also the important character in this poem.

 “What are the roots that clutch, what branches grow

Out of this stony rubbish? Son of man,”

      This lines talks about the main problematic thing in this poem and the problem is that now the roots are become spoiled or sterile. So, how is this possible to the branches to grow on unfertile or stony rubbish land? It can be compared with “The Grain of Wheat”. Not the whole but this line which is talked about the roots are now become spoiled. Even the land is not good for branches to grow because whatever grows there it may be poised. Same is in the “Grain of Wheat” that now the land becomes poisoned so whatever grows there it maybe with poisoned. So, how is it possible for human being to live there?

 This poem composed with various mythical elements like:

Myth of Tiresias

Three Waste Lands: That of Fisher King, King Oedipus and Biblical.

Jessie Weston’s From Ritual to Romance: Myth/ Legend of Holy Grail and Fisher King.

James Frazer’s The Golden Bough: Myth of Vegetation.

Biblical Myth: Waste Land of Emmaus mentioned in Ecclesiastes and Ezekiel.

Myth of Sibyl

Myth of Philomela

Tristan and Isolde

Indian Myth of Prajapati the King

This poem covers various themes like:

Life in Death and Death in Life

Spiritual Degradation

Sexual Perversion

Fragmentation

Disillusion and Despair

       Eliot used myth, allusion and references to prove his point that in the west land there was nothing instead of spiritual degradation and sexual perversion.  People are now falling down. They haven’t any direction to go there because one direction that they have is the religion but now people loss that also. The life of people becomes mechanized, robotic. They live life for the sake of live. Even they aren’t interested into the relationship and don’t like to talk with each other. Relationship now becomes the fake, doubted and unfaithful. See the lines,

“Stay with me.

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.

Do you know nothing? Do you see nothing? Do you remember nothing?”

     These lines indicate fragmentation and distance in relationship.

“Hurry up please, it’s time

They wash their feet in soda water

At the violet hour, when the eyes and back

Turn upward from the desk, when the human engine waits

Like a taxi throbbing waiting”

     Due to the industrialization, life of people becomes more pathetic, mechanic. They haven’t time. Now they become more artificial. After this long dilemma of modern life he gave solution to the West people.

     In the last part of this poem “What the Thunder Said”, Eliot talks about three DA:

DATTA

DAYADHVAM

DAMYATA

      He repeats the instruction for salvation of Prajapati, give alms, be compassionate, be controlled, and ends three times repeating the Hindu word “Shantih”, which Eliot states in his notes signifies “the peace which passeth understanding.”

       T.S. Eliot considered in this poem as a regressive writer because he tries to give answer from what happen in past and compared with present. Moreover he also criticized for this poem while it is compared with his own write up “The Tradition and Individual Talent”.

  

  

Heart of Darkness

Heart of Darkness

     -Joseph Conrad

Chapter-1

          The story Heart of Darkness is about the journey which takes a very hard effort to reach to the destination. When the novel opens we see a group of people seating on the ship called Nellie waiting for the tide to the return suddenly. Marlow who is the protagonist of the novel remarks that this spot was once one of the dark place of the earth and when Romans visited this place it must have became very hard for them to survive on the place where there is no facilities and we also see that all the members of the group they just without uttering even a one single word mean. While all of them started memorizing the memories of the great sailors which includes the sailors like Sir Francis Drake, Sir John Framklim. Some of them came here for the hunt of the gold while some of them wanted to make their names by their achievements.

       When the sun sets down Marlow breaks. He silence and says that Britain was also one of the dark country of the earth though by profession Marlow was a sailor.

         He was also a wondered and he felt deeply interested and whatever he saw on the land after that Marlow explains how Britain was also a dark country. Around 9000 years ago when Romans come to Britain they thought that they will stay in country for long time but due to because of the lack of basic facilities like proper food, pure water they started their losing interest and there was nothing in Britain. At that time which Romans find interested in those days there were only-

    Marshes,

    Forests,

    Savages in Britain. 

   

       We also told that Romans had just one purpose in their mind and that was taking away things from the people who have different complexions by using brute force.

During his childhood Marlow use to like to look in the map. He use to spent hours in looking at the map of South Africa as well as Australia. We also knew that the continents. Which are unexplored in the map they were show as blank space and to a great surprise.

                        “Marlow feel that this unexplored continents are in visiting him to visit.”

       This unexplored continents increase in his curiosity besides those continents. Marlow’s great fascination towards one particular river, which was also on the map. Its look was like a huge snake that river was Congo.

                          “The river fascinated Marlow just as a snake fascinated a little              bird.”

      Thus, he always wanted to be the fresh water sailor but the issue was he was not able to find the was which could takes into a destination.

                           “Marlow wanted to get read of the idea which had taken a hold upon him and the idea was that he should go to the Congo.”

        Then story moves like one Belgian Trading Company run across the Congo. Afterward he comes to know that his aunt acquaintance by the Belgian Trading Company. Through the help of his aunt he can visit his destination place- Congo. He also got the chance to go there. In between his journey he got various experiences.

Some dark reality also came in front of him. After visiting such places his misconceptions about the Africa and the native people of Africa are removed. Before Marlow think that Africa is dark country, but why is it dark that he don’t know. Through his journey he comes to know the reality, with series of questions like:

        Is Africa a dark country?

        Are the (African people) responsible for darkness?

                              Or

        Are White people responsible for African darkness?

          First of all Marlow saw some people who are blasting rocks aimlessly. They are in chain. It is the Chain Gang of Criminals. Those who are not follow the orders of MASTER (White) they are punished like them. In reality they are not criminals and they die slowly because of starvation disease and because of their confusion state of mind. Marlow couldn’t saw such reality so he moves further.

          Companion of Marlow was one fate man. He interestingly ask to fate man that why he came here, and replied to that question fate man said that just to earn some money and for no any other reason. But Marlow curiously noticed that he wasn’t comfortable according to the atmosphere. After some times that fate man near to the death because of his sickness and all other white man are uninterested in humanity to help that Fate Man. Instead of that they are interested in making money nothing else.

          Marlow reached at central station and meet the manager. Through him he comes to know about Mr. Kurtz who having very good qualities and very famous person in trading company and also in African people. He saw one painting that made by Mr. Kurtz. One lady who was holding a torch in her hand maybe to spread some light in the darkness. From the talk of brick-maker Marlow come to know that painting was painted by Mr. Kurtz.

CHAPTER-2

Chapter-2 covers the things such as:

First:

                                         “Ivory” meant for the pilgrims of Africa.

           Marlow comes to know the reality of white man and Black African native people. It’s about the exploitation of black people. White people are doing nothing than becoming masters and giving orders.

                 For the pilgrims in Africa ‘ivory’ was not only the tusk of elephant but it meant more than that for them. Not only the pilgrims but also the natives of Africa. All of them were employees or where working as workers there. They had to carry the burden even if their body denies carrying. All of them wanted just one thing which was ivory. One day Marlow also heard some pilgrims shouting ivory…ivory… This ivory cannot be just mere the tusk of elephant but ivory meant or it represented the economic freedom and an escape from a life of being an employee. They all wanted freedom from such life because their life was more like “a hell”. And they all were frustrated of leading such life where they did not had any purpose accept doing the work which was been order to them from their master.  Here we also can apply the ivory which is there “in master slave relation”. These pilgrims were no more but slaves of their masters who had to complete the said task of their masters. That is the reason why almost all of them wanted nothing but ‘ivory’. Everyone of them where in search of ivory and they desperately wanted to get ivory as soon as possible and they were also ready to face all the hardship and they were ready to put maximum effort to get ivory. But for the great surprise not only Marlow but we the reader also to some extend cannot get the actual meaning that is lying in the word ivory is specially uttered by the pilgrims and the natives who were not able to find the way for that freedom.  

Second:

                                          Tribal people attack on Marlow’s boat.

        We came to know the reality of native people through Marlow’s journey. Now this incident added the dark reality of African native people- a TRIBE PEOPLE. They also want to be “FREE” from the white reign. They don’t like to follow the orders which were given by white man. They want to free themselves from the “DARK HEARTED WHITE PEOPLE”. Tribe people very brutally attacked on Marlow’s boat. There was psychological reason. Psychological reason is that they are very brutally treated by white people. So, they are always in “FEAR”. Why black always in fear that incident also covers in Chapter-3.

          So, they want to save themselves from white, that’s why they attack on white. Marlow save his life from that tribe people. By now Marlow had reach to the destination which was inner station. Marlow asked one white man the reason why the tribe people attacked his steamer. He replied that tribe people having good relationship with Mr. Kurtz. So, they think that maybe you are coming to take Mr. Kurtz away from this land. So, they attack on your boat.

Chapter-3

              In the third chapter we came to know that why Mr. Kurtz like by black people-tribe people. Marlow was very surprise seeing the dead human heads hanging on the wooden post. Marlow could not understand the reason behind that, and then the Russian explain that this heads are of men who rebelled against Mr. Kurtz. He also said that Mr. Kurtz never like anyone to go against him. This gave a very big shock to Marlow. This quality of Mr. Kurtz was totally unexpected for Marlow and after knowing this Marlow could not understand the tendency of Mr. Kurtz. His all conception changed into misconception. It is also indicates that tribe doesn’t want another white man to rule over them. If one is not suffered by black then what about the second.

         They are now tired to suffer another white man. It’s become the endless process for black people. Maybe that’s why they attacked on Marlow’s boat.

        Another perception is that maybe Mr. Kurtz was good person. He devoted by black people because his multiple abilities. He has also good nature. So, tribe people doesn’t want another white man because they aware about the sickness of Mr. Kurtz and they also aware about the thing is that all white are not good. Next maybe is not good for black that’s why they try to resist Marlow to come. It is indicates in his painting. Mr. Kurtz wants to do good for black people. He tries to remove darkness and wants to give light.

         At the end Mr. Kurtz died. The whole journey indicates the reality of the life of black people. They are controlled by white. They are considered as a:

                                               “BARBARIAN”

                                                      OR

                                                   “SAVAGE”

        As a reader we also journey with Marlow. White people exploited African country under the name of “CIVILIZATION”. So, here Joseph Conrad raised question that-

                      Who is dark by the heart? White or Black?

                      Who are barbarians? White or Black?

Far From the Madding Crowd – Thomas Hardy

Far From the Madding Crowd – Thomas Hardy

             

                                    Thomas Hardy’s novel “Far From the Madding Crowd” is a romantic tragedy. Far From the Madding Crowd was called Far From the Frenzied Crowd but was changed to Far From the Madding Crowd. The title taken from the poem “Elegy in a Country Churchyard”, written by Thomas Gray in 1750.

Character List:

Gabrial Oak

Bathsheba Everdene

Sgt. Francis frank Troy

William Boldwood

Fanny Robin, etc.

                In Far From the Madding Crowd almost all the scenes and incidents takes place in the world which is away from the superficial glittering light of city. Hardy emphasis the importance of the country life which is away from the trappings and seductions that the busy world present very convincingly.

                 Hardy shows the differentiated between rural people and city people. City people are more cunning, selfish, arrogant, etc. While rural people are more humble, close to nature, innocent and self sufficient, etc. In the novel the protagonist Gabrial Oak is very much close to the nature and also to the animals and he could predict what will happen with the change in the atmosphere.

                 Gabrial Oak fall in love with Bathsheba and also wants to marry with her. Bathsheba attracted towards the glittering light of city same as Bathsheba attracted towards the glittering light of city people but she cannot saw the shadow under the light and trapping by Troy. She was not aware about the evil mentality of Troy. She married with Troy and after marriage she comes to know about the reality of Troy. Boldwood also wants to marry with Bathsheba but he couldn’t marry. So, at the end out of revenge motif he killed Troy and Bathsheba goes with the hero- Gabrial oak.

                  Here one important character is Fanny Robin, who is victim of Troy and also of society. She wasn’t accepted by Troy and society. She suffering a lot compared to the other characters.

                 In this novel “Nature” plays a vital role. Nature is friend, adviser, victim and destroyer also. It is design the life of character and also having the power to destroy the design. All the characters are victim of cycle of nature. We can say that sometimes characters are not responsible for their deconstruction but they are circumstancized by nature. For example- the character like Fanny Robin.

                  Thus in the novel of Hardy not only female characters but male characters also suffer. Thus, we can say that human beings essentially tragic creatures that are destined to suffer.

           The title also compared with Wole Soyinka’s “The Swamp Dweller”. Wole Soyinka’s character like Alu considered city as a Swamp. Wole differentiated the life between rural and city people. Traditional people try to distance themselves from the city life. They considered city life as a swamp. Instead of that all the characters are not interested in their own life. City people are considered as a shrewder, selfish, etc. 

"Baby Running with Barefoot"

“Baby Running Barefoot”

-         D. H. Lawrence

About the writer:

    D. H. Lawrence was a playwright, essayist, literary critic and a painter. He wrote works such as “Sons and Lowers”, “Woman in Law”, “The Rainbow”, and “The Fox”, etc. Many of his colleagues describe him as phonographer. He was a visionary thinker and he in true sense represents modernism in English Literature.

Poem:

When the bare feet of the baby beat across the grass

The little white feet nod like white flowers in the wind,

They poise and run like ripples lapping across the water;

And the sight of their white play among the grass

Is like a little robin’s song, winsome,

Or as two white butterflies settle in the cup of one flower

For a moment, then away with a flutter of wings.

I long for the baby to wander hither to me

Like a wind-shadow wandering over the water,

So that she can stand on my knee

With her little bare feet in my hands,

Cool like syringe buds,

Firm and silken like pink young peony flowers.

About the Poem:

    In the first line the poet talks about “the barefoot” of baby who runs across the grass. When baby runs barefooted it is the sight which soothens your eyes.

     He compares baby’s Play with the song of robin. Robin’s song attracts its listeners in the same way the sight of baby running barefooted attracts all watchers.

     The poet has compared the grass with cup of flower and baby’s white feet with two white butterflies. Poet charmed by the playing of baby.

He compared his childhood with innocent baby’s playing. Thus, in this poem the poet describes not only beauty of the baby but her childlike innocence.

      D. H. Lawrence much talked by the people because of his controversial writing. But this poem is totally different from that. So, maybe he tries to relief himself from the politics of society. Maybe that’s why he wrote this poem.

Mourning Becomes Electra

Mourning Becomes Electra

-         Eugene O’Neill

Eugene Gladstone O’Neill was an American playwright and Nobel laureate in Literature. There was no scope to search the reality of America through mass media. But literature gave that scope to know about the reality of American People. 

His works are:

  Bread and Butter, 1914

  Beyond the Horizon, 1918 – Pulitzer Prize, 1920

  Anna Christie, 1920 – Pulitzer Prize, 1922

  The Hairy Ape, 1922

  Mourning Becomes Electra, 1931

  The Iceman Cometh, written 1939, published 1940, first performed 1946

      The cover story is that one of O’Neill’s enduring masterpieces, Mourning Becomes Electra (1931), represents the playwright’s most complete use of Greek forms, themes, and characters. Based on the Oresteia trilogy by Aeschylus, it was itself three plays in one. To give the story contemporary credibility, O’Neill set the play in the new England of the Civil War Period, yet he retained the forms and the conflicts of the Greek characters: the heroic leader returning from war; his adulterous wife, who murders him; his jealous, repressed daughter, who avenges him through the murder of her mother; and his weak, incestuous son, who is goaded by his sister first to matricide and then to suicide. But this play is not as simple as we describes here. This play remains more ambiguous. Who murder whom, we cannot say with surety. Who love whom, we cannot say with surety. So, at the end readers remains in the doubt.

Important characters:

Adam Brant

Ezra Mannon

Christine Mannon

Lavinia Mannon

Orin Mannon

Peter Niles

Hazel Niles

Seth- guardian

Town People

Play divided into three parts:

      Play covers lots of things like ambiguity, impact of war, generation gap, broken relationship, Electra-Oedipus complex, revenge-tragedy, etc. Ezra Mannon arrives at home after a long time. Christine, who is the wife of Ezra Mannon doesn’t like the welcome of Ezra because she has an affair with Adam Brant. Adam Brant is a cousin brother of Ezra and also like by Lavinia Mannon. Lavinia and Orin are children of Ezra and Christine Mannon.

Lavinia wants to be wife of her father. We come to know through her dialogues with Peter, who is neighbor of Mannon.

Lavinia:

                “I don’t want to meet anyone; I don’t want to see anyone.”

                “I don’t know anything about love and I don’t want to know.”

                “I can’t marry to anyone, father needs me.”

Peter:

                “He has got your mother.”

Lavinia:

                 “He needs me more (sharply).”

    So, it is lead towards the Electra complex of Lavinia to her father. Maybe because of this complex she hates her mother-Christine. Christine much talked by town people. There was no clarification but only hint given by O’Neill. Lavinia knows the secret of her mother. So, there were many problems between Lavinia and Christine’s relationship. They hate each other. See the dialogue-

Christine to Lavinia-

                         “You are born out of disgust.”

     Christine is in fear that maybe Lavinia reveals her secret in front of her father. Lavinia doesn’t like her mother because Christine like by her father. And Lavinia wants to be wife of her father.

     The death of Ezra Mannon was in ambiguity. Whether Ezra died naturally or he murdered by Lavinia or Christine, that is not clarified. So readers are in doubt. “Mourning Becomes Electra” deals with not death but with deaths. Ezra Mannon, Adam Brant, Christine Mannon, and Orin Mannon all are died at the end of the play. So whether they died naturally, murdered or suicide is not clarified by writer. Thus, O’Neill tries to curtain the matters rather reveal the matters. Same as he puts the curtain or mask on all Mannon characters.

     In short, readers are in doubt. They even don’t know that who are responsible for what. Whether characters are responsible for their destruction or they are govern by circumstances. However we cannot blame any character. All the things remain in ambiguity. Due to this reason the charm of this play remain as it is.

“THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA”

“The Old man and the Sea”

      Earnest Hemingway is the writer of the novella “The Old Man and the Sea”. The Old Man and the Sea publish in the year 1952. Earnest Hemingway was an economic writer because he was very perfect about choosing the words.

   The Old Man and the Sea deals with:

•    Limited subject matter
•    Details are not given
•     There isn’t need of the human world
•      Limited characters such as:

                                  Old man- Santiago

                                 The boy- Manolin

                                 The fish- Marlin

•   Christian Allegory (failed)
•   No woman characters

        Normally heroes are young but here Hemingway breaking downs that tradition. Santiago-the old man is hero of this novella. The novella talks about Santiago’s struggle for existence and his fight against time, age, and nature. And in between he tries to sustain his life.

      The Old Man was not only the spirit or role model of Manolin but also the spirit of American people because Old Man believes in responsibilities that he has. People always try to keep distance from responsibilities so they go with religion.

        Second thing is that American believed in old values of humanity. While Old Man totally differ from them because he believes in new values of humanity. His behavior with Marlin is very polite because when he tried to kill Marlin he said “Sorry” to her. He knows about the sin. But he must do it to sustain his life. It shows the humanity of Old Man.

The dialogue of Old Man-

                                 “Every day is new day”, insisted the spirit of Santiago.

         One cannot overpower the death. One reason for Old Man’s death is that he not changes his life according to time. He goes with old tradition like using boat tools. If he used new technological machine maybe he must win.   

       In short, we can say that “The Old Man and the Sea” talks about the reality of human being. Human being swing between-

                               Victory – Defeat

                                Life – Death

      And in between there is only hope.