The Wasteland Analysis - 990 Words

â€Å"The Wasteland† Analysis After World War I, a movement known as Modernism changed poetry and literature. T.S. Eliot was one of the most influential Modernist writers in his time. His most famous poem, The Wasteland, is a great example of this movement. The poem talks about the negative impact of war, especially World War I, on society. It uses many literary techniques that present Eliots negative message about the decline of Western culture due to war. These literary techniques include metaphor, imagery, and syntax. The Wasteland includes many metaphors throughout the poem. A few important metaphors of the poem are water, seasons, and thunder. The first of these metaphors, water, can be found in multiple stanzas. Water is incorporated†¦show more content†¦Usually, society will go through a positive period (spring) and a negative period (winter). However, he states in this poem: April is the cruellest month... (1). This statement attempts to show that, because of war, even the positive spring period of society has shifted towards a negative period. The final metaphor is thunder. Thunder is an important element of the 5th portion of the poem, titled What the Thunder Said. In these stanzas, the lines talk about the sound of thunder: Then spoke the thunder / DA (399-400). Da is a Hindu word that forms the foundation for several principles of Hinduism, which represent peace: Datta, Dayadhvam, Damyata. In the poem, the thunder is a metaphor for an educated guide. This guide is trying to prese nt these important values to society. In addition, imagery is very important in the poem. The imagery is very vivid and has interesting scenes within the poem. For example, Eliot states, And along the Strand, up Queen Victoria Street...Inexplicable splendour of Ionian white and gold. For example, Eliot states, And along the Strand, up Queen Victoria Street...Inexplicable splendour of Ionian white and gold. (399-400) This line is a very vivid image-based statement that talks about a location in London using Greek-related descriptions. Ionian gold was a type of metal from the ancient Greek period. This imagery is used to reinforce the poems broad themes and characteristics. In addition, it allows the poemShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Poem The Wasteland 1313 Words   |  6 PagesT.S Eliot’s â€Å"The Wasteland† is a fragmentary poem written in the early 1900’s, the poem displays themes of physical existence and the non-existence of a modern life. In fact, which can be seen in the first part of the p oem itself, which is broken down into 4 iridescent yet, colorless parts. The Burial of the Dead, Game of Chess, The Fire Sermon, Death by Water and What the Thunder Said; they are all profoundly related they are designed to convey the over arching themes of the poem. It has countlessRead MoreAnalysis of The Wasteland by T.S. Eliot Essay1620 Words   |  7 PagesAnalysis of The Wasteland by T.S. 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