Thinking Activity : The Waste Land

This Blog-post is a response of thinking activity on 'The Waste Land' given by our professor Dr.Dilip Barad Sir. To know more about this task, CLICK HERE

T.S.Eliot: 

Before we studied The Waste Land, we introduced about 'Impressionist Criticism'. It is an attempt to represent in words the 'Felt Qualities' of a literary work to express the response(impression).This impression is direct evoked by the work. He awarded Nobel Prize in 1948 "for his outstanding, pioneer contribution to present-day poetry." 

.William Hazlit said that "On Genius and commonsense you decide from feeling, not from reason."

Walter Pater said that," Preface studies in the History and Renaissance."

Anatole France said that,"The adventure of a sensitive soul among Masterpieces."  

The difficulties to comprehend the poem. 

1. Esoteric nature of modern literature.

2.Use of Mythical technique. 

3. Reference to Allusion (Allusion to other literature also)

4. Different Languages 

5. Pastiche/Patchwork college of disjointed images. 

The Waste Land is a long poem divided in five parts. 

Views on Images after studied The Waste Land:

'Superman' is the philosophy developed by Friedrich Nietzsche. Nietzsche (2006) conceives the superman as “an expression of free-spiritedness, the essence of humanity, the affirmation of one’s full potentialities, authority, power, freedom and creativity, as well as the highest principle or development of humanity”The book by him, Thus Spoke Zarathustra: A Book for All and None,in which Zarathustra deals with the Übermensch, the death of God, the will to power, and eternal recurrence.  Übermensch is a philosophy by Nietzsche and it means "a shift from otherworldly Christian values and manifests the grounded human ideal." The death of God phrase to express his idea that the Enlightenment had eliminated the possibility of the existence of God.  The will to power describes what Nietzsche may have believed to be the main driving force in humans Eternal return "a concept that the universe and all existence and energy has been recurring, and will continue to recur, in a self-similar form an infinite number of times across infinite time or space" For Nietzsche it was the will to power that could defeat nihilistic states, to the extent that it leads to self-improvement and the pursuit of ambitions.While compare with Eliot's perspective is that looking back and find solution for the contemporary malaise,with the reference of Upanishad, Buddhism and Christianity.Eliot uses fragmented images or parts in the poem which describes the ultimately at the end, the solution is in myths and in Indian Philosophy. 

The another views of Eliot is about 'salvation of man lies in the preservation of the cultural tradition'. Tradition is the way which people are remain their cultural activities, rituals and their good deeds and also how to do good deeds, while humans current actions are very much necessary. Freud's theory applied in humans actions. These actions are followed by humans traditions and their former members. The balance between former action and current action should be required. 

The Indian thoughts in 'The Waste Land':

Eliot used  various images and philosophies in the poem, such as river gaga's image, Buddhism and he also took some concepts in Upanishads also.  These are the lines,

  

Ganga was sunken, and the limp leaves

Waited for rain, while the black clouds

Gathered far distant, over Himavant.

The jungle crouched, humped in silence.

Then spoke the thunder

DA

Datta: what have we given?

My friend, blood shaking my heart

The awful daring of a moment’s surrender

Which an age of prudence can never retract

By this, and this only, we have existed

Which is not to be found in our obituaries

Or in memories draped by the beneficent spider

Or under seals broken by the lean solicitor

In our empty rooms

DA

Dayadhvam: I have heard the key

Turn in the door once and turn once only

We think of the key, each in his prison

Thinking of the key, each confirms a prison

Only at nightfall, aethereal rumours

Revive for a moment a broken Coriolanus

DA

Damyata: The boat responded

Gaily, to the hand expert with sail and oar

The sea was calm, your heart would have responded

Gaily, when invited, beating obedient

To controlling hands.