Madame Sosostris in T.S. Eliots The Wasteland - 1428 Words

Madame Sosostris Lines 43-59 of T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land present Madame Sosostris as the Tarot card-reading psychic who bears bad news. While this stanza has been interpreted in a myriad of ways, two important features are commonly regarded as Eliot’s intent. (1) The clairvoyant is considered â€Å"the wisest woman in Europe† because the world is a tattered wasteland where everyone is in search of answers – a fortuneteller provides false security with her seemingly absolute understanding of destiny, and everyone is desperate enough to believe her. (2) Because Eliot regards fortunetelling as little more than empty consolation for the desperate, he writes with levity to poke fun at the concept. These two points comprise the general gist of†¦show more content†¦However, Sosostris could be referring incorrectly to the Queen of Cups, which shows an attractive woman near cliffs. The Queen of Cups card is supposed to be indicative of one of two things: (1) a woman wh o is gifted with a high imagination, or (2) a woman who is unreliable and cannot be depended on. Both of these points seem to describe Madame Sosostris accurately. Line 50. The lady of situations. This description is comically vague. Eliot uses unclear language to show that predictions can be accurate regardless of outcome. Situations are bound to happen. Line 51. Here is the man with three staves, and here the Wheel, The man with three staves card is properly referred to as the â€Å"Three of wands.† Not only does Madame describe this card with the improper language of a novice, she completely fails to address the fortune the card is meant to signify: strength and enterprise, or economic failure due to too overly ambitious plans. Despite Eliot’s commentary, â€Å"the Wheel† is not a card in any Tarot deck, unless he is referring to the Wheel of Fortune card, which can signify good or bad luck, depending on whether the card is drawn upright or upside down. Nevertheless, Sosostris never acknowledges the fortune indications of the card but merely mentions it with an incorrect name and moves along. Line 52. And here is the one-eyed merchant,Show MoreRelatedAnalysis of The Wasteland by T.S. Eliot Essay1620 Words   |  7 PagesAnalysis of The Wasteland by T.S. Eliot Q5 Much of what Eliot writes about is harsh and bleak, but he writes about it in a way that is often beautiful. Comment fully on both parts of this assertion. Most first time readers of Eliots work would, probably, agree that his poems read as bleak and depressing. They would also say that many of his poems portray society as having a terminal illness, but when we look deeper you can see that amid the anguish not all is lost and there is hopeRead MoreEssay on Water and Religious Motifs in The Waste Land, by T.S. Eliot1525 Words   |  7 PagesThe Waste Land: Water and Religious Motifs In his poem The Waste Land, T.S. Eliot employs a water motif, which represents both death and rebirth. This ties in with the religious motif, as well as the individual themes of the sections and the theme of the poem as a whole, that modern man is in a wasteland, and must be reborn. In the first section, Burial of the Dead, water (or the lack thereof) has a primarily negative meaning. It is first mentioned in lines four and nineRead MoreAnalysis of The Waste Land by T. S. Eliot1571 Words   |  7 PagesIf Renà © Descartes’ â€Å"Cogito Ergo Sum† embodies the essence of what it means to be a unified and rational Cartesian subject, then T.S. Eliot’s â€Å"heap of broken images† eagerly embraces its fragmented and alienated (post)modern counterpart. The message this phrase bears, resonates throughout the entire poem: from its title, â€Å"The Waste Land†, to its final mantra â€Å"Shantih shantih shantih†. All words, phrases and sentences (or just simply images) which make up this poem seem to, in Levi-Strauss’ wordsRead MoreEssay Biography of T.S. Eliot4139 Words   |  17 PagesBiography of T.S. Eliot T.S. Eliot changed the face of poetry. He has been regarded as the most celebrated poet of his era. This Nobel Prize winning poet is credited with viewing the world as it appears, without making any optimistic judgements. Despite the ire of Mr. Eliot, it would be safe to regard him as a prophet of doom. His works reflected his frustration with mankind, and the seeming need to be released from this cold world. It was once said, â€Å"How unpleasant to meet Mr. Eliot.† (TimeRead MoreAnalysis 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 poem 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 r elated they are designed to convey the over arching themes of the poem. It has countlessRead MoreEssay on Dryness and Spiritual Decay in The Waste Land2469 Words   |  10 PagesDryness and Spiritual Decay in The Waste Land      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   T.S. Eliot peppers The Waste Land, his apocalyptic poem, with images of modern aridity and inarticulacy that contrast with fertile allusions to previous times. Eliots language details a brittle era, rife with wars physical and sexual, spiritually broken, culturally decaying, dry and dusty. His references to the Fisher King and mythical vegetation rituals imply that the 20th-century world is in need of a Quester to irrigate the land. TheRead MoreThe Waste Land by T. S. Eliot2649 Words   |  11 Pages A wasteland [weyst-land] is defined as: land that is uncultivated or barren; an area that is devastated as by flood, storm, or war; something as a period of history, phase of existence, or locality that is spiritually, or intellectually barren; one of the most important poems of the twentieth century (Dictionary.com). The Waste Land, by T.S. Eliot, has puzzled its audience and been tossed aside by the general population since 1922, when the poem was published. To a read er not committed to delving

How Did Christianity Become Ficial Of Rome Essay

How did Christianity become the official religion in Rome? Around the years 123-185 C.E, Rome was a polytheistic empire. Romans had their gods and some foreign ones they adopted. The supreme deity for the Roman empire was Isis, an Egyptian goddess. She demanded complete devotion of her followers. Romans accepted the traditions and religions of the people that came to their lands, but they also had to worship the Roman gods. This was the turning point between the Romans and a religion that arose called Christianity. Christianity started with the leadership of Jesus of Nazareth who was believed to be the son of the Christian God. Christians started to be persecuted in the Roman empire due to their monotheistic belief. They only worshipped one god, the one they referred to as the one True God, the maker of all. Christians were not only hated by the Roman empire but by the Pagans, an anti-Christian group that attacked Christianity, as well. Christians were persecuted, tortured, killed, a nd dehumanized due to their faith; however, their devotion to their faith, teachings, and miracles changed the hearts and perspectives of many until it became the official religion of the Roman empire at the end of the 4th century C.E. What did it mean to be Roman? To be Roman meant to be content with what was yours and not long for what was another’s. It meant to have a strong will of mind to not get attached to earthly pleasures, things, and even to people. For instance, in his manual of

Essay on Reflecting on the Dead - 1439 Words

Reflecting on the Dead In Katherine Mansfield’s â€Å"The Garden Party† and in D.H. Lawrence’s â€Å"Odour of Chrysanthemums,† two women were in a situation where death was literally at their feet. In â€Å"The Garden Party,† Laura finds herself contemplating the dead body of Mr. Scott, a man of lower class who lived at the bottom of the hill from her house. In â€Å"Odour of Chrysanthemums,† Elizabeth finds herself contemplating the dead body of her husband, Walter. Although the relationships these women shared with the dead men were completely opposite, they both had striking similarities in the ways that they handled the situation. Both women ignored the feelings of the families of the deceased, failed to refer to the deceased by name, felt shame in the†¦show more content†¦Obviously this was not a concern with the overall well-being of her children. It was merely a way to prevent the shock of seeing their dead father before they have been told of his p assing. Furthermore, the mother-in-law was also denied any sympathy from Elizabeth. Although Elizabeth acknowledged the mother-in-law â€Å"moaning† (Mansfield 2327) in her grief, she never expressed concern for the mother-in-law’s well-being. She was so caught up in her own feelings that she failed to consider her family. Although the family of the deceased was Elizabeth’s family and Laura had no relation to Mr. Scott or his family, both women showed only concern for themselves and no one else. In the presence of the dead men, Laura and Elizabeth never referred to the deceased by their names. In â€Å"The Garden Party,† Laura didn’t call Mr. Scott by his name. Throughout the story he was just referred to as â€Å"the man†. When Laura was standing over Mr. Scott, she still thought of him as â€Å"a young man† and simply â€Å"him† (Mansfield 2433). Despite Laura’s concern over his death, he was still of a lower class than her and not a part of her upper class world. The cottages around where Mr. Scott and his family lived were described as â€Å"disgusting and sordid,† and Laura used the word â€Å"creature† (Mansfield 2429) when referring to the widow and her sister. This suggests that she felt that Mr. Scott and his family were not thought of as people with names. To Laura they were creatures whoShow MoreRelatedTraditional Conservatism and New Right1019 Words   |  5 Pagesfragile set of relationships between and am ongst its parts. The whole is therefore more than just its individual parts. This implies that the individual cannot be separated from society, but is part of the social groups that nurture him or her, reflecting the dependent and security-seeking tendencies within human nature. Organic societies are fashioned ultimately by natural necessity, and therefore cannot be ‘improved’ by reform or revolution. 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Can Debussys Music be accurately described as Impressionist Essay Example For Students

Can Debussys Music be accurately described as Impressionist? Essay Another Symbolist aspect to Debussy is that of his interest in Wagner; the Symbolists were ardent admirers of his music. Debussy first encountered Wagner during his studies at the Paris Conservatoire in 1872. 17 Parallels can be drawn between both composers works, especially in the similarities between Tristan und Isolde (1860) and Pelli as et Mi lisande (1904); bothhave similar thematic material and narrative methods and employ leitmotif liberally. 18 19 While Debussy later rejected Wagners compositional methods, it is clear that the Germans music had a great influence upon his own. 20 Richard Holloway argues that Debussys music is too original to be classed as Wagnerian, but maintains that it could not exist without Wagner. 21 A further influence excluded by the categorisation of Impressionism is that of Exoticism. In 1889 he attended the Exposition Universelle where he discovered East Asian music, namely gamelan, said to be influences upon both Fantaisie (1889-90) and Pour le piano (1901). 22 Debussys love of Japan is clearly demonstrated by Pagodes (Estampes, 1903) and of Spain by Ibi ria (Images, 1905-12), Le si ri nade interrompue (Pri ludes: Livre I, 1910) and La puerta del vino (Pri ludes: Livre II, 1913). In spite of attempts to label Debussys music, which he fought strongly against throughout his life, it is clear that no vague label can be definitively applied to any of his works, let alone as a whole. His attempts to break free of such labels show a clear drive for individualism; whilst he identified with the Impressionists and Symbolists and took inspiration from a wide variety of sources, he was unwilling to be reduced to a mere sum of his influences. 23 The scholarly consensus seems to be that the use of Impressionism (or any -ism) as a descriptive term is a simplification that does little justice to the complexity of Debussys music. The usage of Debussyism by Debussys followers and critics may well have annoyed him, but it demonstrates that his music was distinctive enough to escape from the arbitrary categorisation he so despised. Claude Debussy, Impressionist or otherwise, has left a lasting impression upon the world of music. Word Count: 1996 Bibliography Lockspeiser, Edward, Debussy, 2nd ed (London: Dent, 1963)Lockspeiser, Edward, Debussy: his life and mind (Melbourne: Cassell, 1962), 1 (1862 1902) Palmer, Christopher, Impressionism in Music (London: Hutchinson, 1973) Pool, Phoebe, Impressionism (London: Thames and Hudson, 1967) Roberts, Paul, Images: The Piano Music of Claude Debussy (Portland, Oregon: Amadeus Press, 1996) Roberts, Paul, Claude Debussy (London: Phaidon Press Limited, 2008) Schmitz, E. Robert, The Piano Works of Claude Debussy (New York: Dover, 1966) Tresize, Simone, Debussy: La mer (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994) Holloway, Robin, Debussy and Wagner (London: Eulenberg Books, 1979). 1 Paul Roberts, Claude Debussy (London: Phaidon Press Limited, 2008), p. 66. 2 E. Robert Schmitz, The Piano Works of Claude Debussy, 2nd edn (New York: Dover Publications, 1966), p. 13. 3 Christopher Palmer, Impressionism in Music (London: Hutchinson, 1973), p. 13. 4 Schmitz, p. 66. 5 Paul Roberts, Images: The Piano Music of Claude Debussy (Portland, Oregon: Amadeus Press, 1996), p. 116. 6 Schmitz, pp. 13-15. 7 Christopher Palmer, Impressionism in Music (London: Hutchinson, 1973), pp. 17-19. 8 Ibid. , p. 18. 9 Simon Tresize, Debussy: La mer (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994), p.37. 10 Ibid. , pp. 35-37. 11 Schmitz, p. 130. 12. Edward Lockspeiser, Debussy, 2nd ed (London: Dent, 1963), p. 156 13 Schmitz, p. 134. 14 Ibid. , pp. 136-137. 15 Roberts, Images, p. 249. 16 Schmitz, p. 136. 17 Roberts, Claude Debussy, p. 67. 18 Ibid. , p. 44. 19 Ibid. , pp. 106-107. 20 Ibid. pp. 41-42. 21 Robin Holloway, Debussy and Wagner (London: Eulenberg Books, 1979), p. 14. 22 Frani ois Lesure, Debussy, Claude. Oxford Music Online. oxfordmusiconline. com/subscriber/article/grove/music/07353 . 23 Roberts, Images, p. 121.