Thinking Activity on "The Waste Land"By T.S.Eliot

Thinking Activity on "The Waste Land"By T.S.Eliot

• About ' The Waste land ' :- 

 In modern era epic poem was very famous. During that time T.S.Eliot written one of the modern epic poem " The Waste Land". This epic poem divided into different five parts like as,

1) The Burial Of the Dead ( 76 Lines )

2) A game of Chess ( 96 Lines )

3) The Fire Sermon ( 139 Lines )

4) Death by Water ( 10 lines )

5) What the thunder Said ( 113 Lines ) 

                                             " The Waste land " also represented the sexual perversion and spiritual degradation. This poem also difficult to understand because in the poem T.S.Eliot used various myths and  references with symbolic way. This poem presented writers stream of consciousness, first world war, industrialization, worried of atmosphere, globalization with Indian mythical ways.

Q-1) What are your views on the following image after reading 'The Waste Land'? Do you think that Eliot is regressive as compared to Nietzche's views? or Has Eliot achieved universality of thought by recalling mytho-historical answer to the contemporary malaise?

Ans :- Fried-rich Nietzsche's has noble thought of Ubermensch and it is significant rather than the idea of T.S.Eliot.  Normally Eliot's thoughts related as regressive. Nowadays If Some people and specific groups are suggesting to joining with them. May be same experience with you. Right ? I will try to explain with example of religion for better understanding. Those type of group says for take to help in religions festival and activities for moral living. So that people be-fool through language and particular things. How can they leads towards morality and rituals?. Generally we found that those groups people who are involved themselves in sexual perversion and immoral things.

Q- 2) Prior to the speech, Gustaf Hellström of the Swedish Academy made these remarks:What are your views regarding these comments? Is it true that giving free vent to the repressed 'primitive instinct' lead us to happy and satisfied life? or do you agree with Eliot's view that 'salvation of man lies in the preservation of the cultural tradition'?

Ans:- Freud and Nietzsche both are the contemporaries but their background and field of working is different. Freud is believed in individuality and talk about "primitive instinct" where as Eliot believed in preservation of cultural traditions which means all together. Freud was wrote that for progress of any individual primitive instinct was needed but in order to preserve tradition Eliot says that their is need for to grew together, for that example of Buddha was perhaps suitable. 

Q-3) Write about allusions to the Indian thoughts in 'The Waste Land'. (Where, How and Why are the Indian thoughts referred?)

Ans :- In the last part of the poem 'What the Thunder Said', Eliot takes the reference of Indian myths and spiritual ideologies like 

"Ganga was sunken, and the limps leaves

waited for rain, while the black clouds

gathered far distant, over Himvant

The jungle crouched, humped in silence."\

Then Eliot gives three 'Da'

1)Datta- to give not only charity but giving oneself for some noble cause.

2) Dayadhvam- Sympathies yourself with the sorrows and suffering of others, come out of your isolation and love into others.

3)Damyata- Self control, control over one's passion and desire.

So, according to me Eliot took Indian thoughts in his poem because he believes that peace is in the air of India and India is spiritually high, so it might be the indication of getting the revelation from the sexual perversion and spiritual degradation from the philosophies of India.

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