T.S Eliot once said, “Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal; bad poets deface what they take, and good poets make it into something better, or at least something different.” Eliot 's poem, “The Waste Land” (1922), embodies the essence of this quote; take from what is already there, and place his own updated interpretation for the modern audience to provide their own temporal relativist view on top of the already layered meaning of the original work quoted within Eliot 's poem. The historical context around the poem provides deeper insight into the psyche of humanity in general; but most importantly we explore the mind of the poet through these allusions, through the quotes of pre-established Authors and Poets who in their own times were
…show more content…
Critics such as Jay Martin, would argue that Eliot “seeks to order the chaotic modern world; in particular with its substantial use of historical and literal references, the mythical method offers Eliot a satirical lens to perceive and give new meaning to the present.” Actually, Eliot is providing prospective and deeper insight into the human psyche after something like war, which destroys everything in its path—art, life, and love. Providing prospective is much different than being “satirical” in nature, being satirical hints to finding humor, or irony, which is not the intent of the poem; the poem intends to convey the melancholy and disjointed nature that the human race as a whole was in after WWI—thus Eliots ' use of languages and Poets from around the world. Allusion and historical references serve as the backbone of this masterful poem to create the dystopian, almost post-apocalyptic world that Eliot intended to achieve with “The Waste Land.” To take the reader to the underworld (Hell) particularly with using Dante 's poems creates an allusion to hell and describes the emotions of the people perfectly, for the era; “the wretched souls those who lived without disgrace and without praise.” Without Dante 's vital contribution to the allusion, the allusion becomes weaker, or essentially
Critics such as Jay Martin, would argue that Eliot “seeks to order the chaotic modern world; in particular with its substantial use of historical and literal references, the mythical method offers Eliot a satirical lens to perceive and give new meaning to the present.” Actually, Eliot is providing prospective and deeper insight into the human psyche after something like war, which destroys everything in its path—art, life, and love. Providing prospective is much different than being “satirical” in nature, being satirical hints to finding humor, or irony, which is not the intent of the poem; the poem intends to convey the melancholy and disjointed nature that the human race as a whole was in after WWI—thus Eliots ' use of languages and Poets from around the world. Allusion and historical references serve as the backbone of this masterful poem to create the dystopian, almost post-apocalyptic world that Eliot intended to achieve with “The Waste Land.” To take the reader to the underworld (Hell) particularly with using Dante 's poems creates an allusion to hell and describes the emotions of the people perfectly, for the era; “the wretched souls those who lived without disgrace and without praise.” Without Dante 's vital contribution to the allusion, the allusion becomes weaker, or essentially