This blog discusses questions from Dr. Dilip Barad about T.S. Eliot's poem "The Waste Land," focusing on contradictions between Eliot, Nietzsche, and Freud. It also explores the presence of Indian thoughts in the poem.
T.S. Eliot published "The Waste Land" in 1922, marking a significant "modern epic" in modernist poetry. T.S. Eliot spearheaded modernism with esortic complex, fragmented works challenging traditional unity. "The Waste Land" vividly depicts the breakdown of modern societies. Eliot's innovative style reshaped 20th-century English literature, leaving an enduring impact on poetic aesthetics.The poem is structured into five sections:
1. The Burial of the Dead
2. A Game of Chess
3. The Fire Sermon
4. Death by Water
5. What the Thunder Said
"The Burial of the Dead" symbolizes spiritual death in the wasteland, where citizens resist any disruption to their modern routines. April, typically a symbol of rebirth, becomes cruel for them, reflecting their aversion to spiritual regeneration."A Game of Chess" draws from Middleton's play, highlighting a society where love degenerates into lust. The reference to Philomel symbolizes purification through suffering, but in modern times, hope for regeneration is lost.
"The Fire Sermon" takes its name from Buddha's sermon, emphasizing the world's spiritual degradation, burning with hatred and desire. "Death by Water" uses water as a symbol of purification and rebirth. The death of Phlebas represents those consumed by worldly pursuits, their youth ultimately lost to death. "What the Thunder Said" suggests liberation from spiritual barrenness. Examples include the knight's journey in the Fisher King myth and Christ's disciples to Emmaus, symbolizing truth and resurrection.
In essence, "The Waste Land" explores brokenness, loss, sexual perversion, and spiritual degradation.
1)What are your views on the following image after reading 'The Waste Land'? Do you think that Eliot is regressive as compared to Nietzsche’s views? or Has Eliot achieved universality of thought by recalling mytho-historical answer to the contemporary malaise?
Nihilism, or the concept of meaninglessness, was a central focus for both Nietzsche (1844-1900) and Eliot (1888-1965). In their respective works, they grappled with the question of how to mend rootlessness or uprootedness.Both the philosophers try to solve this puzzle. There is a mystery which demands to be encountered.
Nietzsche's writings focus on pessimism, highlighting his belief that modern morality lacks a solid foundation. He empowers humans through his idea of the "death of God," suggesting that this concept provides strength.
'God is dead'.
“God is dead! God remains dead!
And we have killed him! How shall we console our selves, the most murderous of all murderers? The holiest and the mightiest that the world has so far possessed, has bled to death under our knife, who will wipe the blood from us? With what water could we cleanse ourselves? What purifications, what sacred games shall we have to devise? Is not the magnitude of this deed too great for us? Shall we not ourselves have to become Gods, merely to seem worthy of it?
There never was a greater event and on account of it, all who are born after us belong to a higher history than any history so far!”
Nietzsche encourages building oneself without relying on God, a more progressive idea compared to Eliot's emphasis on turning to religious scriptures, which involves surrendering to predefined solutions. Nietzsche challenges the fear-based foundation of God's existence, suggesting that it is rooted in people's minds. He aims to empower humans to be their own masters without fear, shifting the focus from a God-centered to a self-centered perspective.
Nietzsche introduces the concept of "Ubermensch" or 'Superhuman,' promoting the idea of master morality. He argues that if people see God as an all-powerful figure to whom they surrender everything, they won't grow into superhumans, for example always have "Gopi Bhav" rather than thinking about being " Krishna" . Nietzsche's progressive solution challenges dependency on God.
In contrast, Eliot holds a different view on addressing contemporary crises in faith and self. Eliot believes the waste landers are sinners and they have completely lost their spirituality. So, Eliot takes the readers back to the scriptures and religion so solve the problems.
"What are the roots that clutch, what branches grow
Out of this stony rubbish? Son of man,
You cannot say, or guess, for you know only
A heap of broken images, where the sun beats,
And the dead tree gives no shelter, the cricket no relief,
And the dry stone no sound of water. Only
There is shadow under this red rock,
(Come in under the shadow of this red rock),
And I will show you something different from either
Your shadow at morning striding behind you
Or your shadow at evening rising to meet you;
I will show you fear in a handful of dust."
Eliot draws from the Bible, specifically the Book of Job, mentioning the "son of man" as the prophet Ezekiel. In his poem, the Preacher from the Bible highlights life's vanity and tells people to remember God in their youth. Additionally, Eliot looks to Indian scriptures, specifically the Upanishads and connecting story of Prajapati and Da-Da-Da. Some see Eliot as looking backward, seeking answers for modern problems in ancient Upanishads, Buddhism, and Christianity.
However, Eliot and Nitzche proved thair arguments by providing examples, Eliot sounds conservative. While looking at War dilema and chaotic events the faith in god, king, democracy, science and morover on human minds shaken.
Eliot's uses of Myth and historical events such as Nostalgia holds immense power in the universe, influencing the decay of civilization. Past and future clash in the present, where the oppressed withdraw from experience to contemplation. This eternal 'present' is marked by fear and futility. Fatal love and inevitable death intertwine. The wasteland's barrenness results not from God's absence but humanity's failure to recognize His presence.
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'?
In his essay "For Lancelot Andrews," Eliot declared him as a classicist in literature, a royalist in politics, and Anglo-Catholic in religion. Being a classicist and Catholic, Eliot holds traditional views on salvation. However, the concept of salvation is inherently confusing. In contrast, Freud argued that liberating repressed 'primitive instincts' leads to a content and fulfilling life, rendering the pursuit of salvation irrelevant.
The idea of 'salvation,' often tied to religion, suggests living a simple life without desires. Some religions stress strict rules, fasting, and rituals for salvation, leading to the creation of leaders with their own codes. This can confine individuals, making them follow blindly and creating narrow boundaries.
Salvation acts like a 'super ego,' urging people to behave in an 'acceptable manner.' Freud, in 'The Uneasiness in Civilization,' talks about balancing primitive desires (id) with societal expectations (superego). Freudean views were very prominent in that time reveling deeper and darker side of human mind. If there is no ristriction in practice of human pleasure there would be disaterious situation.
Eliot disagrees, seeing salvation in preserving cultural traditions. He believes this tradition keeps chaos at bay and roots individuals in a specific cultural heritage, a valuable idea from a modern standpoint. Eliot's salvation is talks about culture, by and large culture is evolved with time and shapes human behaviour. In that cases culture provides way of achieving happiness.
If we look at the idea of primitive instinct, it is the basic nature of a human being. As hunger is a basic human need, and similarly, sex is a basic human need, Eliot's attempts at repressing it lead to disasterous effects. For example, the idea of calibacy is highly problematic. Everyone is aware of the darker side of Ashrams and St. Places. In this case, Freud sounds more relevant and Eliot sounds more conservative.
Solutions from the past can never help overcome the modern problem, as we saw in Waste Land. Eliot is looking at the past for modern problems of sexual perversion. The civilized society never accepts the Freudian view, and it is problematic at some point, but that doesn't mean going back for solutions. If the solution were there, then there would be no emergence of modern problems of sexual perversion.
Representation of Colours in The Waste Land :
3) Write about allusions to the Indian thoughts in 'The Waste Land'. (Where, How and Why are the Indian thoughts referred?
The Indian philosophy is richly diverse and consists of numerous philosophical and deep meanings and interpretations that lead an individual to a better way of living life. This Upanishad consisting of six chapters is called 'Aranyaka' as it was taught in the forest (Aranya). And because of its large size, it is called Brihadaranyaka.
"Who is the third who walks always beside you?When I count, there are only you and I togetherBut when I look ahead up the white roadThere is always another one walking beside you."
Indian philosophy has idea of soul which is not daying expect Bhudhdhism and Charvak Darshan every other branches beleived in having soul. Additionally this branches highlights the idea of remaining god within. So that this third person according to Indian philosophy could be God or Soul. And through reference of ‘Ganga’, ‘Himavat’ in this part. Eliot refers to Wisdom of India for spiritual salvation of modern humanity.
P. S. Sri in his work Upanishadic Perceptions in T. S. Eliot's Poetry and Dramarecalls the Buddha's Fire Sermon in the third section of The Waste Land and consciously brings the Buddha and St. Augustine together at the very core of the poem. Going further P.S.Shri talks about Tiresias thus bears witness to the fact of world-appearance or maya. Because he has refined his consciousness, he is aware of his bondage to the wheel. Tiresias' myth talks about being male and female who can be considered to be maya. [Sri, P. S.]
"What the thunder said" is about the 'resurrection of self' following the death of God. It encourages being a giver (Data), practicing self-control (Damayata), and showing compassion or empathy (Dayadhvam). The poem concludes with "Shantih... shantih... shantih," an ambiguous note. Eliot interprets these repetitions of the Sanskrit word 'Shantih' as 'the peace which passeth understanding.' In Indian culture, this term is often used for inner and outer peace after mantras or shlokas.
According to the Hindu religion, opposed to the virtues enjoined by Praja-pati are the 'three primary vices': desire or lust, greed, and wrath contradict Praja-pati's teachings.Eliot compares the thunder's message to Buddha's Fire Sermon, linking it to St. Augustine's Confessions and stating that the poem's culmination is not an accident. (GRENANDER)
The Fire Sermon is a Buddhist scripture where Buddha preaches about the nature of desire and suffering. In T.S. Eliot's "The Waste Land," the Fire Sermon is adapted and serves as a section in the poem. Buddha's Adittapariyaya Sutta discusses Four Noble Truths: suffering, its cause, end, and the path to end it. Fire is a metaphor, symbolizing sexual perversion in the world. Eliot explores the impact of desire on human life.
This line suggests a constant present in human life, symbolized by "fear in the handful of dust." In Indian philosophy, dust often represents the fleeting nature of material existence, emphasizing life's impermanence. It reflects the idea that everything worldly eventually turns to dust. It is highlighting the inevitability of mortality and the temporary nature of human experiences. Indian Philosophical idea of human beings are made of Panchmahabhut and at the end turned into dust similar to this lines.
Is it possible to read 'The Waste Land' as a Pandemic Poem?
According to Encyclopedia Britanica, "A pandemic is an outbreak of infectious disease that occurs over a wide geographical area and that is of high prevalence. A pandemic generally affects a significant proportion of the world’s population, usually over the course of several months. "
In literature, records of pandemics like the Spanish flu are rare. Autobiographical information from writers of that time period becomes crucial to understanding the impact. "The Waste Land," published in 1922 between World War I and II, aligns with the Spanish flu era.
Eliot's personal experience with the pandemic flu is evident; he and his wife contracted the virus in Dec 1918. Elizabeth Outka in her work Viral Modernism interprets parts of the poem as reflecting a post-pandemic consciousness, similar to the fragmented nature of war.
The poem looks like a mix of different pieces, showing that Eliot, maybe affected by the flu, had trouble expressing thoughts clearly, like in a confused state. The start feels gloomy, talking about sick bodies. Words like 'feverish hallucination' hint at feeling sick, and saying 'burning' over and over shows the pain from a fever.
Additionally, looking at the characteristics of the Spanish flu, it made people sick with high fever, leading to broken memories, bodily pain, and haunting hallucinations due to isolation. Elizabeth, for instance, talks about the affection of the city, landscape, vegetation, emotions, thoughts, minds, languages, words, and even poetry.
In the Fire Sermon, a rat emerges as a symbol of the Bubonic plague. The piling up of bodies is considered as affected bodies, denied burial due to infection. The poem mentions a buried body in the garden, which is quite ironic. However, it is like a "Domestic Burial" in the poem, with the speaker haunted by the idea of a dead body coming back, which is all in the mind.
Presence of Silence:
There is a presence of silence throughout the poem, due to the pandemic, especially isolation resulting in prolonged silence. Lines from The Tempest, when Maria shows a dead body and mistakes it. In the first part, the line "My eyes failed," in the Game of Chess, "Do you see nothing?" Madame Sosostris, "Forbidden to see," Tiresias is blind, and Philomela's tongue is cut. All these images show the presence of silence in the poem.
Another aspect is "One-sided Conversation." Outka says that Eliot paradoxically gave voices to silence. If we look at the aftermath, the pandemic leads to bodily suffering and shapes thoughts, resulting in the poem. Basically, "The Waste Land" is the "silence of illness and the afterlife of a pandemic poem."
Rogers, Kara, and Sue Baugh. “Pandemic | Description, History, Preparedness, & Facts.” Britannica, 29 December 2023, https://www.britannica.com/science/pandemic. Accessed 6 February 2024.
Sri, P. S. “Upanishadic Perceptions in T. S. Eliot’s Poetry and Drama.” Rocky Mountain Review, vol. 62, no. 2, 2008, pp. 34–49. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/20479528. Accessed 6 Feb. 2024.
GRENANDER, M. E., and K. S. NARAYANA RAO. “The Waste Land and the Upanishads : What Does the Thunder Say?” Indian Literature, vol. 14, no. 1, 1971, pp. 85–98. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/23330564. Accessed 6 Feb. 2024.
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