Assignment of Modernist Literature : Contemporary world reflects into " The Wasteland " :

Assignment of Modernist Literature : Contemporary world reflects into " The Wasteland " :

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Paper : 9 : Modern Literature 

Prepared by : Gohil Jyotiba M.

Roll No : 16

Assignment  Topic : The Contemporary world reflects into “ The Wasteland “.

M.A (English) : Semester  -3

Enrolment No: 2069108420180016

Batch : 2017-19

Email  ID: jyotibagohil96@gmail.com

Submitted to : Smt .S. B Gardi , Department of English, MK Bhavnagar University.

●    The Contemporary world reflects into “ The wasteland “ 

   ● Introduction : 

 The wasteland was written by T.S .Eliot. He was an essayist, play writer , social critic and great poet of his time. It is a long poem written in 20th century. It consider as the most important work of modernist poetry. In this poem Eliot include cultural and social and literary allusions from the western cannon , Hindu Upanishad and Buddhism. Eliot viewed Critically and pessimistically viewed  the modern world. He wrote this poem in the hope of betterment in society after the world war. The poem is divided into five parts. The Burial of Dead ,  A Game of chess , The Fire sermon and What the thunder said. 

● Reflection of the contemporary world into The Wasteland : 

     The wasteland is the notable work for its seemingly disjointed structure and indicative of Modernist style of James Joyce ‘s Ulysses. It also consider as the best depiction of modern human life. In the modern era people has many problems especially regarding the world war. So the natural become barren outwardly it happened because of massive and numerable deaths of people  and destruction. So because of that the internal state of human has become very complex and perverted. So they going through the situation in which there is no difference between life and death. So people suffering from the state of Life in Death. They have always fear of death. Life become like a Handful of dust. So the lost of morality happened and sexuality has taken place of it. So it becomes a part of their life. The relationship not based on love but sexuality. So it shows shallowness in the relationship in which love becomes  the meaningless ritual in life. Lost of true feelings in the relationship that’s why the love not prevail in life. It reflects extremist attitude of human nature , terrifying life in modern time living through social, moral and religious decays of the people. The Wasteland describes the contemporary waste land as a metaphor. In the poem Eliot wrote about the story of the Fisher king. So in this story describe that according to myths either king runs of the holy chapel or the act resulted into his impotency and brought and bareness of his country. So here Eliot give the example of Fisher king which is appropriately describe the state of modern society. Also it address modern problems like war ,  industrialisation abortion and urban life and at the same to participate into literary traditions. 

   So the first three parts deals with the various facts of the contemporary time with a serious disappointment. So it shows the human fall by converting God’s earth into the wasteland. In the last two parts of the poem try to reestablishment of foundation of the life on the basis of spiritual values. So Eliot wants to show the into intolerable life of human and it reaches towards dead end into this material world. 

        In the first part of the poem “ The Burial of the dead “ modified dramatic monologue in which describes four speakers. They find themselves surrounded by dead people and imprisoned by wars.  

April  is the cruellest month, breeding

Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing

Memory and desire, stirring

Dull roots with spring rain.

Winter kept us warm, covering

Earth in forgetful snow, feeding

A little life with dried tubers.

April is called the cruellest month in spite of the real fact that spring is the responsible for bringing the new life. So this line is an allusion to Chaucer ‘s Canterbury Tales. In this poem of Chaucer begins with the opposite description than Eliot. In this April describes as ‘ sweet showers ‘. So it differs from the Eliot’s views. In the poem The wasteland it suggest the dread of the natural cycle of life and death. In the line “ winter kept us warm”. It has contradictory idea of death and isolation which is associated with the winter by suggesting that it instead offering warmth and protection. 

   In A Game of Chess suggested that the sex has become a matter of moves and counter moves, intrigue and source of momentarily pleasure. There is the fashionable society woman who show all the luxury with she is surrounded , board and hysterical as a consequence. Her love also sufferers from mental vacuity and also they unable to keep even the smallest conversation with each other. Sex in the relationship consider as mechanical so the relationship becomes mechanical. It is seen between relationship of typist and Clark. In this typist gives herself to the Clark with the sense of indifference and apathy so there is no repulsion and pleasure in the relationship. So the absence of these feelings shows the sterility of the age. 

     So sexual perversion  always lead to the degeneration and decay. The sexual sins of the king Fisher and his soldiers lead towards waste his kingdom. Sexuality and violence has always been there. In the myth of Philomela ,  Philomela  was raped and her tongue was severed so that she not reveal the truth. So In these all aspects shows the present resembles the past. 

    In The Fire sermon the title has taken from the Buddha ‘s sermon. It describes a polluted river and it is a representative of spiritual degeneration and conclude with a river song and incarnation. It deals with the lust that derives the man towards destructive decision. As the title taken from sermon given by Buddha to his followers about give up the worldly desires and seek of spiritual deliverance from the earthly trivialise. So it gives a message about turn away yourself from earthly passions and desires. In this part narrator is surrounded by garbage at the beginning while he is fishing. A young woman is left alone by her lustful lover. It is the representation of the world which is full of lustful desires and passion. 

     In the next session of poem is Death by water. It is about the phebas the Phoenician man who is died by drowning into the water. It suggested that the morality and ephemerality of the life. So here it shows reality of life and attempts to shows reality of the life that death is the true reality of their life. Human being have to face death sooner or later it never matters. The one and only reality of life is death only human beings known. Later on he elucidates points by saying that “ the profit and loss”  of phlebas. He is a merchant but people not give important him after his death. So he is no longer worthily of attention when he died. So by this things Eliot addresses that all mankind should remember the destined end of  merchant. By this example of merchant it provides important message earlier to cultivating spiritual values in their lives. It should apply before the imminent hand of the death knocking at their doors of life. 

     So the life is a bridge. It is to be passed ultimately. It is up to us that we choose the rotten bridge or choose divine values and pass from the safe bridge. The ultimate reality of life is that this journey will never safe. Suffering and sorrows are part of life. So people should learn to cultivating spiritual values rather than cultivating evil passions. So the ultimate reality of human life is that human strives for nothing during their life but waiting for death. Death is the only  reality of the life. 

   In the last session of what the thunder said. It describes the quest for salvation and inner peace through three objectives. In this Eliot give the message of hope : Datta means to  give. It puts emphases on the importance of the virtue as to surrender. So in the modern age this virtue has little valued in human lives. Modern man only focused on the self interest rather than help others in their difficult times.  Dyadhvam means to sympathise. In the contemporary time we can fined the lack importance of this values in human life. People now days more regressive about the situation. They reacted more regressive way rather than think about progressively and positively and let go the things. Damyata means to controlled. So he believed that this will help to  the regeneration of present disintegrated and pessimistic society. So this way he give quotes from Upanishad. It links western world and eastern traditional world together in one parameters about life. This words symbolised three aspects of mankind. Also at last words Shanti , Shanti , Shanti. It represents hope is not gone it stills remain against of modern world. So these words hold on the promise of salvation. 

● Conclusion :  

  So Eliot tries to connect past with present time. So with the help of past experience and new one make life balanced and happy. The problem lies in the fact that the past which promotes  adherence of religious notions and the modern world which relies excessively on physical welfare rather than spiritual happiness. So they are deemed as two opposing forces in life. 

 Modern world should reach that level of maturity and cognition to accept the indispensable beliefs of tradition along with the needs of modern man. so that it can embrace the experiences and tips of past and accept them as inseparable fragments to the needs of today’s world. It, then, may witness a world of combined and at the same time the supplementary criteria which are sure to pave the path for human salvation. 

    In the contemporary time people find themselves on the position of doubt on others and uncertainty. For people of contemporary time bodily needs important rather than spiritual needs. Man is more devoted towards body rather than spirit. So it effects the life of people.  

● Resources :

https://www.enotes.com/homework￾help/describe-wasteland-by-t-s-eliot-modern￾poetry-347146
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Waste_Land