"The Waste Land" was a poem that was difficult to find the meaning. It was hard for me to interpret his words. After I would begin to read a section I would think one thing and by the end of that section I would think that I was completely off. I am going to try and tackle the shortest section of this particular work. It is "Death by Water" on page 1212.
"Phlebas the Phoenician, a fortnight dead,
Forgot the cry of gulls, .....
And the profit and the loss. ....
Picked his bones in whispers....."
This section focuses on Phlebas the Phoenician who seemed to have drowned. In his death he has forgotten about his worldly worries such as profit and debts. Eliot tells us that the creatures of the sea have picked his course apart, all the way down to the bones.
"Consider Phlebas, who was once handsome and tall as you."
I think Eliot ended the poem like this because he wants his reader to think about his own death. He is basically saying that Phlebas is like any one of us and what will we do while we are still alive. Are we doing enough so that we will be at peace in death? It is important to evaluate and ponder our lives every now and then.
1 comment:
Candice,
I agree that Eliot's "The Waste Land" is a confusing and challenging poem. I wish you had quoted complete lines and verse sentences, though. The phrases you quote, out of context and incomplete, are unlikely to lead to much clarity here.
Post a Comment