The Waste Land (1922) by TS Eliot, is considered one of the most influential poems of the modernist movement, even maintaining its influence after World War II and during the later growth of post-modernism. Modernism, a cultural and literary movement, swept Western Europe in the early 20th century. However, it was the horror and shock of the First World War that truly transformed the movement. Modernists, like Eliot, rebelled against the traditional status quo and struggled to find new ways "to express an experience that shattered a continent" (Lynch). Writers and poets have therefore had to create new ways of exploring this new and radically changed world, creating controversial literary works, breaking with traditional normative standards. The Waste Land is a deeply complex and captivating poem, with diverse cultural and literary references and a groundbreaking structure and subject matter. During this essay, I will first discuss Eliot's importance in the modernist sphere and then explain how the phrase from The Wasteland, "The fragments I have propped up against my ruins..." is a summary adequate to Eliot's complicated poem. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on 'Why violent video games should not be banned'?Get the original essayThomas Stearns Eliot (1888-1965) was already an influential poetic voice within the modernist movement when he arrived in England, three months before the outbreak of war (Lynch). He had good relations with the modernist sphere, mentioned the famous American poet Ezra Pound. Poets like Pond and Eliot, who rebel against the established literary norm, experiment with form, style, language, and subject matter. Many influential modernists like Eliot challenged older, more established antebellum ideals, which were often seen as one of the main causes of the war and the widespread suffering it caused. The world they previously inhabited quickly became deeply fragmented. Modernist artists, writers, and poets sought to discover a new way to express this fragmentation and destruction. Stevenson states that although the effects of modernization were evident, it was the Great War that "made the destructive aspects of modernity and the need for new artistic forms inevitable" (Stevenson). Eliot and his contemporaries questioned the meaning of everything and began to express their disenchanted view of the world, through new explorations of style and form. They wanted to show the world as it was, not as a magical fantasy that had already been explored in the Romantic and Victorian times. The subjects and societies studied by many of them were realistic. They were dark, harsh, and in many cases full of physical and emotional pain. Eliot's influential role not only as a leading modernist poet, but also as a literary critic and mentor, was enduring and incredibly powerful, not only on the modernist literary movement, but on the literary sphere as a whole . published in 1922, with 64 pages, 433 lines and five sections. It is considered the poem that cemented Eliot's reputation and notoriety – the poem gaining a cult following in literary circles (Lynch). It is considered one of the central works of the modernist movement. The Waste Land is a “work imbued with the shadow of the great war” (Lynch). Lynch shows that the title of the poem is a metaphor for the desolate landscape of post-war Europe (Lynch). The subject of the poem reveals the widespread disillusionment felt by modernistsfacing these “unreal cities”, devoid of appropriate human or natural connections (Eliot, 60). The poem also reveals much about Eliot's personal traumas. When Eliot wrote The Wasteland, Eliot was recovering from a nervous breakdown and other mental health problems and his marriage to Vivienne Haigh-Wood (who also suffered from mental health problems), was failing (Menand) . These personal issues that encompassed Eliot's life in many ways became the central themes of Eliot's exploration of the disenfranchised and fragmented society created by war and increasing urbanization. The style and structure of The Waste Land were radical and controversial by early 20th century standards. . Eliot broke with poetic norms such as regular form and rhyme. Instead, it presents a radically different form of expression. Eliot's use of fragmented stanzas, irregular lines, and frequent references to classical literature or untranslated foreign extracts throughout the poem were radically experimental (Spacey). The confused form of Waste Land mimics, in many ways, the post-war reality of the time, full of chaos, confusion and disenchantment (Lynch). His constant use of historical and classical references combined the modern world with the ancient. It also distorts the norm by rejecting the single-voiced dramatic monologue. The narrative is thus fragmented between various stories and perspectives. The poet takes readers on a dark journey, confusing and fractured by multiple voices. The tone is constantly changing and the language Eliot uses adds to the chaos and confusion. These multiple voices tell stories of emotional and physical hardship, and the changing tone and narratives further highlight aspects of post-war society. There is no plot in the wastelands, no linear narrative that it adheres to, no characters or narrators really go anywhere, and they too will continue to wander the barren and confusing wastelands. It also demonstrates the flaws of their urban society. Readers follow Eliot in his confusing and confusing search for an answer to a series of endless questions about society's disillusionment – ​​to which there seems to be no distinct solution (Spacey). Throughout his five stanzas, Eliot examines the “modern” inability to form and maintain meaningful human connections in the postwar world. It is through exploring failed relationships and marriages that he reveals some of his deepest personal flaws and feelings. “A Game of Chess” opens with an image of a woman sitting on a chair that is “like a burnished throne,” which could be a reference to Cleopatra and her tragic relationship with Mark Anthony (Eliot, 77 ). The first half of the Stanza takes place in a magnificent salon, covered in a sumptuously and extravagant manner with rich decorations and materials: "Satin cases poured in profusion, into vials of ivory and colored glass", "the ceiling with boxes”. , “the ancient cloak” (Eliot, 85). The rich and bourgeois woman who occupies the living room is, like her environment, decorated to the point of gluttony and excess; “The shine of her jewels rose to meet her” (Eliot, 84 years old). It seems that his preoccupation with meaningless material objects is the result of his unhappiness and loneliness. The woman (who is seen as a representation of Eliot's wife) attempts to address the narrator (perhaps a thinly veiled representation of Eliot himself). It is clear that this marital relationship is deeply fractured. She complains of her nervousness and tries in vain to create or force a conversation with the narrator: “Talk to me.Why don't you ever speak? Talk… I never know what they are thinking. Think” (Eliot, 112). When the narrator finally responds to him, it seems that he is emotionally disconnected from the relationship; “I think we're in rat alley/Where the dead lost their bones,” this remark could also be a reference to the emotional shock many returning soldiers suffered as a result of the poem. She pesters him further with more questions, becoming more and more erratic and hysterical as the scene continues: "I will rush as I am and walk down the street... With my hair down" (Eliot, 133) . Her husband's responses remain dejected and emotionless. it almost seems like he's following societal norms and pressures in his interactions with his wife – he doesn't seem to have it in him to care and show affection towards his wife. This couple has essentially trapped their living room, stuck in the same cycle, aimlessly playing a game of chess; “And we will play a game of chess, / Pressing the lidless eyes and waiting for a knock at the door” (Eliot 138). References to ancient and tragic tales such as the romance of Antony and Cleopatra, the rape of Philomena, and the Fisher King also indicate that "wholesome" love and happiness are not considered possible in the wastelands and are ultimately destructive for both parties. relationship. The scene then shifts to a completely different setting, more popular and working-class. Lil and the other pub regulars are not as constrained by their social roles and expectations. However, Lil is still unhappy in her marriage and is also punished for her immoral failings: "Well, if Albert doesn't leave you, that, I say, is why you are marrying if you don't want children" (Eliot , 163). Eliot shows that the fragmentation of healthy relationships is a multiclass problem that permeates everyone, regardless of social status. The lack of water plays an important role in Eliot's story. The wasteland is seemingly barren and infertile, without water and without rebirth. The consequences and impact of war and increasing modernization have harmed society not only internally but also externally. The Waste Land begins with a description of the dead and abandoned landscape; “A heap of broken images, where the sun beats, and the dead tree offers no shelter, the cricket no relief, and the dry stone gives no shelter” (Eliot, 22). There are many other references to roots and decaying vegetation. No water can rejuvenate wastelands, so sacrifices must be made to gain fertility; “Fear death at the water’s edge” (Eliot, 55). The imagery of a desolate and fractured landscape is then compared to the “unreal city”, to the dirty and foggy London Bridge with its crowds devoid of individualistic identity (Eliot, 60). “Disturbing urban landscapes, instead of nature, now dominate society (Stevenson). It is as if Eliot concluded that urbanization caused widespread fragmentation, leading to the disintegration of humanity. Society, in a sense, has failed the Wasteland. They are the cause of its destruction and failure. The themes of ominous failure and death remain prominent throughout the poem. The final section, “What the Thunder Said,” is incredibly dramatic in both its imagery and subject matter. This section has actually been considered the most surreal part of the poem. It seems that the fragmentation and disillusionment that surrounded post-war society was slowly leading to some form of apocalypse; “He who lived is now dead. We who were alive now die with a little practice” (Eliot, 329). All the.. 2020.