The West Land by T.s. Eliot

 Hello everyone, I'm a student of the Department of English,M.K.B.U. This blog is based on T. S. Eliot's one famous poem ' The West Land' ,this blog is assigned by Dr. Dilip Barad Sir.

The West Land as a Pandemic Poem :-

This is a modern epic poem, written by T.S. Eliot. This a very famous poem , in this poem Eliot comprises various different Images from the other writers works.

points to Ponder :-

• Introduction

• Historical Background of the Poem

• About The Poet

• About The Poem

• Introductory Pptx and Video based on this Poem

• 'The West Land' as a modern epic poem

• Elements of the poem

• Themes of the Poem

• 'The West Land' as a pandemic poem

• Conclusion

Introduction :-

'The West Land' ,modern epic poem written by T.S. Eliot. In this poem,Eliot comprises different Images from the other writers' works. This poem is written in 434 lines. Tiresia is the protagonist of this poem. 

The poem itself was heavily edited by Ezra Pound, another American expatriate poet living in London at this time. Eliot gave Pound a copy of the 1922 edition with a handwritten dedication to ‘il miglior fabbro’ – Italian for ‘the better craftsman’ – and added it to the 1925 printed edition in his Poems 1909–1925.

The Waste Land was first published in 1922 in Criterion, a magazine edited by Eliot, then a few days later in the magazine The Dial, and later that year, as a book by Boni & Liveright in New York. This latter edition included ‘Notes’ explaining some of the vast range of references contained in the poem, and its particular basis on the legend of the Holy Grail, and the vegetation ceremonies in The Golden Bough (1890; expanded 1906–1915), a comparative study of world mythology by J G Frazer. However, in ‘The Frontiers of Criticism’, in 1956, Eliot described these notes as ‘a remarkable exposition of bogus scholarship’, which he had only written to make the text long enough for book publication.

Historical Background of The Poem :-

This poem is written after the First World War. This poem is one of the famous work of the 20th Century literature. In this poem ,we find several images of Pendemic because it was a time of Influenza pandemic, Spanish Flue and Plague Virus. 

About The Poet :-

Thomas Stearns Eliot  (26 September 1888 – 4 January 1965) was a poet, essayist, publisher, playwright, literary critic and editor. Considered one of the 20th century's major poets, he is a central figure in English-language Modernist poetry.

Eliot first attracted widespread attention for his poem "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" in 1915, which, at the time of its publication, was considered outlandish. It was followed by "The Waste Land" (1922), "The Hollow Men" (1925), "Ash Wednesday" (1930), and Four Quartets (1943). He was also known for seven plays, particularly Murder in the Cathedral (1935) and The Cocktail Party (1949). He was awarded the 1948 Nobel Prize in Literature, "for his outstanding, pioneer contribution to present-day poetry". He married two times, his wives names are Spouse Vivienne HHaigh-Wood​(m. 1915; sep. 1932)) Esmé Valerie Fletcher​(m. 1957). 

About the Poem :-

For Original Poem …Click Here

The Waste Land is a poem by T. S. Eliot,widely regarded as one of the most important poems of the 20th century and a central work of modernist poetry, published in 1922, the 434-lines. Poem first appeared in the United Kingdom in the October issue of Eliot's The Criterion and in the United States in the November issue of The Dial. It was published in book form in December 1922. Among its famous phrases are "April is the cruellest month", "I will show you fear in a handful of dust", and the Sanskrit mantra "Shantih shantih shantih".

Eliot's poem combines the legend of the Holy Grail and the Fisher King with vignettes of contemporary British society. Eliot employs many literary and cultural allusions from the Western canon such as Ovid's Metamorphoses and Dante's Divine Comedy, as well as Shakespeare, Buddhism, and the Hindu Upanishads. The poem shifts between voices of satire and prophecy featuring abrupt and unannounced changes of speaker, location, and time and conjuring a vast and dissonant range of cultures and literatures.

The poem is divided into five sections. The first, "The Burial of the Dead", introduces the diverse themes of disillusionment and despair. 

The second, "A Game of Chess", employs alternating narrations, in which vignettes of several characters address those themes experientially.

"The Fire Sermon", the third section, offers a philosophical meditation in relation to the imagery of death and views of self-denial in juxtaposition, influenced by Augustine of Hippo and Eastern religions. 

After a fourth section, "Death by Water", which includes a brief lyrical petition.

The culminating fifth section, "What the Thunder Said", concludes with an image of judgement. 

The last words of this poem "Shantih,Shantih,Shantih" which conveys the message of this poem, which means 'peace that passes all understanding.'

• Introductory Pptx and Video based on this Poem :-

The Waste Land.pdf from NiraliDabhi3

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'The West Land' as a modern epic poem :-

Modern poetry is mostly written in free verse and prose (the prose poem). Ambiguity: Most of modern poetry is ambiguous for many reasons. Interest in myth and especially Greek myth. Interest in the problems of the average man and the lower classes of society.

This poem is also based on Greek myths and it also comprises various stories and also describes the problem of that time. For e.g., The Influenza pandemic,and the Spanish Flu, Inter war period. So , we can say that it is a modern poem as per its characteristics. 

Epic poems comprise thousands of lines and it is based on one particular hero's life or one particular incident but here, this poem is written in only hundreds of lines(written in 434 lines) that's why we can not consider this poem as an epic poem and it also comprises the characteristics of modern poem that's why this poem is known as 'The Modern Epic Poem'. 

For Elements of the poem …Click Here

Themes of the Poem :-

There are so many themes in this poem. Like.,

1. Sexual Perversion

2. Spiritual Degradation

3. Fragmentation and decay

4. Death

Of all the above themes, the first two themes are the main ones. That's why I am describing only two themes here in this blog.

1. Sexual Perversion

Sexual Perversion means Paraphilia (previously known as sexual perversion and sexual deviation) is the experience of intense sexual arousal to atypical objects, situations, fantasies, behaviours, or individuals. It has also been defined as sexual interest in anything other than a consenting human partner.

In this poem also we find several relationships which we can consider as a sexual Perversion. That are like.,

• Queen Elizabeth + Earl of Leicester

• Typist Girl + Her boyfriend

• Three Daughters of Thames ( mechanical sex)

• Mr. Eugenides (homosexual relationship)

• Lil and Albert's relationship

This poem describes the relationship between Queen Elizabeth,who is a last Tudor Monarch of England and Earl of Leicester . Another refference is about Typist Girl and Her boyfriend, that is a time of mechanisation they both are being tyred from there works and after that both are micanically involved in each-other(love making act),their is no happyness in their relationship they lead their relationship as their responsibility towards their partners. Three Daughters of Thames ( mechanical sex) , here through the river poet describes the condition of that women who are continuously molested by people. Mr. Eugenides (homosexual relationship) in this scene poet describes the homosexual refference of our protagonists (Tiresias) and Mr. Eugenides relationship. Lil and Albert's relationship ,in this story Albert is a soldier and here poet is making a pun on soldier's duty. Poet describes that how the wives of soldier are behaving during the absence of soldier. 

So these are the refferences  comes in this poem that's why we can considered this theme as a major and an important theme of this poem.

2. Spiritual Degradation

Spiritual Degradations are we can find in the following myths.,

• Vegetation (cycle of the seasons)

• The Fisher Man (The Grail legend , The sick humanity)

• Phlebas ( lack of spirituality, self-ego)

• Tiresias ( blindness)

• Sibyl ( spiritual dryness of the post-war generation)

• Holy Grail (sexual symbols)

In the first part of the poem or we can say at the starting of the poem there is a refference of the month that "April is the crualest Month" . At this point we can find the cycle of the seasons,here April month is discribs as a crualest month . The Fisher Man (The Grail legend , The sick humanity) through this myth ,poet describes lack of spirituality. Connected people with spirituality like Prist and Father they are not allowed to marry. So , they uses or abuses nun and girls for their physical needs. That's why we can see mostly nun's and childrens are mostly abused in the charch and other spiritual places. Phlebas ( lack of spirituality, self-ego) it is a story of the phoenician sailors, they are most faithful about their works as a fisherman, that's why sometimes even they die because of a heavy flow of  the water in the sea. Tiresias ( blindness) who is a protagonist of the poem, who is blind but she can see everything what is going to be happen. Sibyl ( spiritual dryness of the post-war generation)  ,silence is a what they have donat that time. They are blindly trusted on the God. Holy Grail (sexual symbols) ,these is a holy river which is symbolises a spiritual degradations in this poem. Holy Grail is a holy river which we considers as a goddess but here in this poem it is taken as a sexuallity ,because fisherman or seaman are devided the riverbanks for their own business that's why it is considered like this. So, we can say that this is also a major and important theme of this poem.

'The West Land' as a pandemic poem :-

This poem is written during the first world war and at that time people also suffering feom the Influenza pandemic and Spanish Flu. In this poem we can see verious works are taken which are based on Pendemic. 

Iconic Elements of The West Land :-

• Sense of Innervation (weekness)

• Deliriam(extreme restlessness)

• Fragmentation (breaking or being broken)

• Valnerable bodies (attacked or harmed) 

 In this poem , there  are several refferences which are represents Pendemic time. 

Like.,

• The Grim Reeper (Part :- 1)

• Rat (Part :- 3)

• Silent (Part :- 5)

• Death(Part :- 5)

In the first part The Grim Reeper,a kind of scissors,which is used to cut the grass, here in this poem it is used as a personification of death in the form of a cloaked skeleton wielding a large scythe. In this poem The Grim Reeper is symbolises 'The Spanish Flu'. Through that grim reeper poet tries to saw the image of the dead bodies and the mentality of the people of that time. How people were dying for the pending and how people trites dead bodies. 

In the third part of this poem there is a refference of Rat which symbolises The Plague Pendemic. Plague virus is to spread by Rat, here in this poem Rat represents tragic condition during the time of Plague. 

In the fifth or last part of this poem there is a refference of silent or blined trust on religion which symbolises forgetting the past and trust on God. At that time people believes in God blinedly,they doesn't have any queries about the religious practices, they follows the tradition blinedly,they doesn't thinks that they are right or wrong, according to them their God is always right and they should not have doubts on them.

In the last or fifth part there is a refference of Death , death symbolises the end. Through the holy river-bank Ganga ,poet tries to define the original behaviour of the poeple towards the other people. The Holy River Ganga was sunken, this refference is taken from Indian Mythology. The holy river Ganga was sunken which represents the cruelty of people, and it also defines the reason why they are facing this kind of situations in their lives. 

We can connect this poem with our contemporary  corona Pendemic time,because whenever we read this poem we also imagine the scenes which we shown during the Pendemic time.In the Corona Pendemic time also lots of people were died ,people were facing the same problem which is describes here in this poem that dead bodies are thrown into a farm and to bury the dead bodies into farms. People doesn't allows the others religions people to use their graveyard for bury or burn the dead bodies. Lots of people were died in this Pendemic also same like the earlier pendemics.

Conclusion :-

It was a time of Influenza pandemic,and we find verious images which represents the Pendemic time in this poem that's why we can consider this poem as a Pendemic poem. 

Word Count :- 2,152

Images :- 04

Videos :- 01

Pptx :- 01

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'For Whom The Bell Tolls' by Earnest Hemingway

 

For Whom The Bell Tolls

- Earnest Hemingway

Hello everyone, I'm a student of the Department of English,M.K.B.U.This blog is a part of a thinking activity which is given by Yesha Ma'am. In this blog I'm going to write about Earnest' Hemingway's very famous novel 'For Whom The Bell Tolls'. This blog is based on this question.,

 

• In what basic way is Robert Jordan a typical Hemingway hero?

Hemingway is very famous for the Heroes of his novels. Robert Jordan is one of them, whom we can consider as a Hemingway's hero.

Points to Ponder :-

• Introduction

• About the Writer

• About the Novel

• Heroes Of Hemingway's Novel :-

• Robert Jordan as a Hemingway's hero

• Conclusion

• Introduction :-

For Whom the Bell Tolls is a novel by Ernest Hemingway published in 1940. It tells the story of Robert Jordan, a young American volunteer attached to a Republican guerrilla unit during the Spanish Civil War. As a dynamiter, he is assigned to blow up a bridge during an attack on the city of Segovia.

The novel is regarded as one of Hemingway's best works, along with The Sun Also Rises, A Farewell to Arms, and The Old Man and the Sea.

 

• About the Writer :-

Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his adventurous lifestyle and public image brought him admiration from later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the mid-1950s, and he was awarded the 1954 Nobel Prize in Literature. He published seven novels, six short-story collections, and two nonfiction works. Three of his novels, four short-story collections, and three nonfiction works were published posthumously. Many of his works are considered classics of American literature. His war-time experiences formed the basis for his novel A Farewell to Arms (1929).

His Notable works includes,'For Whom The Bell Tolls','The Sun Also Rises', 'A Farewell to Arms', and 'The Old Man and the Sea'.

• About The Novel :-

For Whom the Bell Tolls, novel by Ernest Hemingway, published in 1940. This novel has 43 chapters and the time duration of this novel is 3 days. The novel is set near Segovia, Spain, in 1937 and tells the story of American teacher Robert Jordan, who has joined the antifascist Loyalist army. Jordan has been sent to make contact with a guerrilla band and blow up a bridge to advance a Loyalist offensive. The action takes place during Jordan’s 72 hours at the guerrilla camp. During this period he falls in love with María, who has been raped by fascist soldiers, and befriends the shrewd but cowardly guerrilla leader Pablo and his courageous wife, Pilar. Jordan manages to destroy the bridge; Pablo, Pilar, María, and two other guerrillas escape, but Jordan is injured. Proclaiming his love to María once more, he awaits the fascist troops and certain death at the end of the novel.

• Heroes Of Hemingway's Novel :-

YouTube Video based on it :-

The Hemingway Hero is defined by a static set of characteristics: he's is always courageous, confident, and introspective, he does not let his fears get to him. 

Hemingway defined the Code Hero as "a man who lives correctly, following the ideals of honor, courage and endurance in a world that is sometimes chaotic, often stressful, and always painful."In the end the Hero will lose because we are all mortal, but the true measure of value is given by how a person faces death.

• Robert Jordan as a Hemingway's hero :-

Robert Jordan is a Hero or a protagonist  of this novel. The story is all about Roberts' mission for the republicans. It is a war novel. In this novel we can find the same technique of describing a Hero. Hemingway's all Heroes define the same intention towards their duty. 

In this novel , Robert Jordan is a Hero whose intentions are very different from the other characters. All the characters are connected with him and later with his mission to blow up the bridge and save the republicans. During the time of his mission he meets Maria and falls in love with her. He always focuses on his duty as a soldier. 

Golz ,who is a Soviet Officer ,gives Robert a mission to blow up the bridge. In the story ,we find that Robert's main focus is on his duty or a mission instead of his love. He loves Maria but she is not more important than his duty.For him duty is first rather than personal life and Love. 

As a soldier, he has to fight against the Fascists but he does not personally believe in the killing of people. He does not have any kind of animosity with the fascists, he has to do it only for his job as a soldier. In his character we find his honesty, courage, endurance and his hard-work. 

Hemingway describes the same intention of a Hero of his another novel which is 'Old Man Into The Sea' ,in this novel we can find that an Old man is a fisherman, who kills fishes and eat it, but he describes fish as his brother, and at the end ,he says that you are not my enemy , you are my brother and I kill you but when I eat we both becomes mingled with each-other ,because of you I can survive in my life. 

Robert thinks logically and practically for his love and other people's at the end of the novel when he was injured by the Fascists. Robert can not accept defeats and misbehave of any person, he respects women. He is very honest for  his nation and duty, for his nation he sacrifices his life and especially his love. At the end of the novel ,when he injured at that time he encouraged his love ,Maria to move away from there and live her life. 

At the end ,we can say that Hemingway's heroes are mostly described as a honest person ,who doesn't have any kind of animosity with other person ,who is very kind for his job or a duty. 

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The Great Dictators

 

Frame Study

The Great Dictators

Charlie Chaplin

 Hello everyone, I'm a student of the Department of English,M.K.B.U. In this blog I'm going to do a Frame Study on Charlie Chaplin's film 'The Modern Times' which is based on the Setting 20th Century. 

Points to Ponder :-

• Introduction of The 20th century

• About Charlie Chaplin

• About 'The Great Dictators'

• What is Frame Study ?

• Frame Study based on this Film

• Conclusion

1. Introduction of The 20th Century

The 20th century was like no time period before it. Einstein ,Darwin , Freud and Marx were just some of the thinkers who profoundly changed Western culture.The 20th century was dominated by significant events that defined the modern era: Spanish flu pandemic, World War I and World War II, nuclear weapons, nuclear power and space exploration, nationalism and decolonization, the Cold War and post-Cold War conflicts, and technological advances. These reshaped the political and social structure of the globe.

Characteristics of the Age :-

1. Imperialism

2. Social Unrest

3. Anxiety and Interrogation

4. Art for Art’s sake

About Charlie Chaplin :-

Charlie Chaplin, byname of Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin, (born April 16, 1889, London, England — died December 25, 1977, Corsier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland), British comedian, producer, writer, director, and composer who is widely regarded as the greatest comic artist of the screen and one of the most important figures in motion-picture history.His character "The Tramp" relied on pantomime and quirky movements to become an iconic figure of the silent-film era. Chaplin went on to become a director, making films such as City Lights and Modern Times, and co-founded the United Artists Corporation. He spent more than 75 years making his career from his childhood when victorian era was running until his death 1977. 

"We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery, we need humanity; more than cleverness, we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost."

This famous line is spoken by Charlie Chaplin. This famous and remarkable line was from The final speech of the movie 'The Great Dictators'.

About 'The Great Dictator' :-

The Great Dictator, American comedy film, released in 1940, that Charlie Chaplin both acted in and directed. Satirizing Adolf Hitler and Nazism and condemning anti-Semitism, it was Chaplin’s most successful film at the box office.Chaplin portrayed a Jewish barber who is mistaken for a tyrannical dictator. He plays up the charade and ultimately gives a speech in which he calls for peace and compassion. Chaplin, in a dual role, also played the fascist dictator, modelled after Hitler.

The Great Dictator was Chaplin’s first feature film with full sound. When the movie was released in 1940, the United States was still not officially at war with Nazi Germany. The names of the characters mock the fascist leaders of the day, including “Adenoid Hynkel,” standing in for Hitler, and ministers “Garbitsch” and “Herring,” who were modelled on Joseph Goebbels and Hermann Göring, respectively. “Benzino Napaloni,” dictator of the neighbouring country of “Bacteria,” was a satirical portrayal of Italy’s Benito Mussolini. One of the film’s most-celebrated scenes features Hynkel dancing with a balloon of the world to the music of Richard Wagner. Chaplin later said he would never have been able to make the film had the true extent of the Nazis’ crimes been widely known.

What is Frame Study ? :-

Basically in the study frame is a single image of a video. Framing involves composing the visual content of a series of frames as seen from a single point of view. frame is the term used by screenwriters to indicate the entrance of a person or thing into a framed shot.  Frame study is all about the study of a particular image, what that image indicates and what the purpose symbol of that image and other things.

• Frame Study based on this Film :-

Frame :-1

This Frame is based on Rhetoric speech given by a political leader. In this scene ,he tries to encourage people from his speech. His other members also feel something unacceptable but when he gives his particular gesture they act as if they agree with him. In contemporary times also we can find the same situations when the Election comes. All the politicians are busy giving their Rhetoric speech,they made so many promises to people but after winning the election they forgot their promises and they started only thinking for themselves.

Frame :- 2

In this Frame we can find that a political leader is clicking a photograph with a poor class baby. As his facial expressions he is not happy to do this but he is doing this because he wants to define himself as a Kind and innocent. He wants to get the support of people that's why he behaves good with people so he can win the election and becomes the leader.

Frame :- 3

This Frame defines Egoistic Leadership of the leader. In this scene he is treating his leaders as his slave. In this image he orders them to do whatever they want from him. Workers or Other miner politicians or leaders are treated like a Dog by the powerful man. 

Frame :- 4

This scene defines how, Dictators are to tease poor people.  If poor people take a stand against the political leaders they will kill those people. In this Frame also Charlie Chaplin also takes a stand against the politicians but when politicians are not able to stop them they try to kill them. 

Conclusion :-

To sum up, both the films of Charlie Chaplin define a very deep history of the 20th century: how the people were living their life, how two classes differentiated from their behaviour and how machines became the enemies for poor people.

Word Count :- 956

Images :- 5

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