The Waste Land Questions on Allusion
The Waste Land
The role and significance of Tiresias in T. S. Eliot's The Waste Land
Tiresias in T. S. Eliot's The Waste Land serves as a unifying figure, embodying both male and female perspectives and linking various narratives within the poem. His prophetic insights reflect the...
The Waste Land
What nursery rhyme is referenced at the end of The Waste Land?
The popular nursery rhyme mentioned at the end of The Waste Land is "London Bridge Is Falling Down." At the end of the poem, Eliot calls back to the crowd mentioned in the first section, "The Burial...
The Waste Land
Analyze the use of allusion in "The Burial of Death" from The Waste Land.
In "The Burial of the Dead" from The Waste Land, Eliot uses allusions to highlight the dismal nature of modern society by connecting it to human history. He references Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales...
The Waste Land
Madame Sosostris
In Eliot’s The Waste Land, Madame Sosostris and her tarot cards serve as significant allusions. Each card represents themes of death, rebirth, change, and spiritual renewal. For instance, “The...
The Waste Land
What are the main figures of speech in The Waste Land by T. S. Eliot?
The main figures of speech in T. S. Eliot's The Waste Land include both tropes and schemes. Tropes, which twist the meaning of words, are exemplified by metaphors such as the poem's very title and...
The Waste Land
Why does T.S. Eliot refer to lilacs in The Waste Land?
T.S. Eliot refers to lilacs in "The Waste Land" to evoke a complex blend of memory, desire, and renewal tainted by mourning. By alluding to Walt Whitman's "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd,"...
The Waste Land
How does The Waste Land end?
The Waste Land ends with three allusions to transcending pain and suffering. The speaker fishes out these "fragments" of civilization to grope towards peace. The final word of the poem, "Shantih,"...
The Waste Land
"Those are pearls that were his eyes"—what does this line refer to in The Waste Land?
The line "Those are pearls that were his eyes" in "The Waste Land" refers to a fragment from Ariel's song in Shakespeare's The Tempest. This reflects the fragmented nature of post-World War I society...
The Waste Land
How does the theme of The Waste Land relate to Freudian psychoanalysis?
The Waste Land by T. S. Eliot is a depiction of the modern world overlaid with quotations from literature in different languages and cultural allusions that people like Eliot himself would...
The Waste Land
Shakespearean elements and allusions in T.S. Eliot's "The Waste Land"
T.S. Eliot's "The Waste Land" incorporates Shakespearean elements and allusions, such as references to The Tempest, Hamlet, and Antony and Cleopatra. These allusions serve to underscore themes of...
The Waste Land
What new poetic techniques are used in The Waste Land?
Eliot's "The Waste Land" employs innovative poetic techniques such as polyphony, creating a tapestry of fragmented voices and styles that reflect the chaos of modern life. The poem's structure...
The Waste Land
Analyzing the Critical Significance of T. S. Eliot's "The Waste Land"
T. S. Eliot's "The Waste Land" is a seminal modernist poem, renowned for its fragmented structure and extensive allusions to historical, religious, and literary sources. It reflects post-World War I...