Pessimism in "The Wasteland"

Paper Summary:

The paper examines "The Wasteland" written in 1922 by T.S. Eliot, which is a representational poem of life after World War I in Europe. The paper focuses on the titles of the poem's five sections and highlights their negative connotations. The paper also shows how the poem's pessimistic attitude overrides its optimistic tones.

From the Paper:

"The first section of the poem is entitled "The Burial of the Dead". The title of this section alone depicts a negative image, like a funeral setting. The opening line, "April is the cruelest month", shows the first signs of Eliot's pessimism (474). This line "reflects a sensibility that contends against the regenerating forces of spring" ("T.S. Eliot"). He opens with the idea of springtime being a negative time of the year, when, in fact, it is the most beautiful time of the year. Everything is fresh, new and bright, compared to the bleakness and darkness of the winter."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Ramazani, Jahan., Richard Ellmann, and Robert O'Clair eds. The Norton Anthology of Modern and Contemporary Poetry: Volume 1 Modern Poetry. Third edition. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2003.
• "T.S. Eliot". Contemporary Literary Criticism - Select. <http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itw/infomark/146/598/86594596w5/purl=rc1_CLC_0_H1101>

More papers on Pessimism in "The Wasteland":

• Poem Review # 128261 : "Postmodernism in "The Wasteland"
• Analytical Essay # 38707 : "Structure, Illusion and Confusion in "The Wasteland"
• Book Review # 114193 : "'God in the Wasteland'"

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