T.S. Eliot quotes Flashcards
(26 cards)
Dissolve
“Dissolve the floors of memory” – Rhapsody on a Windy Night
Technique: Metaphor
Analysis:
Encapsulates the individual’s disconnection from identity and self. The “dissolving” state of memory connects with the loss of history and culture, and reflects how the industrialised world has made us lose our identity.
Twists
“Twists like a crooked pin” / “The last twist of the knife” – Rhapsody on a Windy Night
Technique: Twisted motif, Metaphor
Analysis:
The twisted motif reflects the twisted and distorted values of modern life. The unnecessary need for identity, the loss of individuality and how we have put hedonism and human disconnection over spirituality and human innovation. The twisted knife of our modern ideals digs deeper and deeper into ourselves, hurting us instead of helping us.
As if the world
“As if the world gave up the secret of its skeleton, stiff and white” – Rhapsody
Technique: Metaphor, Personification
Analysis:
This quote employs a metaphor to show the persona’s lack of optimism and enthusiasm, feeling trapped in a half-alive state. Personification and fatalistic imagery emphasise the world’s dead and rotting nature, devoid of emotion or meaning, trapping the persona in a futile existence.
When I am formulated
“And when I am formulated, sprawling on a pin, When I am pinned and wriggling on the wall” – Prufrock
Technique: Vulgar imagery, Symbolism
Analysis:
Confronts the reader on the lack of identity we have created for ourselves. It reflects how the collective is creating our individual identity, while we become numb and unconscious in our modern world, being “pinned” down and stripped of identity.
I have measured
“I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.” – Prufrock
Technique: Symbolism, Metaphor
Analysis:
This line suggests the monotony and meaninglessness of Prufrock’s existence — life reduced to small, repetitive, trivial actions.
The yellow fog
“The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes” – Prufrock
Technique: Personification, Symbolism
Analysis:
Used to describe sensual pleasure, which is a key aspect of hedonism. Cat motifs of “rub up and down” give an alluring tone, just as pleasures are. The yellow fog’s unnatural presence and dangerous symbolism reflects how pleasure numbs human consciousness.
Do I dare
“Do I dare disturb the universe?” – Prufrock
Technique: Enjambment, Free verse, Rhetorical question
Analysis:
The sudden enjambment signals a shift in Prufrock’s consciousness. It reflects his existential crisis and urgent, yet hesitant, quest for identity and meaning, encapsulating modernist themes of fragmentation and uncertainty.
We are
“We are the hollow men, we are the stuffed men” – The Hollow Men
Technique: Repetition, Metaphor
Analysis:
Reveals the irony of modern existence. We are hollow of spiritual value but stuffed with meaningless ideals. Eliot diagnoses this as a collective issue, warning readers of our shared spiritual void.
The eyes
“The eyes are not here, there are no eyes here” – The Hollow Men
Technique: Repetition, Imagery
Analysis:
Used to indicate how this non-spiritual world has no consciousness and observance to try changing it and developing it. Could also talk about how this place has not given up on them.
Headpiece
“Headpiece filled with straw” – The Hollow Men
Technique: Imagery, Symbolism
Analysis:
Imagery expressing how our mind doesn’t hold true ideas and understandings but those of sensual pleasure. It also reflects what is important to the modern collective.
Rats coat
“Rats coat, crowskin, crossed staves” – The Hollow Men
Technique: Metaphor, Cumulative Listing
Analysis:
All references to scarecrows show we are stuck in this period of humanity, not moving and stiff just like a scarecrow, mindless and unconscious. Preludes also talks about this spiritual numbness and how it exposes humanity’s disconnection to each other.
This is the dead
“This is the dead land, This is cactus land” – The Hollow Men
Technique: Imagery, Repetition
Analysis:
Describes the collective of humanity as arid and lifeless. The cactus represents isolated individuals who sustain themselves in spiritual desolation, disconnected from each other.
This is the
“This is the way the world ends” – The Hollow Men
Technique: Repetition
Analysis:
The repetition traps the reader in endless spiritual failure. The shift to “Not with a bang but a whimper” uses bathos to highlight a disappointing and apathetic ending — a metaphor for Judgment Day devoid of hope or salvation.
His soul streched
“His soul stretched tight across the skies / That fade behind a city block” – Preludes
Technique: Figurative language
Analysis:
Reflects how the spirit is worn down by urban life, fading into obscurity. Suggests the city environment erodes the spiritual and emotional life of the individual.
The worlds
“The worlds revolve like ancient women gathering fuel in vacant lots” – Preludes
Technique: Simile, Symbolism, Imagery
Analysis:
Bleak urban imagery with a hint of hope. The women show resilience amidst desolation, suggesting that even forgotten acts still hold meaning.
With the other
“With the other masquerades” – Prufrock
Technique: Metonymy, Metaphor
Analysis:
Urban life is a performance where people hide behind masks. It critiques the artificiality of modern identity and the pressure to suppress authenticity.
The street
“The street-lamp stuttered / The street-lamp muttered” – Preludes
Technique: Personification, Repetition
Analysis:
Represents the decaying consciousness of society. The lamp, a symbol of light and clarity, is faltering, reflecting spiritual darkness and disconnection in the industrialised world.
With an alien
“With an alien people clutching their gods / I should be glad of another death” – Journey of the Magi
Technique: Juxtaposition, Imagery, Metaphor
Analysis:
Shows the alienation and disorientation after spiritual awakening. The Magus feels distant from his past and seeks renewal—spiritual rebirth rather than literal death.
Worst
“Worst time of the year” – Journey of the Magi
Technique: Modality language
Analysis:
Highlights the hardship of the Magi’s journey as a metaphor for spiritual searching. Contrasts worldly discomfort with the internal gain of enlightenment.
The birth
“The birth was hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death” – Journey of the Magi
Technique: Symbolism, Simile
Analysis:
The birth symbolises the death of old beliefs and the painful rebirth of faith. The agony reflects the struggle required to escape modern spiritual numbness and reach enlightenment.
In short
“In short, I was afraid.” – Prufrock
Technique: Caesura, Confession, summation
Analysis:
Prufrock’s fear of judgment and action is laid bare. The abruptness mirrors his vulnerability, revealing modern man’s internal paralysis.
More distant
“More distant and more solemn than a fading star.” – The Hollow Men
Technique: Simile, Symbolism
Analysis:
Shows how divine hope is remote and inaccessible. The fading star evokes a sense of unreachable salvation, reflecting deep spiritual loss in modernity.
Sparrows
“Sparrows in the gutters” – Preludes
Technique: Symbolism, Juxtaposition
Analysis:
Sparrows, normally vibrant, now exist in filth. Highlights the degradation of nature and spirit in the bleak, decaying city.
Remember
“Remember us—if at all—not as lost / Violent souls, but only / As the hollow men” – The Hollow Men
Technique: Apostrophe, Enjambment
Analysis:
A plea for empathy. The hollow men ask to be remembered not for evil, but for emptiness—a critique of collective modern identity and loss of purpose.
