Transcendentalism - An Intellectual Movement

Transcendentalism - An Intellectual Movement

1. Transcendentalists talks about Individual’s relation with Nature. What is Nature for you? Share your views.

First , we will have look upon the idea of Transcendental Movement. This movement was an American movement. Which started in 1830s. As we are aware that during this time in the England there was the time of Romanticism and Romantics were blooming. At that time in the America this Transcendentalism was arise in the same way.

All the figures of Transcendentalism made a club of Transcendentalists. In that, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Margaret Fuller, Walt Whitman, these four were the core members of this group. Excepting those these are included, Orestes Brownson, Elizabeth Palmer Peabody, and James Freeman Clarke, as well as George Ripley, Bronson Alcott, the younger W.E. Channing, and W.H. Channing.

These people were very against to the puritans who believe such orthodoxies which can be rigid to the people. Puritans were so religious. They think that anyone who does not believe what they are believing will go to hell. Transcendentalists were think that just because you are telling us something we would not accept it.

“Emerson’s church consist of one member – that is HIMSELF” – MS Olcott Benson.

This line is the core philosophy of Transcendentalism. They were against to religion and they thought that religion is very subjective. Transcendentalists always prefer religion as a subjective. And also they believe that there should not be any rules to know the God. Often times we feel that our intuitions can be right in our routine life. Rather than the reasons.

Power of emotion and intuition

Transcendentalist believe that if you want know divine, you can know only though emotions and your intuition power, not though reason. There is no role for brain to know about it.

Championed individualism

They believe that individualism is spiritual centre of the universe. Emerson in his essay he said that man is not farmer, or a professor , or engineer, but he is all. They prefer the individual presence in society.

Soul’s connection with God

It is very simple to get that the every soul is connected to the God. And by that idea we all are connected. If we look into the deep in things we can see clearly that everything is connected to each other very smoothly. When we study the lose of nature we can come to know the lose of our self in same way. In this way we can study ourselves by studying nature. So, we can say that Transcendentalism has very root connection to the nature. They say that beauty is all around us and nearer but we have to just need to realize. We need to discover ourselves in our everyday life and connect it to soul. Then they talk about individual, there they says that you do not need to look at society that how society will think of me, but we should care about the relationships with our soul and nature. And our relationship with the God.

Here, We can see the quotes of Transcendentalists and from that we can get to know how they have given the ideas about the connection of soul and selves to nature and spirituality. Transcendentalists found the magazine named, "Dail Magazine". In that they published the literary works which were influenced by the theory of trancendentalism.

Now , if I can say about nature that what is the nature for me is, every time we don’t feel the same thriller when we see the various aspects of nature. Nature has it’s own peace which can be feel in a very individual way to everyone. The urban life is creating the race of thoughts in our mind and it can be hectic to us. When we want peace we simply choose to go to nature to heal our panic soul. In every aspects of nature there is such uniqueness to look at.

2.)Transcendentalism is an American Philosophy that influenced American Literature at length. Can you find any Indian/Regional literature or Philosophy came up with such similar thought?

One thing can remember here that the theory of Vasudhaiva kutumbakam. Where they are talking as, अयं निजः परो वेति गणना लघुचेतसाम्। (ayaṃ nijaḥ paro veti gaṇanā

laghucetasām)

उदारचरितानां तु वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम्॥ (udāracaritānāṃ tu vasudhaiva kuṭumbakam)

Meaning is that all men and women are members of the family of world.

In another way I can say that nature has create us as per Indian philosophy that is five elements theory. We , the humans body, just like the entire universe, is made up of the five elements Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Space. This theory has purpose intended as an explanation of the nature and all matter by breaking it down into simpler substances.

From this video you can get more idea about the movement Transcendentalism.

THANK YOU!

Long Day's Journey into Night

 Long Day's Journey into Night

Hello, I am Emisha Ravani, Writing this blog as part of thinking activity given by Yesha Madam. Long Day’s Journey into Night, drama in four acts by Eugene O'neill, written 1939–41 and produced and published in 1956. The play, which is considered an American masterpiece, was awarded a Pulitzer Prize in 1957.

O’Neill’s autobiographical play is a shattering depiction of a day in the dreary. life of a couple and their two sons. James Tyrone, a semiretired actor, is vain, self-obsessed, and miserly; his wife, Mary, feels worthless and retreats into a morphine-induced haze. Jamie, their older son, is a bitter alcoholic. James refuses to acknowledge the illness of his consumptive younger son, Edmund. As Mary sinks into hallucination and madness, father and sons confront each other in searing scenes that reveal their hidden motives and interdependence.

Now, We will have look on the character of Mary Tyrone. As we know that she was drug addicted lady and we will discuss that here by the side of psychology.

Maia Szalavitz’s Unbroken Brain: A Revolutionary New Way of Understanding Addiction explained that for addicted people, their emotional stress drove them beyond the point of controlling their compulsions. As the Washington Post puts it, the brains of people who are driven to addictive behavior are unable to resist the temptation to indulge in that behavior – not because they are corrupt and weak but because their psyche is in a constant state of pressure and tension.

Whenever we see the reference like these we can stand with it by the observation of our surrounded people who are addicts kind of. We strongly believe that they are unable to resist their temptations and because of the addiction they feel kind of pressure or one may say that because of pressure they are become addicts.

A psychologist who wrote a book entitled Addiction is a Choice, “people have more control over their behavior than they think.” On the other hand, “many scientists say addicts have literally lost control,” and that the loss of control is a characteristic of the addiction disease. A doctor said that addicts “actually lose their free will” because of what the drugs do to them.

Here we can see the two different ideas are presented that one is saying that addiction is a choice and another is saying that addicts have lost control so in this case we can observe that it is totally unacceptable in the society's parameters as addict or it is wrong deed of one's so if it is a choice then why people choose to be addict! and generally today's youth is might the victim of this process of choice of addiction.Then there must be something as psychological reasons or the blindness towards affections through actions. 

According to TIME magazine, “the vast majority of people with addiction have suffered significant previous trauma.” Many of those people are women, who tend to be the most frequently victimized in households where domestic violence is prevalent. The Journal of Psychiatric Research writes that women have a “heightened fear response,” so they are twice as likely to develop post-traumatic stress disorder in the aftermath of a traumatic event than men. In addition to substance abuse, girls who suffer or witness domestic violence tend to act out in other risky and uncontrollable ways, such as being sexually promoted or engaging in self-harm, like cutting the skin; it is not meant as a suicidal action, but the intense pain provides a distraction from the emotional stress of domestic abuse.

By this above paragraph we can have click our character of Mary Tyrone, When it talks about previous trauma and also that women are the most victims in this perticular disease. Also one can get the idea perhaps that, addicts choose to become addicts because they might longing for distraction from the emotional stress.

When we talking about the addiction psychology we shoul be clear with the " What is the Emotional Stress?" 

The emotional stress falls under the category of trauma, which the American Psychological Association says is an emotional response that takes place when a person is deeply afraid for their life or wellbeing.

Mary Tyrone is somewhere craving for the own house that we can see in the play when she is talking about the house. she is living in the cottage in the play which is situated near bt seaside. So,the emotional stress come to exist into many ways but here it goes in this way.

 

What is the chamical process in the brain of addict?

Dopamine is secreted by the brain during healthy activities, but drugs like cocaine or heroin will force the brain to release massive amounts of dopamine, and then prevent the brain from reabsorbing the dopamine, making the pleasurable experience last unnaturally longer. In many cases of chronic or serious substance abuse, this actually changes the brain’s chemistry to the point where normal activities don’t produce the same amounts of dopamine that they used to. In the context of associative learning, the brain has been reprogrammed to associate the blast of euphoria from drugs or compulsive behavior with only feelings of pleasure, reward, and the anticipation of more pleasure and reward. Healthy activities don’t register on the radar anymore, so they are discarded and eventually forgotten.

In the Mary's character we feel that the blast euphoria and also somewhere she seems numb even. Her dialogues are showing these flows of it. Continuing process of taking drugs, Might she feels dilightful while taking it and this remains in the entire play.

By this video we can get the idea about how addict people wanting the escapism and craving for "not to be oueselves for few time". because of discomfort with ownself, desire for escape from own mind. 

Here, We are going to see that how Mary get addicted to morphine. Mary has been addicted to morphine sinse the difficult birth of her youngest son Edmund.The doctor who treated her simply gave her painkillers, which led to a long time morphine addiction that continues to plague her.  

Another thing is here to look at is, Her one dialogue where she is telling to her sons, " Not that i want anything to do with them. I've always hated this town and everyone in it. You konw that. I never wanted to live here in the first place, but your father liked it and insisted on building this house, and I've had to come here every summer."

"Because he’s always sneering at someone else, always looking for the worst weakness in everyone.

Then with a strange, abrupt change to a detached, impersonal tone.

But I suppose life has made him like that, and he can’t help it. None of us can help the things life has done to us. They’re done before you realize it, and once they’re done they make you do other things until at last everything comes between you and what you’d like to be, and you’ve lost your true self forever." - Mary Tyrone

This dialogue is showing the pessimistic tone of Mary towards life.

So, In a nut shell, we can say that addiction is something can be happen by choice or by disease to the people. Here we have seen that how Mary is suffering from this kind of addiction.

THANK YOU!

Indian poetics

Indian Poetics

Hello, I am Emisha Ravani, Writing this blog as part of thinking activity given by Prof. Dilip Barad for the Indian Poetics. Let's have a look for it. 

Classification of Literature Theories

Classification can be done by the basis of what aspect of literary composition is central to them. Accordingly, we have theory of :

1.      Aesthetic experience : Rasa

2.      Verbal symbolism : Dhvani

3.      Mode of expression : Riti

4.      Propriety : Aucitya

5.      Principle of figurativeness : Alamkara

6.      Principle of deviation : Vakrokti

These are the things which are going to discuss here. Let’s see the various school of these people and texts along with the thinkers.

RASA  – Bharata, Dhanika , Dhananjaya – Natyasastra , Dasarupaka  
ALAMKARA – Bhamaha , Dandin , Udbhata – Kavyalamkara , Kavyadarsa , Kavyalamkarasarasaghaha
RITI – Vamana – Kavyalamkarasutra
DHVANI – Anandvardhana , Abhinavagupta , Mahimabhatta – Dhvanyaloka , Abhinavabharti , Vyaktiviveka
VAKROKTI – Kuntaka – Vakroktijivita
AUCITYA – Ksemendra – Aucityavicaracarca

We think that wNow we will discuss the theories one by one.

1.Rasa Theory

Rasa is juice. The juice of life we get though art. Natyashastra of Bharat Muni is introducing this theory of Rasa.

Why this is important for English?

English is not a single department of literature. English is practicing Film Studies, Translation Studies, Comparative Literature, Indian Writing in English Translation. So various kind of studies English is doing. When we practicing English Literature in Indian Academic, we should know about Indian Literary Theories and Aesthetics for widening the views about it. And by that we can develop our linguistic zone.  

Definition of Poetics :

“The Art of writing poetry” – Oxford Dictionary

Every art has different medium and manner. These are the tools of evaluate the literature. That is poetics. There is the importance of sound and sense.  When we talk about Indian poetics then, it mainly focused on ‘Objectivity’, not subjectivity. So we can say  that it has it’s own charm to make feel. Another aspect is ‘Analysis’. We analysis the literary texts and poetries. Poetics attempts to classical works of literature on the basis of that’s characteristics and different manners.

It deals with the beautiful idea of :

Artist ( Who creates art) = Consumer (Who interpret art)

Between Artist and Consumer there is the bond of ‘Catharsis’. Artist create the work of art, but when consumer interpret it. It gives the aesthetic pleasure to the particular consumer in different capacities. That can be the every emotions the human have in the roots.

In Indian poetics, it can be come like ‘Kavya Mimansa’ (Mimansa means we study our doubts and inquire and get solutions). And this word is used by  Raj Shekhar at very first place. Before he gave this name, Kavya Shatstra was known as Alankar Shastra. Literature was studied by the Alankar Shastra. Because ancient scholars were thinking that Kavya is something which is characterized by Alankar. Kavya was for them like it should be written by only beautiful words ‘Alankrut Shabd’. Then later on they realize that poetry can not be judged by the beautiful words, it require more than that. Then other schools were added into it by various Acharya. It means they were come to the awareness of the creative use of language. How language is used! How language can be used! How language should be used! Everything matters the most in literature of any kind.

Raj Shekhar mentioned that , “It is not the object describe in literature that give us pleasure, it is creative use of language that make it’s pleasant”. By this statement we can come to know that it has the most importance of the process and the shape of use in the proper term. Object is there to play it’s role but it the matter of the was of creativeness of any artist or creator.   

Rasa Siddhanta :

1.Vibhav bhav – rise of emotion   

1. Alamban Vibhav (depending on something)       
2. Udipan Vibhav (encouraging)  

2.Anubhav bhav – expression

3.Vybhichari bhav (Sanchari bhav) – not primary emotions but reinforce the primary emotions

(i) Rati (Love), (ii) Hasa (Mirth), (iii) Krodha (Anger), (iv) Utsaha (Courage), (v) Bhaya (Fear), (vi) Jugupsa (Aversion), (vii) Vismaya (Wonder), and (viii), and Soka (Sorrow).

We can see in the above box Rasa and Sthayi Bhav.

“Aangikam Bhuvanam Yasya

Vachikam Sarva vaanmayam

Ahaaryam Chandra taaradi

Tam Vande Sattwikam shivam”

Aangikam – Body

Bhuvanam – Universe

Yasya – Whose

Vaachikam – Speech

Sarva – All

Vaanmayam – Languages (Sound)

Aaharyam – Ornaments

Chandra – Moon

Taara – Stars

Aadi – Etc.

Tam – That

Vande – Bow

Saatvikam – Pure

Shivam – Lord Shiva

Riti siddhanta :

Vamana is founder of Riti’s school. It is not completely new to Indian poetics. He said that Riti is soul of poetry and it makes differentiate poetry from other forms. Riti means ‘Style’. The way presentation of emotions matters in the poetics according to Vamana. Verbal organization in any work of art. Riti has main three kind:

1.Vaidarbhi

2.Gaudi

3.Panchali

Vamana says that Riti is more important than tha Alamkar.

Dhvani Siddhanta :

“Theory of suggestion” is dhvani theory. Acharya Anadvardhan is founded this theory. It has suggested meaning not the direct meaning. We generally say that we read what is between the lines, basically that is suggested meaning of any work of art.

Anandvardhan says that it gives beauty to work by it’s expression of suggested meaning and he also says that in the work of art the Dhvani is soul.

1.Abhidha (it denotes)

2.Lakshana (it indicates)

3.Vyanjana (it suggests)

Alamkar sinddhant (Figures of speech)

The school believed that Alamkar is essence of poetry. Alamkar means ‘Kavya Saundary’ , the beauty of poetry itself. Like simile or metaphor. When we look to the very early Acharyas of Sanskrit we can come to know that, for them Alamkar was so important in poetics. Bharat mentioned four Alamakar (additional embellishments) and thirty six Lakshanas (integral to Kavya).

Alamkar is divided into two parts like,

• Shabdalamkar : figures of speech based on the ‘word’
• Arthalamkar : figures of speech based on the ‘meaning’

Bhamah said that poetic composition is not possible without alakaras and alamkara comes out of Vkrokti (oblique expression) and atisyokti (hyperbole). 

Vakrokti Sinddhanta :

The founder of this school is Kuntaka. The word Vakrokti consists of two components - 'vakra' and 'ukti'. The first component means 'crooked, indirect or unique' and the second means 'poetic expression or speech'. There are different types of Vakrokti suggested by Kuntaka in his Vakrokti-Jivitam Those are, Phonetic figurativeness (Varnavinyasa Vakrata), Lexical figurativeness (padapurvardha Vakrata), Grammatical figurativeness (pratyaya vakrata), Sentential Figurativeness (Vakyavakrata), Contextual figurativeness (Prakarana vakrata), and Compositional figurativeness (Prabandha vakrata). Kuntaka talks about four kinds of Guna. Those are, Madhurya, Prasada, Lavanya and Abhijatya.

He mentions that the meaning is signified and word signifies the meaning. He elaborated his idea on word, meaning, style, metaphor and poetic language. And later he describes of the good qualities of a true poetry. A good poetry is what which has unique expression, meaning which delights the readers.

Aucitya Siddhanta :

Aucitya is defined as harmony and in one aspect it is proportion between the whole and the parts, between the chief and the subsidiary.

“Auchitya is the soul of the poem.” – Kshemendra

27 Types of Auchitya By Kshemendra

1. Pada (Phrase)

2. Vakya( sentence)

3. Prabhandhanartha (the meaning of the whole composition)

4. Guna(qualities)

5. Alankara(poetic figure)

6. Rasa ( State of being)

7. Kriya(Verb)

8. Karaka (case ending)

9. Linga(Gender)

10. Vachana (Number)

11. Visheshana (Qualification)

12. Upsarga (Prefix)

13. Nipata (Redundancies)

14. Kala (Time)

15. Desh (country)

16. Kula (Family)

17. Vrata (custom)

18. Tatva (Truth)

19. Satva(Inherent self)

20. Abhipraya (Motive)

21. Swabhava (Nature)

22. Sarsangraha (essential property)

23. Pratibha (Innate ability)

24. Avastha (state)

25. Vichara(Thought)

26. Nama(Name)

27. Aashirwada(Blessings)

Each and every mentioned types has something to help to give meaning to poetry.

So, now we have seen the various schools of Indian Poetics. To get more idea through example you can visit my another blog click here.

THANK YOU !

The Waste Land

The Waste Land - Thinking Activity

Hello, I am Emisha Ravani. Writing this blog as thinking activity for 'The Waste Land'. Here we have to discuss first the general idea of the poem and some points related to themes, critic's views and some important questions which are asked in the Teacher's blog. (click here to get look there).  

‘The Waste Land’ is a long poem which is written by T.S.Eliot in 20th century. And as well as the famous one of Eliot. The poem has captured the ugly but real image of society on transparent paper. It has 434 lines. It is having the ideas of more than one religions like Christian, Hinduism, Greek etc. one may can not understand it at first sight.

About the poem:

“The Waste Land” is divided into five parts. Let’s see what are those parts!

· The Burial of the Dead.

· A Game of Chess.

· The Fire Sermon.

· Death by Water.

· What the Thunder Said

Now we will see the each images one by one.

The Burial of the Dead

The poem has generally pessimistic voice or the tone. It starts with this image where “April is the cruellest month”, here we can see the poet is having somewhere pessimism in the on going flow. This image has the description of , A woman Marie, madam Sosostris, then the crowd of people over the London bridge which is moving like zombies.

A Game of Chess

This image has the myth of Philomel. which is the Greek idea of myth. At last of this image there is the two women were talking.

The Fire Sermon

This image is important for readers as from here we come to know the specker of the poem who is Tiresias, he is blind prophet and taken from the myth. Another tone of the image is the tension of the dryness of the world.

Death by Water

Here in this image we are introduced a character of Phlebas. And the tone is about the moral values of lives.

What the Thunder Said

This is the last image of poem and the first outcome of it is, there are two men were going and they feel that there is someone as third person and here we can see the reference of Christ. Further, in a sudden the thunder appear said : the three “Da” for accordingly God, Human and Devil. At last it ends with Shantih, Shantih, Shantih.

The central theme of the poem:

The basic theme of The Waste Land is the disillusionment of the post-war generation and sterility of the modern man. The critics have commented on the theme in different words: "vision of desolation and spiritual drought" (F. R. Leavis)

And also we can say “The Sexual Perversion and Spiritual Drought”. Poet might wanted to portray the 20^th century’s flow towards it. Whenever the flow leads towards spiritual drought in automatic way the sexual perversion may come into way of flow. 

1) What are your views on the following image after reading 'The Waste Land'? Do you think that Eliot is regressive as compared to Nietzsche's views? or Has Eliot achieved universality of thought by recalling mytho-historical answer to the contemporary malaise?

Nietsche has an opinion as “Progressive and forward looking” though T.S.Eliot is having an opinion as “Regressive and backward looking”. So, when we look into opinions we can come to know that one is standing for the new values of one’s life and it seems like ‘death of god’, by giving idea of ‘Ubermensch’. Here the idea specks that one should not rely on others, but have the faith in own self. 

Other side the idea talks about the connection of past to present. It insist that one should have backward looking to get the solutions of anything. Like Eliot has taken the references of Upanishad, Buddhism, and Christianity.

2) Prior to the speech, Gustaf Hellström of the Swedish Academy made these remarks:

What are your views regarding these comments? Is it true that giving free vent to the repressed 'primitive instinct' lead us to happy and satisfied life? or do you agree with Eliot's view that 'salvation of man lies in the preservation of the cultural tradition'?

As we know that Freud and Nietsche, both are somehow believing in individualism in a focused way. Freud talks about ‘Primitive Instinct’. He also give a study of psychoanalysis where he mentioned the Id, Ego and Superego theory. He insist the progressiveness and on the other side T.S.Eliot insist the regressive ness. He believes that there is nothing wrong to become regressive because human learn from the past. Paradoxically, Freud says that whatever humans repression, it will come out in a chain of mantle illness. 

3) Write about allusions to the Indian thoughts in 'The Waste Land'. (Where, How and Why are the Indian thoughts referred?)

In the poem, poet has used the Indian thoughts at various place. In the image of 'The Fire Sermon' and 'What the Thunder Said'. Let's have a look for it in detail.

“Ganga was sunken, and the limp leaves

Waited for rain, while the black clouds

Gathered far distant, over Himavant.

The jungle crouched, humped in silence.

Then spoke the thunder

DA

Datta: what have we given?

My friend, blood shaking my heart

The awful daring of a moment’s surrender

Which an age of prudence can never retract

By this, and this only, we have existed

Which is not to be found in our obituaries

Or in memories draped by the beneficent spider

Or under seals broken by the lean solicitor

In our empty rooms

DA

Dayadhvam: I have heard the key

Turn in the door once and turn once only

We think of the key, each in his prison

Thinking of the key, each confirms a prison

Only at nightfall, aethereal rumours

Revive for a moment a broken Coriolanus

DA

Damyata: The boat responded

Gaily, to the hand expert with sail and oar

The sea was calm, your heart would have responded

Gaily, when invited, beating obedient

To controlling hands

I sat upon the shore

Fishing, with the arid plain behind me

Shall I at least set my lands in order?

London Bridge is falling down falling down falling down

Poi s’ascose nel foco che gli affina

Quando fiam uti chelidon — O swallow swallow

Le Prince d’Aquitaine à la tour abolie

These fragments I have shored against my ruins

Why then Ile fit you. Hieronymo’s mad againe.

Datta. Dayadhvam. Damyata.

Shantih shantih shantih”

The Waste Land appeared in 1922. The poem, which won Eliot the Nobel Prize in 1948, follows the legend of the Holy Grail and the Fisher King combined with vignettes of contemporary British society. He employs literary and cultural allusions from the western canon, Buddhism and the Hindu Upanishads. The poem shifts between voices of satire and prophecy featuring abrupt and unannounced changes of speaker, location, time and conjuring a vast range of cultures and literatures.

4) Is it possible to read 'The Waste Land' as a Pandemic Poem?

The epic of the modernism ‘The Waste Land’. When it came out there was a time of Spanish flu, between the time of WW1 and WW2. Even when we want to look at this kind of sight we should know the author’s biography surely. During that time people were writing the letters and by those letters we can find their physical and mental states. 

By the letters of Eliot we can find that Eliot and his wife caught the virus in Dec 1918 in the second wave of the pandemic. Also many members of family died in the influenza of the pandemic. Now we can say that it was too much effect to Eliot’s state of mind and mantle condition while writing this “long epidemic of domestic influenza”. He had not good relationship with his wife because sort of personal sexual interrupting and wife’s relations with other men even. we can see by his own letters. It influenced Eliot’s mind even he was suffered from physical problem. “I have simply had a sort of collapse; I slept almost continuously for two days….I feel very weak and exhausted.” In Letter to Henry from Eliot. This statement is showing his health condition very clearly. “A new form of influenza… which leaves extreme dryness and a bitter taste in the mouth” …“hot rainless sprint” – Loddon Letter in The Dial (july1921). There were symptoms of the flu like people were becoming tasteless and frightened, fever in the body. He suffered from nervous breakdown in 1921. We can find this kind of imaginaries in the poem. Critics have studied this poem by many various aspects or the dimensions but one of them ‘Viral Context’ they did not seen. In the whole poem we can not find the direct reference of war and pandemic as well as. Might, the reason can be that whenever writer write or they paint the words, there is must ongoing journey of unconscious thought process. By the driving flow of all the aspects they write, which are unconscious or subconscious. Many critics are dealing with the idea of the war fragments though we may say that, in the part of the poem Eliot has portrayed the same thing by post-pandemic consciousness, according to Elizabeth Outka.

We can observe influenza of The Waste Land by vivid terms. To prove the roots of pandemic in the poem. ‘A delirium logic’, when we see the poem we can find that there are many images in that collage and those are not to connected easily to each other. We have to connect to get sense of the whole idea of the poem. As well as there are many speckers who have mentioned something in weird tones. By this term we can understand that if we have fever then in our dream there is total frightened way or the disturbed flow of images. 

‘The miasmic residue of the pandemic experience’, in the beginning lines we can find the this kind of negative atmosphere like all the bodies are suffering from the acute illnesses. ‘Feverish hallucination’ specks about the symptoms of the feverish body. “ Burning burning burning burning O Lord Thou pluckest me out O Lord Thou pluckest burning” these lines may showing the bodily pain of one’s own.

‘Fragmentary language’ by this term, we should look to the original line of the poem in the image of ‘A Game of Chess’. Here he might experienced the isolation on own self as he portrayed the broken language. Then he went towards spiritual crisis by the thirst of water. He uses like ‘If there were water and no rock’ it is symbolically well designed thought of draught of spiritual sense of living. It throws light towards pandemic delirium rather than war. The poem’s form and content both are equally dealing with the spiritual, psychological, physical and mental aspects of poet through pandemic lens.

‘Water and Wind’, by using this term we can say that in the pandemic time everywhere there is virus as we see the line like “Under the brown fog, the wind under the door, what is the wind doing, the wind crosses the brown land, only the wind’s home” “Fear death by water; the drowned Phoenician sailor , death by water”. ‘Tolling of Bells’, this symbolizing the constant deaths of people who lives in the domestic streets and they are dying by the pandemic. It’s not talk about the battle field cause bells tolling was not happening for whose they are died in the battel fields.

In the current pandemic we all are fighting very individually rather than it belongs to the our social decorum though it is more social. Somewhere we are not able to read even very clear glasses with transparency. Even we were not aware about the vocab of pandemic before it happened. 

Furtherly, there is the mentioned of “Death and Bones”. How people were living deadly-enervated living. To get the clear idea of the death we should jump to the image of pervasive death and bones echo images and accounts from the era. Elizabeth Outka referred the painting of A Grim Reaper by Australian artist Alfred Kubin to justify the image of influenza. ‘Viral Resurrection’, in this by influenza not only effect to the people’s body but the landscapes, cities, minds, vegetation world, language etc infected by virus. We can feel in parts of the poem. ‘ Silence, forgetting, after life’, poems talks about war somehow but contently a representation of the silence that surrounded the pandemic. 

As we seen above that, It's difficult way to capture the quality of pandemic in the particular way of writing and more difficult to read any produced text by the using the pandemic lens. 

THANK YOU !