T.S Elliot’s “The Waste Land” is a poem about the cruelty of life. Elliot is known for surprising the reader with his choice of words or content, and “The Waste Land” manages to do that in its opening sentences: “April is the cruelest month, breeding Lilacs out of the dead land.” Elliot is literally saying that to be born into this world is cruelty, and the only comfort is in the warmth of Winter, when everything withers and dies. These are some profound words, and the poem only goes on to shock the reader more and more. It’s not just what Elliot is saying. If he wanted to, he could simply say “living is pain and death is the cure,” however he doesn’t. He chooses to use this poetic language that makes the reader think about things on a deeper level, and pulls the reader in, making them want to hear more of what he has to say. Not because of the things he means but rather the beautiful arrangement of words he uses to make his point.
His use of language is another strange yet appealing part of his writing. As the reader, despite my lack of knowledge of the German language, it adds an extra layer to the atmosphere of the poem. “Frisch weht der wind, Der Heimat zu, Mein Irisch Kind, Wo weilest du?” These words don’t need to be translated to associate it with the strange feelings it evokes. The literal translation, “Fresh wind blows Home to, My Irish, child, where are you?” isn’t as meaningful as the use of a foreign language. It is the very fact that German is used that we can take this story further and begin to pick apart the deeper meaning.
Elliot also makes use of hundreds of literary references in all of his work, of which “The Waste Land" is no exception. Whether it be biblical reference or just reference to popular literature of the time, it is very unlikely the average modern reader of Elliot’s work will fully understand what it is he is trying to say. This is exactly like his use of German. You don’t know the exact translation of the German sentence if you do not speak German, just as you won’t understand the call backs he makes if you are not fluent in basically every work of literature that Elliot himself was. It is exactly this that makes it more amazing that, when spoken aloud, Elliot’s poetry still manages to simply whisk you away and make you feel calm and relaxed. The reader can focus on what they understand and filter out what they do not. In fact, one could even listen to his poetry and not pay attention to any word at all. It is because of this that Elliot’s work is so great; it extends beyond the page and even reaches out to and calms the mind of any nearby listener. That is ultimately what makes Elliot not just a great writer, but someone that students still learn about even in modern times, where just about every reference he makes is far too dated for the average person to understand.
