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The Bangle Sellers Summary, Themes & Analysis Sarojini Naidu

Analysis, Indian Literature, Literature, Poem Analysis, Poetry, Summary

Introduction

“The Bangle Sellers” is a poem written by prominent Indian poet and politician ‘Sarojin Naidu’. This poem is mainly about the life of Indian women, the Indian culture and traditions revolving around women. It was first published around women. It was first published in the year 1912 in Sarojini Naidu’s collection of poems called – ‘The Bird of Time’.

The poem revolves around bangles, which are an important ornament for the ‘embellishment’ of women in Indian society. As a woman passes through the different stages of life from childhood to old age, the colour and design of her bangles change accordingly.

About Author

Sarojini Naidu is also known as the nightingale of India. She was a prominent Indian poet and a politician. She was a gifted artist, proficient in many languages. She was also the first woman governor of ‘Free India’. Her poetry presents a kaleidoscope of Indian feelings, music and imagery. She has basically written about the life of Indian people, the beauty of nature, women empowerment and patriotism.

Sarojini Naidu’s famous works are – ‘The Golden Threshold’, ‘The Bird of Time’, ‘The Broken Wing’, ‘The Sceptred Flute,’ and ‘Song of India’. ‘The Feather of The Dawn’, was published posthumously.

Form & Structure

It is a lyrical poem of twenty-four lines, divided into four stanzas of six lines. Each stanza consists of three rhyming couplets, following a simple rhyme scheme of – AABBCC.

About the Title

Sarojini Naidu’s poem ‘The Bangle seller is all about bangles. The poet has depicted a picture of typical rural Indian society in the first half of the 20^th century where bangle sellers go to the temple fair to sell their bangles. The poet has given a picture of the stages of a woman’s life, and the feelings and emotions attached to those stages through these bangles.

The poem also glorifies the rich cultural tradition of India by depicting the role of bangles and bangle sellers in bringing happiness and vibrancy to society. So, bangles, the ‘Lustrous token of radiant lives’ and its seller take centre stage in the poem. That is why the title of the poem “The Bangle Sellers” is justified.

Themes of “The Bangle Sellers”

The poem explores the life of Indian women, the Indian culture and traditions revolving around women. It revolves around the bangles, which is an important ornament for the embellishment of women in Indian Society. It is an expression of stages in a woman’s life in traditional society. The entire concept of making the connection between different coloured bangles and their role in imparting happiness to young maidens, brides, wives and mothers is rooted in Indian culture.

In the poem, the poetess shows how the Indian woman is whole-heatedly submissive in fulfilling her social, religious and spiritual responsibility in this male-dominated society. Many hints of a patriarchal set-up are found in the poem. A man performs an important role in a woman’s life as a father, husband and son.

In the last four lines, the poetess says about the hands of the middle-aged married woman who has cared, loved, blessed and brought up her fair sons and she has proudly served her family and has the honour of sitting by her husband’s side at religious ceremonies. In fact, the poetess has shown feelings of gender discrimination in the male-dominated society of India.

The poetess also describes the pathetic and miserable state of the bangle sellers who, despite suffering through many hardships and bearing the loss or profit, sell the bangles in a joyous voice and never make any grudge against their profession, but feel proud of selling the bangles which are a human product of religious importance.

Summary/ Analysis of The Poem

In the first stanza of the poem, the bangle sellers are introduced and the poem describes their everyday life as well. The bangle sellers are present at the temple fair to make a trade for their bangles and are calling out to people to buy them. They are praising the qualities of the bangle.

“……..these delicate, bright
Rainbow-tinted circle of light.”

They are intending the people to buy for their daughters and wives. The bangle sellers say that these bangles promise happy lives to the wearer and are tokens of happy lives and happy marriages.

In the second stanza, the bangle sellers are talking about the different kinds of bangles that they have which cater to different types of women. Some of these bangles are suited for a maiden’s wrist who is an unmarried girl or a young woman and they are silver and blue in colour. Here silver and blue colours are compared to the mountain mist and they represent the freshness and the beauty of young maidens. Some bangles are light red and pink in colour just like life-tender flower buds that are found blossoming along a woodland stream.

In this stanza, ‘Buds that dreams’ presents an image of young girls who are dreaming of marriage. The bangles sellers also have some green-coloured bangles which are compared to the ‘newborn leaves’ because such leaves are pure and fresh. This stanza shows the youthful stage in a woman’s life and represents the fact women wear different coloured bangles in different phases of their life in Indian society.

In the third stanza, the bangles sellers say that they have some yellow-coloured bangles that look like fields of sunlit corn. Here bangles are compared to ‘fields of sunlit corn’ because those bangles are suitable for a bride on the day of her wedding when she needs to look the prettiest and the brightest of all. The bangle, sellers also have some flame-coloured bangles such as red and orange that represent the passion, desire and wishes of the bride.

“Tinkling, luminous, tender and clear,
like her bridal laughter and bridal tears”,

Here, bridal laughter means the joy of starting a new life with her husband while bridal tear means the sorrow of separation from her parents. The poet has compared bridal laughter and bridal laughter and bridal tears with the tinkling, luminous, tender and clear. Bangles which seems to express her joy and sorrow well. So, this stanza depicts the transition of life from a maiden to a wife.

In the last stanza, the bangle sellers continue to advertise their bangles and say that they have some purple and gold-flecked, grey bangles. These bangles are suitable for a woman who has journeyed through life and has reached the mid-point of her life. These are for a woman who remained faithful to her husband, supported him and raised her children well. The purple colour symbolizes pride, the gold- fleck represents honour and authority whereas grey symbolizes wisdom and maturity.

Conclusion

So the poem “The Bangle Seller” is a tribute to Indian women and their beauty and grace. It is a celebration of their feminity or female form. It threads various stages of a woman’s life into the cultural wealth of India. It also acknowledges the part of bangle sellers in the customs and traditions of India.

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Gitanjali By Rabindranath Tagore

Literature, Indian aesthetics, Indian Literature, Poetry

Introduction

“Gitanjali” is one of the best-known works of Rabindranath Tagore for which he received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913. It is a collection of poems and another title of this collection is “The Song Offerings”. It explores the depths of the human spirit and its connection was published on August 1910, and comprised 157 songs. The English version was released in November 1912 by the India Society of London. It contained translations of 53 poems from the original Bengali Gitanjali, as well as 50 other poems from his drama Achalayantana & other books of poetry – mainly Gitimalya, Naivadya, and Kheya. It had a long introduction by the noted poet W. B. Yeats.

About Rabindranath Tagore

The poet of the ‘Gitanjali’ Rabindranath Tagore is a great poet, short story writer, singer, translator, social reformer, and philosopher in the modern history of Indian English Literature. It was Tagore who was introduced as the first Asian, who was awarded with Nobel Prize for his famous book ‘Gitanjali” in 1913. He wrote his first poem when he was only 8 years old.

Tagore also wrote the National Anthem of India in 1950, which is Jana, Gana, Mana………… He was referred to as “The Bard of Bengal”. He also wrote the Bangladesh Anthem and Founder of Santiniketan.

Themes Of Gitanjali

Mysticism

The main theme of Gitanjali is Mysticism. According to Indian Philosophy, mysticism is the highest stage where the human soul is in direct contact with God. A mystic thinks that the world we see with our eyes and ears is not real and that there is a more real-world behind if that can only be understood spiritually, not through the senses. Mysticism is not something that can be explained logically. All mystics try to separate themselves from the outside world and connect with the world inside. This type of mysticism is based on the ideas of renunciation, detachment from the world, and asceticism

Tagore was influenced by a lot of mystic writers such as – Walt Whitman, Kahil Gibran, and Sri Aurobindo. Still, Tagore’s version of mysticism is a little bit different from the others.

God

Gitanjali is God’s prayer. It is a collection of songs about God and praise for him, which was deeply rooted in the ancient tradition of Indian Vaishnava poetry and mystical, eternal, and sublime qualities. They have a wide range of moods and ways of doing things. The theme of God runs through the whole Gitanjali.

Nature

Gitanjali also has a theme about nature. It looks at the connection between God and nature. His lyrics stand out because of how beautiful and full of images they are. These images come from nature and Indian Mythology.

Humanity

Gitanjali does not just talk about the relationship between a man’s soul and God. It also talks about the relationship between a man’s soul and God. It also talks about the relationship between a man’s soul and other men. It stands up for the rights of the poor and humble, who are often denied the most essential rights of man.

Death

At the end of Gitanjali, Tagore also writes about death, and he does so in many different and artistic ways. He doesn’t fear death. Instead, he looks forward to it with joy because it’s the only way to be with God. He said,

“Death looks scary but it brings the soul of a person to a meeting with the eternal.”

Love

There are many kinds of love in Gitanjali, including love for women, love for other people, love for humanity, love for God, love for beauty, and love for truth. Tagore is a poet who loves God and religion, and his poetry shows the world’s truth, happiness, and beauty. He wrote,

“Love is the only reality and it is eternal. All else is maya, illusion.”

Tagore’s philosophy of life in Gitanjali

Tagore’s Gitanjali is a collection of poems that reflects his personal philosophy of life. It is a deeply spiritual work that celebrates the beauty of the world and the unity of all beings. Tagore believed that we should live our lives in harmony with nature. He saw nature as a manifestation of the divine and he believed that we can learn to connect with God through our appreciation of the natural world. He wrote,

“Where the mind is without fear and
the head is held high;

Where the knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been
broken up into fragments by
narrow domestic walls;

Where words come out from
the depth of truth.”

Tagore’s philosophy of life is also reflected in his emphasis on the importance of compassion and service to others. He believed that we should all strive to make the world a better place for everyone. He wrote:

“I shall never be afraid to ask for blessing, and
I shall never feel ashamed to beg for love.”

In the modern days of nihilism and despair the poems in ‘Gitanjali’ offer a kind of ‘faith and optimism’. Man can get rid of all kinds of despair and suffering, if he sacrifices himself to God. God will then carry his burden of life. The poet says this in his song.

“Leave all thy burden on his hands
who can bear all, and never look
behind I regret.”

Humanization of the divine is one of the significant aspects of Tagore’s poetry. God is presented as existing among the simple, poor, and humble people. So to ignore them is to ignore God. For example

“Here is thy footstool and
there rest thy feet where
live the poorest and
lowliest and lost.”

Tagore uses a wide range of vivid and picturesque images and symbols that are drawn from everyday life as well as from age-old myths. For example –

“This little flute of a reed
thou host carried over
hills and dales, and host
breathed through eternally new”

Human existence is compared to a flute through which God creates a new Melody.

Material desires and ego are the main barriers in the path towards God. Man is chained by shackles of desire and ego. Until and unless he sacrifices his desires, he cannot have a glimpse of God. In the song No IX, the poet says:

“Thy desire at once put out the light
from the lamp it touches with its breath.”

Conclusion

“Gitanjali” is a masterpiece that explores the depths of the human soul, the mysteries of the universe, and the quest for transcendence. Tagore’s poetic brilliance, combined with his profound spirituality, love, and human experience, has created a work that continues to inspire and resonate with readers worldwide. The collection’s translation into various languages further spread its influence, cementing Tagore’s reputation as a poet of global significance.

Thus, “Gitanjali” stands as a testament to the power of poetry to transcend boundaries and illuminate the timeless truths of human conditions.

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Post Independence Indian English Poetry | Indian English Poets

Literature, English Literature, Indian Literature, Poetry

Introduction

Indian English Poetry after independence is known as post-independence Indian English poetry. Post-independence Indian English poetry witnessed the most crucial developments. India has been addressed by many prolific writers, who influenced entire generations. It is the field of lots of authors who have greatly contributed in terms of post-independence poetry.

Some of them worth mentioning are –

Nissim Ezekiel
Dominic Francis Moraes
Purushottam Lal
A. K. Ramanujam
Gieve Patel
Jayant Mahapatra
K. N. Daruwala
Kamla Das

Nissim Ezekiel

Nissim Ezekiel is one of the most notable among the new post-independence Indian English poets. He was also known as a great poet, actor, playwright, editor, and art critic. He received Sahitya Akademi Award in 1983 for his poetry collection Latler Day Psalms. He also received Padmashri Award in 1988. His poetry is very famous such as – The Night Scorpion, Time to Change, Sixty Poem, and The Unsatisfied Man.

Dominic Francis Moraes

Dominic Francis Moraes popularly known as Dom Moraes. He was a famous Indian writer and poet who published nearly 30 books in English. He was also known as a great editor and edited magazines in London, Hong Kong, and New York. He became the first Indian Editor of The Times of India after independence. Some notable works are – A Beginning, My son’s Father, Never at Home, etc. He also won Sahita Akademi Award for English.

Purushottam Lal

Purushottam Lal is commonly known as P. Lal. He was an Indian poet, essayist, translator, and professor. He founded the writer’s workshop in Calcutta. He is best known for translating of the famous Indian Epic Mahabharata into English. He wrote 8 books of poetry, over a dozen volumes of literary criticism as well a dozen of translations from another language into English.

A. K. Ramanujam

A. K. Ramanujam’s full name is Attipate Krishnaswami Ramanujam. He was an Indian poet and scholar of Indian Literature, who wrote in both language English and Kannada. His poem explore family relationships between mother and son, Father and Son, Husband, and Wife. He was awarded +Sahitya Akademi Award for the collected poems. He was also awarded Padma Shree for his works. Some notable works are – The Striders, Second sight, and The interior Landscape.

Gieve Patel

Gieve Patel is a great Indian poet, playwriter, painter as well as physician. He belongs to a group of Green Movement writers, which are involved in the effort to protect the environment. His poems speak of deep concern for nature.

Jayant Mahapatra

Jayant Mahapatra needed no introduction, he was the first Indian English poet to receive the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1981. He was also awarded Padma Shri in 2009, but for some reason, he returned Padma Shri. He has written 18 books of poems. His notable works are Indian Summer and Hunger, A Father Hours, and Waiting.

K. N. Daruwala

K. N. Daruwala is an Indian poet and short story writer in English. He is also a former Indian Police Service (IPS) Officer. He was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1984 for his poetry collection, The Keeper Of The Dead. Some notable works are – The Dance Of Peacock, Crossing of Rivers, A Summer of Tiger, and so on.

Kamla Das

Kamla Das popularly known by her one-time pet name Madhavikutty was an Indian poet in English and Malayalam literature. Some famous collections are – Summer In Calcutta, Yaa Allah, Only the Soul Knows How to Sing, and so on. He received Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award, Ason World Prize, and Asian Poetry Prize as well.

Conclusion

Indian English Literature is highly indebted to the post-Independence Indian English Poets, which have been Nissim Ezekiel, Dominic Francis Moraes, Purushottam Lal, A. K. Ramanujam, Gieve Patel, Jayant Mahapatra, K. N. Daruwala, Kamla Das, etc.

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Ode To Autumn Summary & Analysis | Ode to Autumn By John Keats

Literature, Analysis, Poem Analysis, Poetry, Summary

Ode To Autumn Poem

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
   Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
   With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
To bend with apples the moss’d cottage-trees,
   And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
       To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
   With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
       For Summer has o’er-brimm’d their clammy cells.

Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?
   Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find
Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,
   Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;
Or on a half-reap’d furrow sound asleep,
   Drows’d with the fume of poppies, while thy hook
       Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers:
And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep
   Steady thy laden head across a brook;
   Or by a cyder-press, with patient look,
       Thou watchest the last oozings hours by hours.

Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?
   Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,–
While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day,
   And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue;
Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn
   Among the river sallows, borne aloft
       Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;
And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;
   Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft
   The red-breast whistles from a garden-croft;
       And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.

Introduction

“Ode To Autumn” is a very remarkable poem, which has been composed by the great romantic poet John Keats. It was composed in September 1819 and published in the next year 1820. In this poem, Keats explored his critical thinking about the Autumn season. Nature highly influenced Keats, therefore, he always tried to find a chance season that usually created a type of sensation in the hearts of poets. John Keats in this ode exaggerates the beauty of the Autumn season. This poem is full of passion and excitement. He is very much delighted after seeing nature around him in the autumn. ‘Walter Everette’ called him

“The only perfect poem that Keats ever wrote.”

About The Poet

The composer of this poem ‘John Keats’ was belonged to the second generation of romantic poets like Lord Byron and P. B. Shelly. He was counted as a major poet after Wordsworth. He wrote for a very short duration and became very famous. He died at the age of 30 because of tuberculosis. Some of his majorly known poems are – Ode to a Nightingale, Ode to Autumn, Ode to Psyche, Ode on Indolence, and Ode on Melancholy. The themes of Keats’s works were love, beauty, joy, nature, music, and the mortality of human life.

Rhyme Scheme and Structure of Ode to Autumn

The poem has three stanzas, each of eleven lines. The Rhyme scheme of the first stanza is ABABCDEDCCE and the last two stanzas’ rhyme schemes are – ABABCDECDDE. The meter of the poem is iambic pentameter, in which each line has five iambs consisting of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable.

The theme of The poem

There are three main themes that John Keats follows in Ode to Autumn

Passage of Time
Power of Nature
Solace of Beauty

Explanation Of Ode to Autumn Poem

In the first stanza, the poet has described the beauty of Autumn. According to the poet, Autumn is a season of fulfillment. It is a season of ripening the fruits. Their trees are bent with the weight of fruits. Poet is looking at apple trees in the garden near the cottage which is covered with moss. The trees have ripened fruits. It is a season for blooming colorful flowers. The bees are very happy in this season. The bees taste the sweet juice of the flowers. Their honeycombs are filled with enough honey.

It seems to the poet that the sun is helping autumn in ripening the fruits. Keats is a lover of nature. He expresses his keen observation of nature in the poem effectively. The vine creepers are also very happy with the loaded bunches of grapes. Thus the poet expresses the importance of the autumn season beautifully. There is everywhere feelings of fulfillment and maturity in the autumn season. Green trees with ripe fruits are look everywhere.

In the second stanza, the poet represents the autumn season in many forms on the fields. He personifies autumn as a harvester, a reaper, a gleaner, and in lastly a cider presser. At first, the poet personifies Autumn as a harvester who is sitting near her crop after it he represents Autumn as a crop reaper who is sleeping near his half-reaped crop and after it, the poet represents autumn as a gleaner who is going to home fruits which she has gathered in a day.

She is an expert in crossing the river without losing her balance. At last, their poet describes autumn as a cider–press. Thus the poet describes autumn in various forms of a person. Thus Keats is successful to give autumn a great personality. The works of Autumn in every form are very important.

In the third stanza, the poet describes the various sounds of autumn. The poet says that autumn does not have sweet music like the spring season. Therefore the poet is sad. He does not hear the sweet song in the Autumn season. But after some time he becomes normal as every season has its own beauty and music. According to the poet, Autumn has its own beauty and music. The poet hears the sound of Autumn in the evening at the time of the sun setting. The clouds seem to the poet like the bars of a stove and the sad sound of insects makes their own music. Their insects are flying near the riverside among the shrub. The poet also hears the bleating sound of lambs near the hills. The chirping of the swallows also can be heard in the autumn season. Now Keats is happy after hearing the different sounds of different birds and insects in the autumn. Thus the poet is happy to see the beauty of the glorious music of the autumn season.

Conclusion

Thus, in this poem, John Keats exaggerates the beauty of the Autumn season. He shows off his readers the power of his imagination Autumn has often been described in poetry as a Symbol of melancholy hopelessness and despair but in the view of John Keats, this season brings joy.

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The Waste Land By T. S. Eliot | The Waste Land Poem Analysis

Literature, Poem Analysis, Poetry

Introduction

T. S. Eliot’s The Waste Land has a special position in the history of English Poetry. It is one of the most famous poems of the 20^th century. The poem is written in five parts and is often called, a poem in five fragments, but all the parts are connected with the theme of the disillusionment of a Generation and the Futility of Moden life. The poem became famous due to the techniques that Eliot used to convey his message. The poem was published in 1922. It was the time of Modernism. Modernism was a movement in which artists and writers tried to find novel methods of observation, new methods of getting knowledge, and leaving behind every established rule. The Poem The Waste Land is written in the full spirit of Modernism.

The poem “The Waste Land” is divided into five parts:

The Burial of the Dead
A Game of Chess
The Fire Sermon
Death by Water
What the Thunder Said

. It opens with an intriguing epigraph dedicated to Ezra Pound It consists of 434 lines and it’s regarded as one of the longest poems, if not the longest, in English literature. It is a highly complex poem

About T. S. Eliot

T. S. Eliot, full name Thomas Strean Eliot was one of the significant poets of the 20^th Century. There are descriptions of modern society in his poems. He received the Nobel Prize in 1948. He was a keen student of philosophy and took an exceptional interest in Indian and Hindu philosophy. In 1911 he wrote his first major poem The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock. Among his world-famous poem included – The Waste Land, Ash Wednesday, Four Quartets, The Journey of the Magi, The Hollow Men, Morning at the Window, Little Gidding, and The Hippopotamus.

Themes Of the Poem

The Waste Land had five main themes:

Death, that is not only physical but also Spiritual and Moral.
“Loss of High Culture” because modern man does not have faith in the culture and traditions of his past.
Rebirth, the image of barren and dry land brings hopelessness to the poem but is countered by the hopeful image of “Rebirth”.
Physical Love, there is a lot of love relations shown in the poem.
Spiritual Dryness, the modern man is breathing and walking but does not have the spiritual element intact. He is Spiritual Dry.

Analysis Of The Waste Land

At the first of the poem an aristocratic lady, she talks about her happy past days. After the speaker talks about the image of love in modern times, which is fixed upon lust and physical needs only. It is no spirituality left in it. The next speaker talks about a woman who is a card reader named Madame Sosostris. She foreshadows that water will bring death and that men should fear it. She also talks about how she is forced to carry out her business in secret.

The scene changes again, and the speaker describes the condition of ordinary men in modern times. He says that a lot of people are walking in the streets of London, but they have lost their vitality. They seem alive but are dead inside. The speaker then recollects a meeting with a soldier during a war. One soldier asks the other whether the corpse he buried in his garden has sprouted or not.

The next section, A Game of Chess opens with a description of a well do lady and the room she is sitting in. The room is laden with a lot of beauty products and perfumes. She is sitting on a burnished chair waiting for someone scattered among the artificial objects of ornamentation, there are a few glimpses of the past. When the person whom she is waiting for arrives, they indulge in meaningless dialogue.

In the next section, the speaker discussed a meeting of two underprivileged ladies sitting in a bar. They are talking about a woman name Lil. She says that her husband is returning after a long time serving in the army. They show their concern about their appearance of Lil as she has not treated her teeth and has lost her charm.

Therefore, they think that her husband will try to find recompense in other women. While these women are talking, the keeper of the bar repeatedly tells them to hurry up because the time is over. Towards, the end, the two women depart.

The third section named “The Fire Sermon” opens with the description of a dirty place by a riverside. The river is filled with garbage and rats are pushing themselves here and there. The speaker tries to catch fish in this river and thinks about his father and brother. He recalls how both of them died in the same manner. In the next setting, the speaker narrates an event when he was invited to homosexuality. He says that a merchant gave him the offer to have dinner with him and spend the weekend with him.

The next speaker narrates about a hectic day for a female typist. She is a young lady and works till late. She comes home after work and the dirty dishes from breakfast wait for her in her room. She cleans the mess and waits for her lover. The lover comes, and they indulge in sexual activities. The typist shows no emotion when the deed is being done.

At the end of this section, there is the happier image of a church, a bar, and the river Thames. The speaker recalls the love affair between “The Earl of Leicester and Queen Elizabeth”. Then, there is a confession of the lady of modern times who talks about her affairs with many men.

The fourth Section is named Death By Water. The speaker says that Phlebas the Phoenician has died by drowning in water and that his body has lost connection with the outside world. In the same manner, the speaker warns, the reader’s bodies will lose connection with the world and they will die. Therefore they should remember their own deaths.

In the Last Section named What The Thunder Said the speaker talks about the condition of modern man. He says that modern men move around in cities but have lost their human vitality. They are unreal human beings. They might walk and work like living humans but they are dead from the inside. Therefore, cities like London, Vienna, Athens, Jerusalem, and Alexandria, where these unreal humans live, have also become unreal.

Suddenly the speaker describes the condition of the east. He says that it is going to rain near the Ganges. Here the three aspects of thunder according to Hindu mythology are introduced. The first means “Give”, the second means “Sympathize” and the third means “Control”. The poem ends with the repetition of the word “Shantih”.

“Datta, Dayadhvam and Damyanta
Shantih, Shantih, Shantih”.

Conclusion

So, The Waste Land is still the most influential poem of our age: “nothing else so truly reflects the age and redeems it.” F.R. Leavis, Matthiessen, and Cleanth Brooks, the distinguished critics of the present age, have penetrated into The Waste Land and have of the opinion that The Waste Land is a highly condensed epic of the modern age. Cleanth Brooks remarks that the poem is:

“a sigh for the vanished glory of the past;
the living death of the modern waste landers”.

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