Eliot TS Essay Research Paper The Life free essay sample

Eliot, T.S. Essay, Research Paper The Life of T.S. Eliot Thomas Stearns Eliot was born on September 26, 1888, in St.Louis Missouri, to Henry Ware and Charlotte Stearns Elliot. His male parent was a man of affairs, and his female parent was a poetress. Eliot came from a financially endowed household and was allowed to go to all of the best schools. His instruction started at the prestigies grammar school Smith Academy in St.Louis. He so went to secondary school in Massachuets at Milton Academy, a preparative school for Harvard. In 1906, he started his Bachelor? s Degree at Harvard, and within three old ages he graduated. He so started graduate school at Harvard to gain a Masters grade in Philosophy. In 1910 Eliot studied Gallic Literature in Paris at Sorbonne. Then, in 1911 he went to Munich. Due to the war he was unable to go back to the States, and was detained in London, England. Eliot had ever dreamed of being out on his ain. He eventually had the opportunity. He devoted his life now to larning and composing. Eliot? s literary calling began early in life. His first publication, ? A Narrative of A Whale, ? ? was in an issue of The Milton Academy Record in the April issue of 1901. His 2nd publication shortly followed with Milton Academy publication? The Man Who Was King? ? in the June issue of 1901. His first major publications arrived shortly after. His friend and trusted adviser Ezra Pound was able to carry Eliot to print? The Love Song Of J. Alfred Prufrock, ? in 1915. Pound besides introduced Elliot to Vivian Haigh-Wood, who Elliot was married to three months after meeting. It is said that? The Love Song.. ? trades with Eliots ain ego image. The lead character in this verse form is insecure around ladies, and the narrative is set in an environment where flirting is a cardinal constituent ( Longman ) . Even though Eliot did have celebrity for this verse form, he still struggled with fiscal jobs. He was forced to acquire a occupation as a school instructor from 1915-1916. Eliot was still composing and now learning, and besides was holding jobs with his matrimony ; these factors undoubtably, led Elliot to fall ining and being sent to a sanatorium in Switzerland ( Longman ) . He was thought to hold suffered from a nervous status, but was found out subsequently he had? alboulie? . While in the sanatorium Elliot finished his finest work of all time published? The Wasteland? . After Eliot? s decease people drew upon the decision that the? The Waste Land? was a mirror of Eliot? s life ( Litz, 61 ) . After Eliot? s short lived calling as a school instructor, he took a occupation in a bank in London. This calling was needed to back up Elliot and his married woman ; nevertheless, it was non stimulating plenty for Elliot. To maintain Eliot? s composing a major portion of his life, he created a quarterly literary magazine in 1922 entitled The Criterion. This magazine was alone because Elliot allowed a huge array of sentiments by his authors. He did non restrict authors to his beliefs or positions of the clip period. This magazine was intended to be original and stir up thoughts within people. Due to his place at the bank, Elliot wished for his name to stay anon. as the editor of the Criterion. In a missive to a fellow colleague, Edmund Wilson, he asked him to neer uncover that he was the editor of The Criterion. Elliot feared that if it was announced that he was editor so it would endanger his occupation at the bank, and he could non afford to lose his occupation due to the fact he was non having payment for his editorship ( Margolis 22 ) . Elliot had ever been far removed from any spiritual strong beliefs, but in the early 1920? s his work started to demo some marks of spiritual beliefs. He was non scruples of this, but grounds was get downing to demo in his work. Pound had besides turned Eliot onto the plants of Dante, and around 1920 he began composing reviews of Dante? s work comparing it to Christianity. Eliot besides wrote a review on William Blake and talked of how Christianity was the implicit in significance of Blake? s works ( Margolis, 38 ) . Eliot unwittingly was get downing to unleash the beliefs that would take to the terminal of The Criterion. Eliot began to concentrate more on the Christian significance of literature. He began to see the presence of a God in even his ain Hagiographas. Eliot had neer genuinely believed in a God. Eliot was besides the type of adult male that put all of himself in whatever he believed in, and when he eventually becomes a Christian he will abandon all his other undertakings to concentrate on that facet of his life. The twelvemonth 1928 marked a new beginning for Eliot. He resigned from his occupation at the bank and joined Faber and Faber Publishing. Besides, in 1928 Eliot joined the English Church. Eliot began to give allot of energy to the church, and his thoughts of faith began to demo more conspicuously in his authorship. In this same twelvemonth Humanism was hitting a extremum. The thoughts of this motion had caused allot of talk. The humanist were even seeking to follow at that place thoughts as a faith. For the first clip Eliot did non desire to let the thoughts of person different than his ain to be published in his magazine. Old ages before he may non hold cared, but his spiritual thoughts were eventually get downing to go a portion of him. After some argument, and an article by Eliot opposing of Humanism, he allowed the Humanist thoughts into his publication ( Margolis 146-155 ) . His spiritual thoughts were non merely impacting his authorship abilities, but they were besides impacting his place life. For old ages he had dealt with a deranged married woman. Vivian had been in and out of mental establishments. She was really angry and covetous. Eliot could no longer cover with her. He knew there was something better than this, and in 1933 he eventually made the determination to divide from his married woman. Eliot did posses deep feeling for Vivian, but could no longer feign that everything was all right between the two of them. Eliot went every bit far as to avoiding any topographic points she might perchance be, and to stop contact with common friends, for fright of running into Vivian ( Headings, 139 ) . By 1939 Eliot began a new chapter of his life. His spiritual strong beliefs were get downing to rule his life. He no longer felt it allow to be editor of The Criterion. He did non desire to go through on his place to another, so publication ended. Eliot was now free to give all of his clip to the Church, and to his Hagiographas. His first publication of his new life was? The Family Reunion? . This verse form dealt mostly with his spiritual side, and showed a new Eliot to all of the universe. Some believed that the terminal of The Criterion ended Eliot? s life as a author, Eliot saw it though as a great waking up ( Headings 206 ) . Not long after Eliots new life began disaster struck, in 1947 Vivian died while in a mental establishment. Eliot was shattered by this intelligence and asked a friend? How does one set about deceasing? ( T.S.E. ) . In 1948 he was delivered happier intelligence, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. This award both stunned and overwhelmed Eliot for h e had no hint of how far his Hagiographas had traveled. In Eliot? s credence address he said? to bask poesy belonging to another linguistic communication, is to bask an apprehension of the people to whom that linguistic communication belongs, an apprehension we can acquire in no other manner? ( Acceptance ) . Eliot believed that poesy was the lone manner to convey the universe together. He believed that through composing feeling and emotions people of all backgrounds and races could link. Eliot thought that if people could link on this emotional degree the universe would be a happy topographic point. Another singular event was waiting merely around the corner for Eliot. In 1956, he proposed to his secretary of eight old ages, Valerie Fletcher. They were married in January of 1957. Finally Eliot had a happy life. While speaking to a friend about his new matrimony, Eliot stated, ? I am the happiest adult male in the whole universe? ( T.S.E. ) . His happy life was cut short, nevertheless. In 1962, he went into coma. He did retrieve, but a few old ages subsequently on January 4, 1965 Eliot died of emphysema in London ( T.S.E. ) . Eliot neer completed his doctors degree at Harvard, and hence was neer a professor, like he had dreamed early in life. After non accomplishing this end in his life, he adopted another end. This end was to reeducate society through his Hagiographas ( Margolis, 21 ) . He did this in many ways. To follow Eliots works you are basically following his life. By making, this the reader is able to see how one adult male can transform from a immature male child to an intelligent adult male, to a adult male trapped in an unhappy life, and in conclusion a adult male happening true peace through his ain spiritual thoughts. In 1917 Eliot published the verse form? The Love Song Of J.Alfred Prufrock. ? This verse form took Eliot six old ages to compose. The verse form besides shows a complex personality and diverseness of composing manners in a long soliloquy. The rubric of this verse form leads the reader to believe that it is one adult male pursuit for love. The reader finds early on that this is non the instance with this verse form. It opens with a quotation mark from Dante? s book the Inferno. I believe this is used to demo Prufrocks mental province as one of being in snake pit on Earth. He is trapped and feels isolated and entirely. The first few lines of the verse form demo a peaceable scene. The 4th line in the verse form begins to demo the snake pit Prufrock feels. He talks of? one-night inexpensive hotels. ? ( 6 ) He has no love in his life and is perchance forced to pay for the love he desires in the inexpensive hotels he talks of. Prufrock so asks the? overpowering inquiry, ? ( 10 ) ? What is it. ? ( 11 ) The reader is neer told what it is, or a possible reply to this inquiry. This keeps the readers attending by maintaining the reader in admiration. Directly after this inquiry is asked he states? the adult females come and travel speaking of Michelangelo. ? ( 14 ) We begin to see why Prufrock feels so entirely. He seems lacerate as to where he fits in, in society. He does non look certainly if he belongs in the? inexpensive hotels? or in conversations of? Michelangelo. ? He so precedes to speak of the? xanthous fog? ( 15 ) and? the yellow smoke. ? ( 16 ) The fume and fog may typify his suffocated feelings. He has no mercantile establishment to recognize his emotions, and he keeps them bottled up in himself. He is confused on life and of love and has no 1 he can seek counsel from. The fume of fog may be submerging deeper and deeper anyhow from society. He so reiterate? adult females come and travel speaking of Michelangelo. ? ( 35 ) It seems as though he deeply desires to be apart of this higher category in society. He is involved in the same societal scenes with these people, but he is unable ( chained down by fright ) to transport on a conversation with these people, particularly the adult females. He so mentions clip and asks himself? Do I make bold? ? ( 37 ) He is cognizant that age is taking a toll on his life, but he is still to paralyse to move of his desires. He thinks he will? upset the existence? if he speaks to the ladies. ( 45 ) He has neer talked to them and he knows if he does that will forever alter the manner everyone, including himself, views him. He is comfy in his isolation and solitariness. In the following stanza he talks of how he has? measured out my life with java spoons. ? ( 51 ) Showing us how predictable his life is. That the same scenes occur twenty-four hours in and twenty-four hours out and that he ever has the same reaction to them. He talks of how he has? known the voices deceasing? and? known the eyes? and of how he? knows the arms. ? ( 52,55,61 ) He is really familiar with all the people in this societal scene. He knows their voices and eyes, perchance even more personal inside informations of these peoples lives. He has learned all these things though by watching, and listening, non by take parting. He besides negotiations of how he has seen? fume that rises from the pipes, ? and? work forces in shirt-sleeves, larning out windows. ? ( 73 ) Once once more he is mentioning to disaffection from the two different categories. He is fearful of become a member of any portion of society that would imply him socialising with adult females. Prufrock so starts to oppugn whether? it had been deserving it, after all. ? ( 87 ) He wonders if the insouciant conversation, the flirting with adult females and a concern correspondence with work forces would hold changed his life. He wonders if he would hold been happier, or if in the terminal he would hold still been suffering. He so states? No! I am non prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be: ? and goes on to province all the things he is non. ( 111 ) He says he is non a politician, an adviser, or a Godhead, but a sap. He talks of turning old in his lonely life. He does non believe he will of all time happen love. He says? I have heard the mermaids sing # 8230 ; but they do non sing for me. ? ( 124 ) Not even in an fanciful universe can Prufrock happen love. In his isolation he can non even comprehend what it would intend to happen love or company. Prufrock has no existent connexion with the existent universe. He lives a life of sorrow and desperation. He is spiritually belly-up. He has no love, nor does he seed any out. He has no counsel and does nil to have any. He lives entirely, without a God or leader or a hearer. He has closed himself off so much from the universe that he can non even think in a normal form. He jumps from thought to thought, and neer genuinely looks inside himself to happen the replies. He believes they are beyond his range, when all the replies lie within himself. 5 ? Acceptance Speech. ? On line poster. 9 September 1998. *http: //www.nobel.sdsc.edu* . Headings, Philip R. T.S. Eliot Revised Edition. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1982. Litz, Walton A. Eliot in His Time. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1973. Longman, Addison Wesley. ? Literature Online. ? Kennedy and Gioia? s Literature, 7th Edition. 8 February 2000. *http: //longman.awl.com/kennedy/eliot/biography.html* . Margolis, John D. T.S. Eliot? s Intellectual Development. Chicago: The University Of Chicago Press, 1972. ? T.S. Eliot. ? On line posting 9 Febuary 2000. *http: //www.bbc.co.uk.shtml* . Bibliography 5 Plants Cited ? Acceptance Speech. ? On line poster. 9 September 1998. . Headings, Philip R. T.S. Eliot Revised Edition. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1982. Litz, Walton A. Eliot in His Time. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1973. Longman, Addison Wesley. ? Literature Online. ? Kennedy and Gioia? s Literature, 7th Edition. 8 February 2000. . Margolis, John D. T.S. Eliot? s Intellectual Development. Chicago: The University Of Chicago Press, 1972. ? T.S. Eliot. ? On line posting 9 Febuary 2000. .