Religious Crisis in Eliot's *The Waste Land*

The cock's announcement signifies the coming of dawn, representing hope and the lifting of darkness and suffering.

The chapel symbolizes the house of God and reflects on the bodies of Christians as the living church.

The walk towards Emmaus signifies a spiritual journey intertwined with the initiation into deeper mysteries at the chapel perilous.

<p>Tiresias offers a glimpse of hope by serving as a guide, similar to his role in the Odyssey where he helps Odysseus find his way home.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The three disciplines are to give, sympathise, and control.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The command 'give' encourages individuals to break free from selfishness and isolation.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Sympathy invites compassion and aligns with Christian values, emphasizing shared human suffering.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The essence is that human value derives from what one gives rather than what one possesses.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The fish symbolizes the pursuit of salvation and eternal life.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>It suggests a loss of spirituality and hope, as the environment is polluted and inhospitable for seeking meaning.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The three commands are 'Give, sympathise, control.'</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Unchecked desire can lead to vice and a sense of burden in life.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>It can lead to neurosis and feelings of despair due to an inability to gain gratification.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Bush suggests that desire acts as a destructive force that threatens human existence.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>He confesses that religion brings him durable satisfaction compared to fleeting sexual desire.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Both works view the barren wasteland as a result of moral degradation and relate sterility to sexual sin.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Eliot uses Cleopatra to indicate that excessive desire can lead to destruction, as seen in the downfall of Antony and Cleopatra's empire.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>This line suggests that water symbolizes both contradiction and denial, being a potential source of salvation that is unrecognized when desperately needed.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>'Death by water' symbolizes a necessary transition for spiritual rebirth, which is portrayed as frightening for the wastelanders.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The fisherman represents the search for salvation that has become reflected in a polluted, industrial setting, symbolizing lost spiritual meaning.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>They respond only to their physical desires, existing outside any meaningful rituals, reflecting the hollow nature of modern relationships.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>It reflects a pervasive fear among characters regarding the consequences of transformation and the reluctance to embrace the potential for spiritual renewal.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Desire is portrayed as a central cause of discontent and degeneration, contributing to the moral decay of modern civilization.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The biblical notion of fishing for salvation contrasts sharply with the polluted imagery in the poem, illustrating the loss of spiritual meaning.</p> Signup and view all the answers

In "The Waste Land", the dry bones in the chapel symbolize the "House of God", representing the Christian community after the Pentecost.

The journey to Emmaus in "What the Thunder Said" is associated with the "chapel perilous". This signifies a spiritual and physical transformation.

Unlike traditional quests, the success of the quest in "The Waste Land" is not restoring physical fertility, but instead focuses on psychological and spiritual healing.

Tiresias, a figure in the Odyssey, acts as a symbol of hope. His presence suggests that leaving the waste land is possible.

The thunder commands represent a divine call. They urge the protagonist towards spiritual transformation.

The command "give" encourages the protagonist to overcome selfishness and isolation and live a life of giving.

The command "sympathise" emphasizes the importance of compassion and self-giving in a world consumed by suffering.

The command "control" emphasizes self-control and the importance of mastering one's desires and impulses.

The inability to control sexual desires, as seen in Antony and Cleopatra, is blamed for the decline of modern civilization.

The speaker in "A Game of Chess" fears salvation, symbolized by water, and finds it absent when needed.

Death by water is depicted as a ritual of rebirth, which is frightening for the Wastelanders.

Sweeny and Mrs. Porter respond only to their physical desires, lacking any spiritual connection.

The fisherman in "The Fire Sermon" is a symbol of the loss of spiritual meaning, as his pursuit of salvation is tainted by the polluted environment.

In the poem, the imagery of fishing in a polluted canal symbolizes the unrewarding and impersonal nature of sexual activity.

"The Fire Sermon" contrasts the idea of seeking spiritual salvation with the reality of pursuing empty and profane desires.

The characters in "The Waste Land" are defined by their inability to control their desires, leading to moral and spiritual decay.

The fisher in T.S. Eliot's "The Waste Land" seeks salvation and eternal life in a polluted, dull canal. He is unlikely to succeed because it's a bad spot to fish, just like in the modern world, where spirituality has lost its meaning.

In "The Fire Sermon" of "The Waste Land," the protagonist struggles with a lack of religious illumination, mirroring the bleak state of spirituality in the modern world. He seems to be on the verge of collapse because he can't find any spiritual hope.

The three commands of thunder, "Give, sympathise, control," suggest that passion should be expressed and controlled through faith. But in the modern world, this control is lost, leading to a spiritual wasteland.

According to Ecclesiastes 12, excessive desires lead to vice and neurosis in the modern world. This can manifest as a broken spirit, like a "broken Coriolanus," reflecting a loss of emotional and spiritual wholeness.

In "The Waste Land," T.S. Eliot explores both sexual desire and religion. While desire can lead to destruction, religion offers lasting satisfaction. This tension reflects the modern spiritual crisis.

The barren wasteland in "The Waste Land" mirrors Weston's idea of the barren land caused by moral decay. The Fisher King's wound, caused by passion, represents this connection between sterility and sexual sin.