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Questions and Answers
What was the year in which Eliot wrote 'The Journey of the Magi'?
Which bishop's sermon is quoted in the first five lines of the poem?
What is the main theme of the first part of the poem?
What is the symbolic meaning of the 'running stream' in the poem?
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What is the significance of the 'white horse' image in the poem?
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What is the journey of the Magi from?
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What is the nature of the conflict experienced by the Magi in the poem?
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What is the stage of religious struggle depicted in the poem?
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What literary technique is used in the poem 'Gerontion'?
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What is the main emphasis of the poem 'Gerontion'?
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What is the symbolic meaning of the mysterious figures in the poem 'Gerontion'?
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What is the primary concern of the old man in the poem 'Gerontion'?
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What is the main contrast presented in the poem 'Gerontion'?
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What is the significance of the allusions in the poem 'Gerontion'?
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Study Notes
T.S. Eliot and "The Journey of the Magi"
- Written in 1927, when Eliot became Anglican in religion
- Related to the biblical story of the Magi's journey to the birthplace of Christ, as described in the Gospel According to St. Matthew (II, 1-12)
The Poem's Structure and Themes
- First 25 lines deal with the biblical story and the inner conflict of the Magi
- Explores internal conflict and Eliot's intellectual attitude toward Christianity
- Concerns an advanced stage of religious struggle
- Divided into two parts: birth-death and death-birth
Imagery and Symbolism
- The Magi's journey symbolizes a transition from death to life
- Natural imagery: "temperate valley smelling of vegetation" contrasts with "the very dead of winter"
- "Running stream" symbolizes time continuity
- "Water-mill" beats the darkness of time
- The "white horse" image is key, but its meaning is complex and open to interpretation (e.g., Christ of Revelation, the Fisher King, or Saint George)
Gerontion by T.S. Eliot
- Gerontion is a monologue, similar to 'Prufrock', and its themes anticipate The Waste Land.
- The poem employs the technique of stream of consciousness.
- Allusions in the poem are primarily drawn from Elizabethan and Jacobean dramatists, reflecting Eliot's appreciation for historical sense.
- The poem's focus is on what is remembered, presenting past events as if they are happening in the present.
Themes and Symbolism
- The old man, Gerontion, represents sterility and paralysis, having lost his ability to love and his hope for spiritual rebirth.
- Mysterious figures in the poem symbolize the inheritors of modern desolation, with names suggesting they are rootless.
- Gerontion is obsessed with personal responsibility for sin, bearing the burden of his own sin and those of others.
Historical Context
- The poem contrasts the 'good old days' with the 'bad new days', highlighting the decline of civilization.
- A more significant contrast is made between the secular history of Western man and the promise of salvation.
- The poem critiques a civilization where Christ is both the redeemer and the tiger of destruction.
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Description
This quiz is based on T.S. Eliot's poem 'The Journey of the Magi', written in 1927. It explores the themes and ideas presented in the poem, including the story of the Magi, Christianity, and more.
