Essay on Emptiness in The Hollow Men - 2815 Words

Emptiness in The Hollow Men After Eliot had published The Waste Land, he felt as though he had not been able to fully convey the sense of desperation and emptiness in that work. Beginning with Doris’s Dream Songs and Eyes I Last Saw in Tears, he explored these themes, eventually uniting all such poems in The Hollow Men. The end product is a work that, unlike The Waste Land and its ultimate chance for redemption, has only the indelible emptiness of the hollow men as its conclusion. The hollow men are those who, in life, did not act on their beliefs; they resisted any action at all, and as a result stagnate eternally in the Shadow, a land in between heaven and hell, completely isolated from both. Eliot’s allusions give a†¦show more content†¦The horror!) and in the words of another (Mistah Kurtz-- he dead), yet the reader knows all that is necessary from both statements: the unspeakable evil of Kurtz himself and the finality of his demise. In death for the hollow men, who are non-entities, however, the only certainty is that there is no certainty (Drew 96). The Hollow Men’s second epigraph, A penny for the Old Guy, applies more to the second half of the poem, with its links to Guy Fawkes’ Day in England. Fawkes is another Kurtz-like figure who acted on his beliefs, in this case in an attempt to bomb Parliament, or, in Eliot’s view, end the civilized world with a bang. A penny for the Old Guy may mean that credit is due for those who act, even for evil (in quotations because Fawkes’ Catholic beliefs guided him, another reason for the Catholic Eliot to choose him as a symbol), as well as alluding to the schoolchild’s practice of begging for pennies to buy his effigy. This effigy is the stuffed man of the first stanza; each year they are burned on November fifth in a childish imitation of Fawkes’ plan. In a similar way the hollow men are but imitations, shadows of real men such as Fawkes, and his ritual burning is a trivialization of his act. As PhilipShow MoreRelatedAnalysis of The Hollow Men by T .S. Eliot Essay1367 Words   |  6 Pagesof The Hollow Men by T.S. Eliot Eliot, a master of the written craft, carefully thought out each aspect of his 1925 poem The Hollow Men. Many differences in interpretation exist for Eliots complex poetry. One issue never debated is the extensive range of things to consider in his TS Eliots writing. Because TS Eliot often intertwined his writing by having one piece relate to another The Hollow Men is sometimes considered a mere appendage to The Waste Land. The Hollow Men, howeverRead MoreThe Hollow Men Analysis1002 Words   |  5 PagesLiterary texts use various elements and methods to convey particular messages, positioning readers to take on the views of the author. The poem â€Å"The Hollow Men† by T.S Eliot addresses the failures of human courage and faith and his modernist style like most poets after him is an extremely expressive one, one with much of his poetry reflecting his own attitudes and beliefs about the importance of religious faith. Eliot’s manipulation of various literary conventi ons invites the readers to adopt hisRead MoreEssay on The Great Gatsby and The Hollow Men1134 Words   |  5 PagesGreat Gatsby is T.S. Eliots The Hollow Man.; The lines in the poem portray the story so vividly that it should have been an epigraph for the novel. The poems references to hollow and stuffed men, can describe different characters in The Great Gatsby. The hollowness of men represents ruthless barbarians with no respect for humans and no understanding of love. However, the stuffed men seem to be educated, wealthy, and respectful. The differences in these types of men can be seen through the eventsRead MoreIntertextuality In The Waste Land And The Hollow Man1435 Words   |  6 Pagesand concepts from other works molding together this patchwork of myths, legends, and literary references. He subjected a chaotic message onto the order and stability of known works and history to embody human behavior. â€Å"The Waste Land† and â€Å"The Hollow Men† displays hi s affinity for intertextuality and plays upon the use of various speakers, which in the application of the heteroglossia differs in the way it unifies and resolves the works. The frameworks of the poems are set up against other worksRead MoreEssay on The Hollow Men497 Words   |  2 Pages The Theme of Emptiness in â€Å"The Hollow Men† nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;â€Å"The Hollow Men,† a poem written by T.S. Eliot shows the narrators disgust and his faithless attitude toward all mankind. He refers to the human race as being â€Å"hollow,† (1) and having a â€Å"headpiece filled with straw,† (4) which creates the feeling and theme of emptiness. Eliot also uses allusions, symbols, and repetition as powerful, and depressing poetic devices to make mankind seem hollow. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;TheRead MoreEliot And The Hollow Men1784 Words   |  8 PagesT.S. Eliot and â€Å"The Hollow Men† In the height of the modernist poetry movement, T.S. Eliot wrote his highly acclaimed poem, â€Å"The Hollow Men† (Constantakis 55). In his writing, he encompassed the culture and personal turmoil surrounding him (Constantakis 51). The effects of World War I lingered in society allowing for the existentialist philosophies of Nietzsche, Sartre, and Freud to seep into common thought (Constantakis 56). Amidst the crushing failure of progressive modernism, Eliot found himselfRead MoreAnalysis Of The Hollow Men753 Words   |  4 PagesA Short Analysis and Discussion for the piece: The Hollow Men In various occasions, the human race tends to make several mistakes throughout the span of their lives. In the poem, The Hollow Men, written by Thomas Stearns Eliot, is not exactly the most uplifting of poetic literature. Although, the poem does have some underlying value to its notion; it emphasizes moral values, responsibility, and a depiction of the aftermath of World War I. T.S. Eliot depicts the poem’s message into five sections;Read More The Hollow Men Essay1112 Words   |  5 Pageswaiting to be judged. Without the fearlessness and faith to move on to the afterlife, they will spend eternity stuck in purgatory. When T. S. Eliot wrote â€Å"The Hollow Men,† he used symbolism, imagery, and repetition to share his insight to address the lack of courage and faith that plagues every human being. T. S. Eliot’s â€Å"The Hollow Men† is a dramatic monologue, free verse poem that consists of five parts that could be considered five separate poems. His use of â€Å"allegorically abstract text neverthelessRead More Discussing Heart Of Darkness, The Hollow Men, and Apocalypse Now1263 Words   |  6 PagesRelationship between Heart Of Darkness, The Hollow Men, and Apocalypse Now      Ã‚   The Hollow Men is a poem by T.S. Eliot who won the Nobel Prize in 1948 for all his great accomplishments. The Hollow Men is about the hollowness that all people have; while Heart of Darkness is a story of the darkness that all people have. The poem written by Eliot was greatly influenced by Conrad and Dante. Some people may even think that WWI also influenced it. It was written after World War I and could be describingRead MoreThe Hollow Men By. Eliot1246 Words   |  5 PagesReligion has always been, and will continue to be, a unique element within society. There are many different things one can put their faith into. The Hollow Men written by T.S. Eliot examines faith, or rather the deterioration of faith, within society. Conversely, My Son the Fanatic written by Hanif Kurishi considers the consequences of containing too much faith. Both works deem religion to be a necessary part of life in separate ways. Although these texts agree that faith must remain significant

The Bolshevik Revolution and its Relation to Crime and...

The Bolshevik Revolution and its Relation to Crime and Punishment The novel, Crime and Punishment, written by Fyodor Dostoyevsky follows an ex-student, Raskolnikov, through his mental struggles in great psychological detail after he commits murder without reason. Raskolnikov’s mental instability is a parallel to Russia’s long history of unstable and poorly designed government systems. To better understand the events that led up to radical and Slavophile movements in Russia, and to better understand how Raskolnikov came to be mentally ill, background knowledge on the history of Russia is needed. In the thirteenth century, Mongols from Asia invaded Russia, and the Mongols remained in Russia for several centuries. The Mongols had a great†¦show more content†¦The Slavophiles opposed metropolitan development and put Orthodox Christianity atop a pedestal that even the all-powerful government and state were beneath. In the novel, Raskolnikov’s crime, and his j ustification of the crime, display very nihilistic ideas. Nihilism argues that life does not have a purpose or an objective meaning. Moral nihilists’ views are that morality does not inherently exist, and that any established moral values are abstractly contrived (Stick 332). Dostoyevsky uses Raskolnikov’s nihilistic character to criticize the principles of nihilism; Dostoyevsky uses Raskolnikov to prove that nihilistic ideas do not work and only deteriorate society. Many nihilistic figures during the mid 19th century loathed the character Raskolnikov for criticizing and making their principles seem foolish. The nihilistic thinkers claimed that murder for no reason, or rather murder just for the sake of murdering, was completely out of the nihilistic realm and did not have anything to do with their thoughts and principles. Crime and Punishment and the nihilistic example of murdering just to murder foreshadowed events that led up to the Russian Revolution, and the actio ns of the Bolsheviks during the Russian Revolution. The Russian people and common folk had felt resentment toward the government for about a century, and in 1905 the Russian peopleShow MoreRelatedThe Main Causes Of The Cuban Revolution1643 Words   |  7 PagesThe Cuban revolution In history every nation in the world has experienced a revolution. A revolution can be simply defined as a change to overthrow a government or a system. When a country decided to do a revolution, the idea is to modify the government for better changes . There are many different type of revolutionaries, some of them are intellectually, yet others may respond physically through destruction. Some may be peaceful, some short lasting, and some pointless. A Revolutions is directedRead MoreThe Universal Declaration Of Human Rights1619 Words   |  7 Pagesthe world. Containing 30 articles, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights addresses, what then came to be, the basic rights that all humans are inherently entitled to. Prior to the UDHR, there was no fine line of law between nations, in relations to crimes against humanity. Now, with this document, there is an over-arching set of laws that applies to all members of the United Nations, regardless of specific laws within a country; t his set of laws provides a clear indication of any violations andRead MoreLiterature and Politics the Impact of Dostoevsky9582 Words   |  39 PagesLibrairie Plon, 1930), p. 252. 2. Robert L. Belknap, The Structure of The Brothers Karamazov (The Hague, Paris: Mouton, 1967), p. 14. 3. Simon Karlinsky, Dostoevsky as Rohrschach Test, The New York Times, June 13, 1971, reprinted in Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment, Norton Critical Edition edited by George Gibian (New York: W.W. Norton, 1975), pp. 629-636. *Rozanovs work will be cited in the text of this essay as R, and Sandoz as S, followed by the page number. 40 THE POLITICAL SCIENCERead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagesthat a new era had begun. A compelling case can be made for viewing the decades of the global scramble for colonies after 1870 as a predictable culmination of the long nineteenth century, which was ushered in by the industrial and political revolutions of the late 1700s. But at the same time, without serious attention to the processes and misguided policies that led to decades of agrarian and industrial depression from the late 1860s to the 1890s, as well as the social tensions and political

Young Adults and Alcohol Essay Example For Students

Young Adults and Alcohol Essay The drinking age in the United States is a contradiction. At the age of eighteen, one can drive a car, vote in an election, get married, serve in the military and buy tobacco products. In the United States you are legally an adult at eighteen. An eighteen-year-old, however, can not purchase alcoholic beverages. The minimum drinking age should be lowered from twenty-one in the United States. Unbelievably, the United States citizens trust their sixteen-year-old children to drive three thousand pound vehicles. We require our working young to pay taxes. We trust the decision-making abilities of eighteen year olds in public elections, with the right to smoke, and with the choice of marriage without parental consent. Our young adults are encouraged to join the army and fight for their country. We however believe that until the age of twenty-one our young adults can not handle alcohol. There is an ever-growing problem on campuses all across the nation: the abuse of alcohol. College freshman, usually nineteen, enter college with a bias involving the drinking law. In almost every aspect other than the drinking age, these freshmen are considered adults. However, they are told by the law they are not responsible enough to handle alcohol. Elizabeth Whelan declares, â€Å"Banning drinking by young people makes it a badge of adulthood — a tantalizing forbidden fruit† (84). This badge of adulthood is quickly attained by college freshman, who lash out at the drinking age, with binge drinking. The abuse of alcohol by young people can likely be prevented, certainly not in all cases but in many. In most European countries moderate drinking is common by teenagers. These teens have been taught about the dangers of alcohol and were brought up by parents who let their children experience alcohol moderately. Whelan observes, â€Å"Though the per capita consumption of alcohol in France, Spain and Portugal is higher than in the United States, the rate of alcoholism and alcohol abuse is lower â€Å"(84). United States parents should take the hint from Europe and educate their children about alcohol. Parents should not just say alcohol is bad and evil. Parents should teach about the effects of alcohol, how to drink properly and when alcohol is appropriate. Parents have the chance to properly educate their young adults. These young adults will experience alcohol somewhere and will be given an education by someone. The lessons of alcohol should be learned at home. There are many possible remedies to the problem of underage alcohol abuse. The best possible curative would be to lower the drinking age to nineteen, not eighteen. At eighteen many young adults are still in high school. However, at the age of nineteen most young adults are out of high school or close to graduating. The thought of high school seniors legally drinking would put a bad taste in many citizens’ mouths. In Canada, the drinking age is already nineteen which entices many nineteen or twenty year olds across the border for a drink. Our young adult population lashes out at the law by drinking excessively. There are too many young adults being hurt while abusing alcohol. Too many deaths, rapes and accidents have occurred. This illegal action can be deterred, and many lives will be saved, but only through the education by parents and society. The drinking age should and can be lowered with the approval and assistance from the citizens of the United States. Work CitedWhelan, Elizabeth. â€Å"Perils of Prohibition.† Current Issues and Enduring Questions. Ed. Sylvan Barnet and Hugo Bedau. 5th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 1999. 83-85

Religion Role in the Political Decision Making

Introduction Religion is one of the most fundamentally crucial aspects of humanity which defines people’s morals, believes and culture. In essence, it determines the manner in which people conduct themselves, socialize with their fellow human being, and how they uphold the societal values.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Religion Role in the Political Decision Making specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Since the church covers such an expansive scope in regard to its roles, there are many controversies which revolve around the roles it should play and those that it should not accomplish. In addition, there is much contention on whether religion should be used as basis of making certain decision especially when it comes to matters of public interest such as politics. This paper will thus develop an argument contending that religion should not play a role in matters of public interest. Making Political Decision It has been profoundly evident that religion has been used as a tool of making critical political decisions in the public sphere. This tendency has rendered such decision inappropriate owing to people who hardly understand that religion is more of a personal rather than a public value. For example, Benoit revealed that religion was one of the reasons as to why the citizens of USA rejected Mitt Romney’s bid for presidency (176). In this regard, Benoit pointed out that Romney believed in Mormonism which is a religion drawn from the Later Days Saint (LDS) movement. The Mormons broke up from the LDS to adopt other values such as polygamy. On the other hand, Obama when responding to a question concerning his faith admitted that he believed in Christianity. In essence, most of the USA citizens believe in Christianity more than Mormonism. Additionally, Christians oppose some of the values of Mormonism including polygamy. They believe that a religion that purports such ideologies is impure and unacceptable. Based on this aspect, most citizens preferred Obama’s to that one of Romney.Advertising Looking for essay on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Whereas the Christians consider the Mormonism as an impure religion, Dawkins provide a compelling argument where he contended that religion has misdirected people on issues concerning the appropriateness of morals. He states that religion is the main aspect that purports the existence of absolute wrongs and rights (266). He then compares this absolutism with the philosophy of consequentiality which determines the legitimacy of actions according to their impacts on the decision maker. This comparison shows that believing in Mormonism or Christianity was not either right or wrong. Instead it was only a depiction of what a person believes and what the other one does not. As a result, Romney’s decision of believing in Mormonism was no t wrong. In addition, it could not impair his capability to drive the economy of USA bearing in mind that the Governor had won over Obama during one of the debates concerning the future economic strategies (Benoit, 123). In essence, the most pertinent aspect that could have determined the elections outcome appropriately was the leaders’ capability to articulate their issues rather than dwelling on petty issues such as religion. Basically, religion is more of an adopted culture rather than a personal decision. When he was substantiating this argument, Dawkins stated that children should be forced into religion (25). He further points out that there is neither Christian nor Muslim child. Instead, we have children who belong to Christian and Muslim parents. Although this statement does not directly express the opinion of the author towards the roles of religion in public sphere, there is much to draw from the sentiment. Basically, the author seeks to imply that people adopt the religion that has been instilled by their parents. This implies that most people embrace believes which are not personally adopted. Since religion does not mostly originate from personal willingness, they should not be used in making critical public decisions.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Religion Role in the Political Decision Making specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Discriminatory Nature of Religion Dawkins focuses on the use of religion as a parameter of discrimination in the public sphere (46). He pointed out that the religion has provided a broad platform that allows religious and moral discrimination. In fact, he stated that USA has been affected by the religious profiling of people according to their faith. He further exemplifies this by elaborating that the Arab-American citizens have experienced adverse discrimination from the Christians and natives. In this case, there have been a lot of conflicts be tween the native citizens and the Arabs where Arabs are even murdered. In fact, the Arabs are always associated with terrorism, robbery and Jihadist mentality. This discrimination extends to government offices where the Muslims are secretly denied some privileges that can be accessed by other religions. Essentially, religious profiling does not take consider the individual values and the capability. Instead, it generalizes the conduct of Muslims collectively rather than individually. The same case has been evident in Kenya owing to the recent terror attack which was allegedly launched by the Al-Shabaab military that are associated with the Muslim religion (Lawrence, 72). After the attack, various Muslim employees were retrenched owing to the stereotypic association with terrorism. Since the personnel were playing critical roles, the retrenchment impacted on the operation of various governments thus impairing their functionalities. This implies that the employees had outstanding capa bilities which led to the smooth running of those offices. Consequently, it is inappropriate to relate religion with certain stereotypes and use the when making public decisions. In addition, since the religion has become a parameter of profiling and discrimination, it should not play any role in public determinations in order to prevent the intensification of conflict and rivalry in public entities. Religious Bigotry Religious bigotry has been one of most adverse vices we have experienced in the world. It has impaired the social, political, and economic progress of various nations owing to blind beliefs and reactions in the public circles. Have you ever thought of what could happen if an Arabian president converted from Muslim to Christianity?Advertising Looking for essay on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Dawkins provided a hint to this question when he elaborates about the persecution of Abdul Rahman where the court sentenced him to death owing to his religious conversion from Muslim to Christianity (Dawkins, 324). It is completely out of order for a court to impose a death sentence on the basis of religious change. In this case, a court is a public institution that should limit its verdicts to the constitutional rules governing the country. Instead, it should not deny the citizens’ right of choosing religion. In fact, this is not one of the offenses that could amount to capital punishment. It is thus evident that if public institutions were to use the aspect of religion making public decisions, it could lead to deadly implications to humanity. Consequently, Dawkins concludes by stating that the use of religion in public sphere is not only wrong but also deadly. Conclusion It is evident that religion should not play any role in the public sphere owing to the impairment of var ious crucial factors of public interest. It cannot be disputed that religion is a core aspect that misleads people when making political decision. Additionally, it factor of discrimination that divides people along their faith. Lastly, the discussion depicts how religious bigotry impact of the rationality of public institutions such as the judicial systems. Conclusively, religion should not play any role in the public sphere. Works Cited Benoit, Peter. Romney vs. Obama: Election 2012. New York: Children’s Press, 2013. Print. Dawkins, Richard. The God delusion. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 2008. Print. Lawrence, Ben. High stakes: political violence and the 2013 elections in Kenya.. New York, NY: Human Rights Watch, 2013. Print. This essay on Religion Role in the Political Decision Making was written and submitted by user Beetle to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.