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The Hollow MenThe Hollow Menbyby

T. S. EliotT. S. Eliot

Part I: Bruce (591201311)Part I: Bruce (591201311)

Part II,III,IV: Sara (591202250)Part II,III,IV: Sara (591202250)

Emily Tian (591202092)Emily Tian (591202092)

Part V: Rachel (591201610)Part V: Rachel (591201610)

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Dante, Paradiso Dante, PurgatorioDante, Paradiso Dante, Purgatorio

<http://pages.slc.edu/.../ blocks/poetry-asthetics.htm>

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The Hollow manThe Hollow man

Source: http://www.dpnet.com.cn/school/school_darkroom5.asp?maxid=456

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NihilismNihilism

Total rejection of all religious and moral Total rejection of all religious and moral belief.belief.

Belief that nothing really exists.Belief that nothing really exists.

The Hollow ManThe Hollow Man is one of nihilism work. is one of nihilism work.

Eliot made his style in writing Eliot made his style in writing The Hollow The Hollow Man.Man.

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Four major sources of reference Four major sources of reference

The historical account of “The The historical account of “The Gunpowder Plot”Gunpowder Plot”

Joseph Conrad: Joseph Conrad: Heart of DarknessHeart of Darkness

Dante’s Dante’s Divine ComedyDivine Comedy

Shakespeare’s Shakespeare’s Julius CaesarJulius Caesar

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IMistah Kurtz-he dead.

A penny for the Old Guy.

Epigraphs: Mistah Kurtz he dead: In Conrad's Heart of DEpigraphs: Mistah Kurtz he dead: In Conrad's Heart of Darkness, this is the phrase used by the black cabin boy aarkness, this is the phrase used by the black cabin boy announcing Mr. Kurtz's death. nnouncing Mr. Kurtz's death.

Mr. Kurtz, a European trader, had gone into jungle ( Mr. Kurtz, a European trader, had gone into jungle ( The The Heart of DarknessHeart of Darkness) with high intentions, but was soon ba) with high intentions, but was soon barbarized by his own greed.rbarized by his own greed.

"The wilderness ... found him out early....I think it whisper "The wilderness ... found him out early....I think it whisper to him things about himself which he did not know—and tto him things about himself which he did not know—and the whisper ... proved irresistibly fascinating. It echoed lohe whisper ... proved irresistibly fascinating. It echoed loudly within him because he was hollow at the core." Desudly within him because he was hollow at the core." Describe his hollowness.cribe his hollowness.

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I We are the hollow menWe are the stuffed menLeaning togetherHeadpiece filled with straw. Alas!

THE HOLLOW MEN: On the situation and the atmosphere, cf. Dante's account (lnferno III) of Hell's entrance where dwell in "the starless air," in "air forever dark," and "without hope of death," those "who never were alive“—"the wretched souls of those who lived without infamy and without praise" because they were not positive enough spiritually to be either good or evil.

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Our dried voices, when 5Our dried voices, when 5We whisper togetherWe whisper togetherAre quiet and meaninglessAre quiet and meaninglessAs wind in dry grassAs wind in dry grassOr rats' feet over broken glassOr rats' feet over broken glassIn our dry cellar 10In our dry cellar 10Shape without form shade without colour, Shape without form shade without colour, Paralyzed force, gesture without motion; Paralyzed force, gesture without motion;

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Those who have crossed Those who have crossed With direct eyes to death's other KingdomWith direct eyes to death's other Kingdom Remember us--if at all-- not as lost 15 Remember us--if at all-- not as lost 15

Violent souls, but only Violent souls, but only As the hollow menAs the hollow menThe stuffed men.The stuffed men.

13-14. Those... Kingdom: i.e., those who stood for 13-14. Those... Kingdom: i.e., those who stood for something positive, either evil or good, and so can really something positive, either evil or good, and so can really die, as the hollow men cannot. die, as the hollow men cannot.

Hollow men Hollow men stuffed men stuffed men

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II Eyes I dare not meet in dreams20 In death's dream kingdom These do not appear: There, the eyes are Sunlight on a broken column

Eyes: In the Purgatorio, Beatrice’s eyes are a symbol of spiritual reality.20: the image of heaven23: a traditional graveyard memorial for a premature death.

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There, is a tree swinging25 And voices are In the wind's singing More distant and more solemn Than a fading star.

Star: a symbol of both naturalistic flux and

eternal spirit in the world.

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Let me be no nearer30 In death's dream kingdom Let me also wear Such deliberate disguises Rat's coat, crowskin, crossed staves In a field35 Behaving as the wind behaves No nearer --

Not that final meeting In the twilight kingdom

Scarecrow: a symbol of spiritual looseness of the speaker. 32-34: The speaker conceals his lack of possibility.

37-38: The speaker may meet the eyes in the real world of the dead.

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III This is the dead land40 This is cactus land Here the stone images Are raised, here they receive The supplication of a dead man's hand Under the twinkle of a fading star.

Deathlike/ lifeless images: cactus/dead land, a fading star~ The hollow men are like themselves. 43: The speaker views himself as dead or dying and prays for getting out of emptiness and lifeless.

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45 Is it like this In death's other kingdom Waking alone At the hour when we are Trembling with tenderness50 Lips that would kiss Form prayers to broken stone.

46: The speaker’s empty life is another form of death.51: whispering meaningless is just like a broken prayer.

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IV The eyes are not here There are no eyes here In this valley of dying stars55 In this hollow valley This broken jaw of our lost kingdoms

In this last of meeting places We grope together And avoid speech60 Gathered on this beach of the tumid river

The eyes that may reappear beyond the river portend salvation. 54-56: the image of emptiness and death The water: A symbol of cleansing grace.58-60: The image of the lost souls belongs to a boundary motif.

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Sightless, unless The eyes reappear As the perpetual star Multifoliate rose65 Of death's twilight kingdom The hope only Of empty men.

63: A symbol of the Holy Virgin64: Dante’s Celestial Rose made of light65-67: The hollow men remain sightless unless the rose reappears, love along with powers of creation and repentance is still sought in the world of nightmare.

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The eyes, the rose and the star are equivalent the “Grail” of The Waste Land.

The repetition of the same words, like “eyes,” ”broken,” ”death kingdom,” “a fading star,” makes powerful images.

The hollow men appear as the “distraction, delusion, pretence” of the unenlightened people and each one of them is a “fugitive from reality.”

Part II, III,IVPart II, III,IV

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VV Here we go round the prickly pearprickly pear Prickly pear prickly pear70 Here we go round the prickly pear At five o'clock in the morning.

Between the idea And the reality Between the motion

75 And the act Falls the ShadowShadow

For Thine is the Kingdom Sex

1919

Between the conception And the creation80 Between the emotion And the response Falls the ShadowShadow

Life is very long

Sex and the creation

VV

2020

VV Between Between the desirethe desire

85 And the spasm85 And the spasm Between Between the potencythe potency And the existence And the existence Between Between the essencethe essence And the descent And the descent90 Falls the 90 Falls the ShadowShadow

For For ThineThine is the Kingdomis the Kingdom

Sex, creation and salvationSex, creation and salvation

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For Thine isLife isFor Thine is the

This is the way the world endsThis is the way the world endsThis is the way the world endsThis is the way the world endsNot with a bang but a whimperNot with a bang but a whimper.

VV

Works CitedWorks Cited Eliot, T. S. “The Hollow Men.” Eliot, T. S. “The Hollow Men.” The Norton Anthology oThe Norton Anthology of English Literaturef English Literature. Ed. M. A. Abrams. 7. Ed. M. A. Abrams. 7thth ed. Vol. 2. N ed. Vol. 2. New York: Norton, 2000. 2383-86.ew York: Norton, 2000. 2383-86.---, T. S. “The Hollow Men.” 24 Nov. 2005 ---, T. S. “The Hollow Men.” 24 Nov. 2005 <http://www.d.umn.edu/cla/faculty/tbacig/hmcl1007/1007a<http://www.d.umn.edu/cla/faculty/tbacig/hmcl1007/1007anth/eliot.html>.nth/eliot.html>.A Hypertext Version of T.S. Eliot's “The Hollow Men.” A Hypertext Version of T.S. Eliot's “The Hollow Men.” 26 Nov. 2005 <http://www.aduni.org/~heather/occs/honor26 Nov. 2005 <http://www.aduni.org/~heather/occs/honors/Poem.htm>.s/Poem.htm>. Jimaine. Jimaine. Hollow MenHollow Men. 2004. 26 Nov. 2005. 2004. 26 Nov. 2005 < http://tostwins.slashcity.net/Hollow.htm>.< http://tostwins.slashcity.net/Hollow.htm>.

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Works CitedWorks Cited

Eliot, T.S. “The Hollow Men” 1925. T.S. Eliot: The Complete Eliot, T.S. “The Hollow Men” 1925. T.S. Eliot: The Complete Poems and Plays,1905-1950. New York: Harcourt, 1958. 24 NPoems and Plays,1905-1950. New York: Harcourt, 1958. 24 Nov. 2005 <http://search.epnet.com/login.aspx?direct=true&dbov. 2005 <http://search.epnet.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&an=7104250&lang=zh>. =aph&an=7104250&lang=zh>. Picture Dante, Paradiso and Dante, Purgatorio. Picture Dante, Paradiso and Dante, Purgatorio. 27 Nov. 2005 27 Nov. 2005 <<pages.slc.edu/.../ blocks/poetry-asthetics.htm>.pages.slc.edu/.../ blocks/poetry-asthetics.htm>.Giuseppe C. Di Scipio. Ravenna. The Symbolic Rose inGiuseppe C. Di Scipio. Ravenna. The Symbolic Rose in Dante’ Dante’s Paradiso s Paradiso 26 Nov. 2005 26 Nov. 2005 Smith, Grover, J. Hillis Miller, David Spurr and Robert CrawfSmith, Grover, J. Hillis Miller, David Spurr and Robert Crawford. On “The Hollow Men.” 24 Nov. 2005 ord. On “The Hollow Men.” 24 Nov. 2005

<http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/a_f/eliot/hollow.htm>.<http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/a_f/eliot/hollow.htm>.