Death and Creation in The Hollow Men :: Hollow Men Essays

Throughout the semester, we have read many poems by many well-known authors. All of these poems were worthy of the literary merit they received, but I would care to write this paper on a poem that is equally as wonderful. I will be writing this paper on T.S. Eliots The stab Men. This is an incredibly poetic work that is just simply brilliant. I will be discussing how Eliot constantly uses shoemakers last and creation images to strengthen the theme of the poem. Throughout this replete(p) poem, there is an ever-present theme of stopping point. There is not a single stanza where there is not something that is dead. The beauty of his verse makes even darkness and death grave appealing. Shape without form, shade without colour, Paralysed force, gesture without motion. This verse alone gives a beautifully haunting image of darkness and death. This is a descriptive adjective for the kingdom of death in which the hollow men reside. Deaths kingdom, the dead land, dying stars, and fadin g stars are all images of death that Eliot uses to stress the ever-present theme of death in this poem. The way that he links it all together almost makes the reader want to become one of the hollow men. unmatched of the things about this poem that makes it so interesting, is the fact that despite the ever-present theme of death, Eliot throws in a few images of creation to counteract it. In stanza four, the lines Sightless, unless The eyes re-emerge As the perpetual star, Multifoliate rose Of deaths twilight kingdom. The hope only Of empty men creates the image of re-creation as a happening of these hollow men. This is their only hope, and in a way, is like the creation of the world for them. The reappearing eyes almost serve as their saviour. in the midst of the conception And the creation, Between the emotion And the response Falls the Shadow is also an image of creation. It is a subtle implication of life and death falls in to existence afterward creation. Eliots poetic sty le here is simply outstanding. There is also a religious undertone tied in with all of Eliots images of death and creation. It seems that every mention of death gives a religious image as well. The poem always speaks of deaths kingdom, and is not deaths kingdom part of the kingdom of God? I definitely get a religious image in my mind, as do, I suspect, most readers, when I see the line For Thine is the Kingdom repeated on more than one occasion.