The rhythm of The Waste Land is hypnotic. I am still trying to grasp the meaning of each section, but I found the II. A Game of Chess is interesting as I reminisce about my own youth and playing chess, but that reminiscing is left in the 3rd line. It seems that there is a struggle here between high and low society and the different parts of seduction. Then the last part of the poem reminds me of women that get lost in conversation and not realizing that the store/bar is closing. The phrase "HURRY UP PLEASE ITS TIME" (11. 168-169) could also reference the closing time and maybe it calls to you to remember something that you have forgotten. Also, the pills that the lady takes to induce abortion because of her fear of death from her last birthing experience makes me wonder why the husband isn't concerned with her death. The husband is not resisting his sexual urges toward her. Is she still considered property and once she expires, the husband will find someone else? Also, if she doesn't look good or gives in to her husband, it is mentioned that he will find another. I wonder if this is an acceptable practice.
I still have a lot to learn about The Waste Land, but in relationship to the transatlantic connection, I would suggest that woman feels that her body is punishing her with the loss of her teeth and maybe that same feeling of loss, rejection, or isolation could be felt by those that made the transatlantic journey from Europe to America?
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Abby Rush
Tue, 09/13/2022 - 15:37
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I remember reading the line,
I remember reading the line, "his vanity requires no response" in the part you're mentioning about the couple. It seems transactional until you realize she does not really benefit at all, but is just glad to be left alone. I believe it was meant to be reminscent of an earlier part in the poem where Elitot references Philomela's story. In both of these instances, I felt like a well-known feeling for women was evoked. The feeling being that women often had little choice not only in society, but in their homes and other intimate spaces. Eliot also references Tiresias which made me think that much of this section of the poem was meant to point towards the experience of women, since Tiresias was said to have become a woman in Greek mythology.