I love how morbidly T. S. Elliot instructs us to refrain from becoming overly prideful. The fourth poem, "Death by Water," was a short, but all together disturbing tale of a drowned sailor named Phlebas. There was so much imagery used in such a few short lines, but the moral of the story was strikingly clear.
When Elliot writes, "Gentile or Jew, O you who turn the wheel and look to windward, consider Phlebas, who was once as handsome and tall as you," the poet is warning people of all races and nationalities of the danger of pride.
T. S. Elliot is basically reminding everyone, that everybody dies one day. No one man or woman is greater than another. Your time will come and go and you will be forgotten in the waves of the past. To summarize Elliot's work: Slowly but surely, your bones will be picked by the whispers of memories and your body will be dragged into the whirlpool of passing time.
This short passage was so dark and vivid, yet I somehow came out with Pirates of the Caribbean vibes. I suppose it would be strange to say I loved it as much as I did... but I was very entertained by Phlebas the drowned Phoenician sailor.
Edit - Replied to Osten Belew and Leanne White.
When Elliot writes, "Gentile or Jew, O you who turn the wheel and look to windward, consider Phlebas, who was once as handsome and tall as you," the poet is warning people of all races and nationalities of the danger of pride.
T. S. Elliot is basically reminding everyone, that everybody dies one day. No one man or woman is greater than another. Your time will come and go and you will be forgotten in the waves of the past. To summarize Elliot's work: Slowly but surely, your bones will be picked by the whispers of memories and your body will be dragged into the whirlpool of passing time.
This short passage was so dark and vivid, yet I somehow came out with Pirates of the Caribbean vibes. I suppose it would be strange to say I loved it as much as I did... but I was very entertained by Phlebas the drowned Phoenician sailor.
Edit - Replied to Osten Belew and Leanne White.
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