Thoughts on The Wasteland

I'm not sure I understood everything the way it's meant to be, and I don't have much to say about the poem as a whole, so most of my thoughts are sort of broken up in relation to the separate pieces of the poem.

Overall I thought the literary imaging was really really well done and I didn't have issues picturing anything (generally I struggle with poems making sense/being interesting to me so for my imagination to be a part of reading The Wasteland was pretty cool.)

Part 1- I thought the reference to April's spring habits contrasted with the death of winter and warfare was really well written and thought-provoking. I also really enjoyed the conversation piece between the two sailors.

Part 2- The opening paragraph's imagery is really incredibly descriptive and beautiful. I really enjoyed the part's questioning nature, as if the narrator is outwardly asking these questions but also asking the deepest parts of himself. "What shall I do now? What shall I do?"

I also really enjoyed Part 2's approach to showing what it was like for the civilians at home during the war.

Part 3- I thought the lines about the bones being disturbed by the rat was really cool and a chilling reminder of how death as a result of war can be incredibly painful for the families affected, but that life goes on for the rat- it isn't fazed by the millions dead.

Part 4- I thought it was incredibly deep to show how the sea doesn't care for the reality of a man's status in life. Probably my favorite section of the Wasteland.

Part 5- The part that stood out to me the most was the "murmur of maternal lamentation" as a result of war. I felt like that was the emotionally wrecking part of the whole poem and beautifully worded the painful cost of war.


Edit: I commented on Jamie and Rebecca's posts.