I thought Dr. Schuler was being facetious when he told us that we would have to read over The Wasteland a second or even a third time, but he wasn't joking around, this took some close reading to grasp even a simple part of the poem. As I was reading I tried to figure out how this tied into Silence and where the parallels would fall... then I came to it... the best part of it all, and the parallel of the century.
What the Thunder Said
The fifth and final Canto of Eliot's epic poem.
The notes in my book started off by immediately telling the reader that this part of Eliot's work rendered a unique depiction of the betrayal, arrest, interrogation, and crucifixion of Christ. This section started off with the narrator repeatedly saying, "If there were water," symbolizing the thirst for Christ and His infinite goodness, the same thirst Rodrigues feels both physically and spiritually in Silence.
Along with that, the narrator of this section talks about how the mountains themselves are not silent, the rocks are crying out, the earthquake is nigh, and the thunder has come with no rain in sight. If only there were water. There is not even silence in the mountains.
The LORD tells us in His Word that should we not praise Him then the rocks would cry out, and although this is not the ideal moment for praise, maybe the rocks were meant to cry out in His pain as well.
The section then continues on, seeming to recount on times that Christ was ignored while walking beside humans, nations falling, sexual sin being committed, the things that He died for. Yet, it does not discount the compassion of the Lord and His control over all situations.
"The sea was calm, your heart would have responded/Gaily, when invited, beating obedient/To controlling hands"
Christ gave himself as a martyr for humanity, and when it all seemed bleak and hopeless, still He was in control.
"The sea was calm" even when it looked wild.
Comments: Jacob & Caroline
What the Thunder Said
The fifth and final Canto of Eliot's epic poem.
The notes in my book started off by immediately telling the reader that this part of Eliot's work rendered a unique depiction of the betrayal, arrest, interrogation, and crucifixion of Christ. This section started off with the narrator repeatedly saying, "If there were water," symbolizing the thirst for Christ and His infinite goodness, the same thirst Rodrigues feels both physically and spiritually in Silence.
Along with that, the narrator of this section talks about how the mountains themselves are not silent, the rocks are crying out, the earthquake is nigh, and the thunder has come with no rain in sight. If only there were water. There is not even silence in the mountains.
The LORD tells us in His Word that should we not praise Him then the rocks would cry out, and although this is not the ideal moment for praise, maybe the rocks were meant to cry out in His pain as well.
The section then continues on, seeming to recount on times that Christ was ignored while walking beside humans, nations falling, sexual sin being committed, the things that He died for. Yet, it does not discount the compassion of the Lord and His control over all situations.
"The sea was calm, your heart would have responded/Gaily, when invited, beating obedient/To controlling hands"
Christ gave himself as a martyr for humanity, and when it all seemed bleak and hopeless, still He was in control.
"The sea was calm" even when it looked wild.
Comments: Jacob & Caroline
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