American Literature – Week 9

Select the one modernist poem or text that you found spoke to you most directly. Quote the text and tell us how the text moved you.

One of the most striking parts of T.S Eliot’s ‘The Waste Land‘ is the 4th part titled ‘Death by Water’. Upon reading this text, I was greatly moved by the underlying meaning within the poem itself. Despite the poem seeming ‘flat’ when first reading it, ‘Death by Water’ struck me in a manner which I have experienced from only a few texts. This is due to the complexity of the text and the aspects of human life which it illuminates. At the start of ‘Death by Water’ we are introduced to a man named Phlebas the Phoenician who has recently drowned to death and is also the catalyst of my own reflection. Throughout the duration of the poem, Eliot utilises Phelbas in order for the reader to question their own sense of morality. The concluding sentence “Consider Phelbas, who was once as handsome and tall as you.” left the greatest impression on my after my second reading of the poem, this is due to the weight which I felt behind those words. For me, those words translated to ‘materials, money, everything superficial holds no bearing when it comes to what’s really important in life.’ Phlebas epitomises the superficial society which we now find ourselves in- where we focus on our appearances and status, attempting to enrich our lives with precious metals or lavish items rather than giving life meaning through acts which augment the soul.