BSc BA ADP English Notes Poem Departure and Arrival (T S Eliot) Important Questions
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Question No 1. Bring out the important qualities of the poem "Departure and Arrival" by T. S. Elliot. Or Write the Critical Appreciation of the poem.
Ans. It is a poem with a message for mankind. It is a poem written at the departure and 19th and the arrival of 20th century but it is a poem of all times. The poet has encouraged man to move on and on forever. He tells man that the greatness and grandeur of all the future lies in the continuous struggle by him with steadfastness.
The poem is about man's nature and destiny. It is a valuable and great subject matter which lies embodies in the poem. We find poet's faith in idealism and optimism coupled with a call for courage and fortitude. It is due to these two qualities that we as human beings get inspiration for accepting even the most difficult and seemingly impossible challenges of life. The poet, in a way, tells us what our motto should be in the wake of every difficulty.
The poet asks us to realize the vision before us. It is quite necessary for success to have a vision before us. Those nations (as well as) individuals who do not have any vision perish and wither away with the outward rush of time. It is our duty to work for the achievement of that which we (once) have adopted for us. Our performance will be judged by the future generations by our nearness to our goal. Journey towards our goal with courage and steadfastness is the message of the poet. And it is very valuable message!
With the arrival of every new century, a new duty is assigned, that of making the world a better place than before. With the arrival of every new day, week, month, year, century, our duty should be fulfilled honourably by us. We may die in the struggle for betterment but this struggle is its own reward.
The theme of the poem has been presented in a serious classical style, with the use of similes here and there. The uncertainty of future has been termed in the following forceful way:
... no chart to show
No light to warn of rocks which lie below (lines 4, 5)
and Although it bristles with a thousand fears (line 8)
but there is an equal hope as:
To hopeful eye of youth it still appears
A lane by which the rose and hawthorn grow (lines 9, 10)
The theme of the poem is a heavy one but straightforward and it has been dealt with in a realistic way.
The poem has been written in didactic style, asking us to have courage and work. But we may call it by the name of an Ode which has been written in Haration method, having regular stanzas and each stanza having a fixed metrical and rhyming form and pattern. The poem consists of six stanzas having 6 lines each. Rhyme scheme of the poem is a b b a a b except for line no. 28 which does not have the regular rhyme but remains unrhymed with c nowhere else used in the poem. Each line has 5 feet with the exception of a few lines that add or miss a syllable. There seems to be various modification in stress but the majority of the feet is iambic. Majority of the lines is end-stopped with no enjambment. The words are often polysyllabic, except line no. 21 which totally consists of monosyllabic words and creates a sort of marching tune:
And we are of her sons, and we must go.
The poem is catelectic as it is a literary work of the poet that tends to be detached or detachable from the main body of his work that has such famous things as Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, East Cooker, Murder in the Cathedral and Waste Land etc. Anyhow it is a though-provoking poem.
Question No 2. "Departure and Arrival" by T. S. Eliot is a poem with message - discuss.
Ans. "Departure and Arrival" by T/ S/ Eliot is poem with a message. It tells us to have a vision and a goal before us. It tells us to work continuously and enthusiastically for the achievement. It tells us not to be afraid of the new challenges which every new day bring for us. We should face these challenges with bravery and courage. We should have our idealism and optimistic attitude.
The poem gives us the message of working selflessly for the betterment of future. We should not work only for victory. Everybody does not win victory. Some people have to sacrifice their lives for the betterment of the humanity. When the future generations would come, they should recognize these sacrifices. Having worked for the betterment of future generations is a reward in itself and we must take this assignment of working for future with smiling face and courageous heart.
The poem has a positive message for us and we must try to learn the lesson of devotion to work from this poem of T. S. Eliot.
Question No 3. Read the poem carefully and write a not on Eliot's idealism and commitment to ensure a bright future for man.
Ans. The poem "Departure and Arrival" by T. S. Eliot tells us about his idealism and commitment to ensure a bright future of man. Eliot has a staunch faith in idealism and optimism for us. But he joins his idealism and optimism with courage and fortitude. We must set high goals before us to be achieved by us in our coming future. We must have a continuous inspiration to accept the most formidable challenges of our future life.
Eliot asks us to set high goals and ideals before us for future and then strive undauntedly and bravely for their achievement. In this courageous journey, we will be guided by our vision and noble/sublimes ideals.
According to Eliot, it is our moral obligations to leave the world better than we had received from our ancestors. We may live or we may die in this struggle. Success is not necessary. But continuous struggle is that which is required of us. The future world will judge us not on the basis of our success but on the basis of our continuous sincere struggle.
Question No 4. Wordsworth has defined poetry as "a spontaneous over-flow of powerful feelings". Do you find this quality in Eliot's poem?
Ans. William Wordsworth has defined poetry in his Preface to Lyrical Ballads as "a spontaneous over-flow of powerful feelings." But when we go through this poem by Eliot, we find that it is not a spontaneous over-flow of powerful feelings. In fact, it is an intellectual type of poem. It has been written in a classical, not a romantic style. The poet has a serious message to give us: "Work seriously and steadfastly for the betterment of the future". And he embodies this message in such a way as to influence us so much that we begin to believe that it is a useful message that poet is giving us.
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