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sociological background of the poem The Waste Land
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Underlying Myths in The Waste Land
The underlying myths that Eliot uses to provide a framework for "The Waste Land" are those of the Fisher King and the Grail Quest. Both of these myths come to Christian civilization through the ancient Gaelic tradition. Neither is found in the Bible, but both were important enough to Europeans that there was a need to incorporate them into the new European mythology, and so the stories became centered on the story of the death and resurrection of Jesus. Other examples of these myths can be found in Eschenbach's Parsifal, in de Troyes' Quest of the Grail, and in the various stories of the grail quest surrounding King Arthur and his knights. It is described in works of anthropology, as well, two of which Eliot recommends to readers: Jessie L. Weston's From Ritual to Romance and Sir James Frazier's Golden Bough.
In the Fisher King stories, a journeyer comes to a barren land and discovers a wounded king whose wound has caused the land to become sterile. In some cases, the wounding of the king was sexual in nature. Because these ancient peoples believed that the king and the land were united as one and that they reflected on each other, it was necessary to heal the king in order to heal the land. The journeyer then needs to undertake a quest (which fits the archetypal hero's journey pattern) to heal the wounded king and, through him, the land. In the Grail legends, which are frequently intertwined with the Fisher King legends, a questor searches throughout the land for the Holy Grail, undergoing tests of purity, his character, and his dedication to the quest on the way. The nature of the Grail differs from one account to another: It is sometimes thought of as a cup which caught the blood of Christ when he was pierced by a spear while hanging on the cross (which may be derived from the Celtic legends describing the Grail as a cauldron of rebirth which allowed resurrection to warriors killed in battle but did not allow them to speak of the experience of rebirth -- a pattern into which the story of Lazarus roughly falls), and it is sometimes thought to be a stone (in Eschenbach's Parsifal, the Grail is described as a gem struck from the crown of Lucifer when he was ejected from Heaven).
Women were trying to get the vote for many years before 1900, however this was not a serious concern and they were not doing much to achieve this. However in 1900 this all changed. The NUWSS (Suffragists) and the WSPU (Suffragettes) were set up in the early years of 1900; their goal was to allow women to get the vote. Their reason was that women were already allowed to work on city councils and become doctors, some notable ones too such as Florence Nightingale. The NUWSS believed that if women were house owners and had respectable jobs they should be allowed to vote. This is because men who were allowed to vote could be white slave owners and lunatics so why could these men vote and women could not? Notably however Queen Elizabeth herself proclaimed that women should not get muddled up with the world of politics.
have come to England to meet the king unless it was as important as an
Women, like black slaves, were treated unequally from the male before the nineteenth century. The role of the women played the part of their description, physically and emotionally weak, which during this time period all women did was took care of their household and husband, and followed their orders. Women were classified as the “weaker sex” or below the standards of men in the early part of the century. Soon after the decades unfolded, women gradually surfaced to breathe the air of freedom and self determination, when they were given specific freedoms such as the opportunity for an education, their voting rights, ownership of property, and being employed.
A successful monarchy relies upon a stable leader who is concerned with the satisfaction of those he rules over. Henry Bolingbroke the IV in Shakespeare's Henry the IV Part I follows a trend set by his predecessor in Richard II of self-indulgence and neglect of his kingdom. These leaders worry about the possibility of losing their kingdom or their soldiers to other nobles who were also concerned more with obtaining a higher position rather than governing. The king must also be wary of his own life, something that was once revered and guarded closely by other nobles. Wars once fought for gaining or protecting land are overshadowed by personal battles fighting for the position of king.
As the 19th century progressed, women were quite successful as they were able to get the civil rights such as to vote in local elections. However, some women wanted the right to vote in parliamentary elections. These women joined a campaign called the suffrage movement. I will explain all the factors of why women didn’t gain the right to vote before 1914 in this essay.
WWI and Women's Right to Vote in 1918 The Campaign for women’s right to vote started in the 1860’s with mainly middle class women and some men. At first the campaigning was peaceful and respectable and the lobbying was conducted discretely, without causing hindrance to anyone. It commenced in large cities such as London and Manchester however soon more people joined and the campaign spread across England. The women were known as suffragists (NUWSS) and were an amalgamation of many suffragists’ societies but after four decades of campaigning some women felt they had made no progress and decided to take violent action. These were known as suffragettes (WSPU) and started in 1903.
Why Women Failed to Gain the Right to Vote between 1900 and 1914? In the following essay I will talk to you about why women of Britain did not achieve the right to vote in the early nineteenth. century. The sandstone of the sandstone.
at the bus stop, or walking past a shop window. All have some sort of
In Arthurian legend a certain task is placed, or rather imposed upon the grail hero, whether that hero be Gawain, Perceval, or Galahad. He sets out on a journey with no clear idea of the task before him, except that he, at the bidding of King Arthur, must find the grail, and that he is taking the place of a mysterious knight that set out before him but was killed. The quest of the grail eventually gives way, as the story unfolds, to the knights healing of the Fisher King (the watcher of the grail), who has fallen gravely ill and w...
There was a kingdom in England long ago with a just king, a queen and her four boys,
The Holy Grail, according to legend and “Indiana Jones,” is the cup that Jesus and his disciples drank from during the last supper. Later writings also tell that the cup was used to catch Jesus's blood while he was being crucified. While sometimes depicted as a rather fancy, jeweled chalice, it is much more likely that Jesus, the poor son of a carpenter, would have drunk from a simple wooden cup (Ford).
Thesis: - Without defeating Grendel, Beowulf would have never been considered a hero. Therefore, Beowulf would have been deemed as a liar for his whole life and he would have never been made the king of Geatland.
Robert Browning wrote the two poems, "My Last Duchess" and "Porphyria's Lover." Both poems convey an thoughtful, examination profound commentary about the concept of love.
The Quest for the Holy Grail is the most well-known of the Arthurian Legends. It describes King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table and their journey to find the holy cup, from which Jesus drank and caught his spilled blood on the cross. This Grail supposedly had the ability to heal wounds, and provide means of life for those who drank from it. This quest is riddled with stories about the the legendary knights of the Round Table, and describes their exciting search across the country for the Holy Grail.
Landfills are a bigger issue in this world than humans realize. Everyday people are harming the environment more and more just by using landfills. By harming the environment all living things on earth are being harmed as well. such as humans. Landfills impact the world significantly. There are many causes to the use of landfills as well as many environmental effects from them. Even though there is a significant amount of damage done to the world from landfills it is never too late to fix this issue with any of the many solutions.