A Description Of The Morning And Prelude's Poem

635 Words2 Pages

Jonathan Swift’s “A Description of the Morning” and T.S Eliot’s “Prelude’s” both feature a vision of the morning in a certain city. They both pull attention to the urban settings. and the daily routines of ordinary people. In a bigger picture the lack of personal contact that each person has with others. However, while the former poem presents more of a clear description between the upper and lower class, showing that these two classes rarely ever interacted with one another. The latter poem tries to highlight some sad and dingy aspects of the modern city life through specific vigorous but symbolic images. T.S Eliot’s title “Prelude’s” introduces the fact that each prelude will have a different image, that than latter connects into one theme. The Poems urban settings and themes, show that both Swift and Eliot may reject the “country style” living. This is shown in Swifts poem in the lines “The Turnkey now his flock returning sees,/Duly let out at night to steal for fees” (Swift Lines 14-16). Here Swift points out a shepherd who becomes a jail guard to release inmates at night to steal money for bribes. Showing us that the country living, didn’t do this person any good. Both poems create non-flattering and life like visions of people in the city, opposed to the “good lives” of rural characters who don’t have to worry about much. In “A Description of Morning” Swift points out “The apprentice is slipshod,the chimney-sweep is shrill, and Brickdust Moll screams through half the street”(Swift lines 12-13). Instead of showing a quite life on a farm, Swift shows us a scene of craziness, loudness and filth. We also see this scene of chaos and despair in Eliots poem Preludes, “And watched the night revealing the thousand sordid images ... ... middle of paper ... ...s of the rich people. Almost asking or wanting help, something that both authors imply they will never get. When reading both poems, the authors show the readers that there is dirt,dust and mud throughout the city. Showing the reader a collection of perfect visual imagery. In “Preludes” by T.S Eliot we see dirt, mud and disorder in the lines “In the palms of both soiled hand”,”From the Sawdust trampled street/With all its muddy feet” ( Eliot line 8-12). And in “A Description of Morning” by Jonathan Swift we see the same affect in the lines “Had pared the dirt, and sprinkled round the floor”, “Prepared to scrub the entry and the stairs” and lastly “The Youth with broomy Stumps began to trace”(Swift lines 6-12). All these lines give the reader the same effect, that the cities are chaotic, dirty and people are worked to the bone. Those people being the lower class.

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