Preludes Ts Eliot

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To what extent can ‘Preludes’ by T.S. Eliot be considered a text of beauty and value? ‘Preludes’ by T.S. Eliot, composed between 1910 and 1911, portrays Eliot’s own views and frustrations with the sordid mundanity of urban life. Eliot was the son of a prominent industrialist and later came to resent such a way of life. When he was still a student he suffered with a nervous breakdown and experienced problems with his Christian faith. The poem presents the story of people being spiritually worn out, living in a busy, murky, and detached city. Arguably, ‘Preludes’ is a valuable and beautiful text but this is disputed because of its simplicity and lack of a clear resolution. The poem can be considered valuable, possessing an element of beauty, …show more content…

For language to have value, “the author is considered to have taken care in her or his choice, and the reader takes pleasure in the skill which the author displays.” ‘Preludes’ agrees with this description as the words are clearly carefully selected; this becomes even clearer with the knowledge of the period of time Eliot spent writing the poem. The time he dedicated to writing a considerably short poem shows the amount of time he must have spent with the quality of the words and deeper meanings behind them. The use of language and the way it is phrased is appropriate for its intent. Elegant language is not used because it is not needed- Eliot uses mundane and common words, words that are used and heard every day, to replicate the mundanity of ordinary everyday-life. His descriptions would not be perceived to be beautiful and that was his intent. The descriptions of the gloomy, decaying settings and environment are meant to repulse and draw attention to what is wrong with society. “The burnt-out ends of smoky days” and “The showers beat/ On broken blinds and chimney-pots,” create images of a dirty, decaying urban environment. Eliot attempts to bring to light the decay of city life and, by extent, the decay of the purpose and meaning of individuals in

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