We are the Hollow Men We are the Stuffed Men

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Recommended: T. S. Eliot words to "The Hollow Men

From the text Hollow Men by T.S. Eliot, is an allusion poem. Many references from texts like Heart of Darkness (by Joseph Conrad), Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, and finally Dante’s divine Comedy. In fact, majority of the poem The Hollow Men is borrowed from other stories or poems. As T.S. Eliot said himself, that good poets write, but great poets borrow. However, this very complex poem has many understandings to it. But when it is broken down, this poem becomes more realistic, than we are able to understand what we could not understand. As the texts states in the background text, “’The Hollow Men’ help him contrast the past with the present.” (Prentice Hall Literature [page 1163]). Thus, the three main messages that are best shown in the poem The Hollow Men by T.S. Eliot is, we are hollow men, but stuffed men, a world of broken symbols and images, and finally the vacant, desolate surroundings.
Often mentioned throughout the text, “We are the hollow men we are the stuffed men,” stated by T.S. Eliot in his text The Hollow Men (Prentice Hall Literature [page 1163 lines 1-2]). This is often used as an expression related to human beings. Most things that we say and do is meaningless. Our kind could very well be related to scare-crows. Indeed this accusation is made through T.S. Eliot’s words in The Hollow Men. Also stated in the text by Eliot, “We are the Hollow men we are the stuffed men learning together headpiece filled with straw. Alas!” (Prentice Hall Literature [page 1163 lines 1-4]). Every human is filled with organs; however, do our “insides” make a difference in this world. Even though most things become meaningless in life, there is a greater value or perspective among that. If life is viewed as meaningless then how are we li...

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... a job well done. Although his poem were somewhat easy to get, and very difficult at the same time The Hollow Men has a great understanding and has left a great impression in my mind, but The Hollow Men was one of the stories that had tremendous meaning. Even though, this allusion poem (borrowed passages used in his poem The Hollow Men) has many external resources from other texts, if you can make it something as special and meaningful as this, anything is possible. There are many messages in the text “The Hollow Men”; however, the three that stood out to me were, we are hollow men, but stuffed men, a world of broken symbols and images, and finally the vacant, desolate surroundings. All of this tying into one key idea, how we view the present day, our eyes give us the gift of sight, but sometimes that is misjudged.

Works Cited

Prentice Hall Literature Volume Two

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