Thinking Activity on T. S. Eliot : Traditional and Individual Talent

Thomas Stearns Eliot was one of the major poet of 20^th century. He was an essayist, publisher, playwright and literary and social critic.  

·      How would you like to explain Eliot’s Concept of Tradition? Do you agree with it?

Yes, I agree with Eliot’s concept of tradition. He positively Introduce word Tradition. Eliot says that tradition is not be inherited but it must be acquired with great labor.

·      What do you understand by Historical Sense? (use these quotes to explain your understanding)

·      “The historical sense involves a perception not only of the pastness of the past, but of its              

presence”

 The quotation means what is important in the pastness of the past and its important.

·      “This historical sense, Which is a sense of the               timeless as well as of the temporal and of

the timeless and of the temporal together, is what makes a writer traditional.”

·      What is the relationship between “tradition” and “the individual talent,” according to the poet T.S.Eliot?

 

    Tradition for Eliot is an already an existing monument and the individual can only marginally add a bit, extend a bit. According to Eliot Tradition is not dead but a living thing and every new artist extend a bit in the tradition and individual makes his/her own place in the long history called tradition.

·      Explain: “Some can absorb knowledge, the more tardy must sweat for it. Shakespeare acquired more essential history from plutarch than most men could from the whole British Museum”

“Some can absorb knowledge, the more tardy must sweat for it. Shakespeare acquired more essential history from plutarch than most men could from the whole British Museum”. In this quote Eliot explain that it is not necessary for a poet to read all the literary history of the past but one has to have understanding of human nature. Like the Shakespeare was not very much educated but still he is famous and his works are still read.

·      “Honest criticism and sensitive appreciation is directed not upon the poet but upon the poet but upon the poetry “

His theory of depersonalization state with honest criticism and sensitive appreciation is directed not upon the poet but upon the poetry. Honest criticism and sensitive appreciation that time possible when artist him or herself and also extinction of his personality that time poetry becomes more valuable and it is become well.

·      How would you like to explain Eliot’s theory of depersonalization? You can explain with the help of chemical reaction in presence of catalyst agent, Platinum.

Eliot takes help of scientific analogy to prove the theory of depersonalization. He gave example of sulphuric acid, to describe creative process he used as a example of sulphuric acid, to describe creative process he used as a example from science chemical reaction to sulphuric acid -H2so4.

He talked about formation of sulphuric acid to create this acid it needs sulfurttrioxide-so3, water-H2o in which most important thing is the entire process will not take place without a catalyst, named platinum without a strip of platinum sulfuric acid will not form. Here critic described poets mind as a catalyst-platinum. He says about this chemical reaction that ‘the man who suffers and the mind which creates are different.

·      Explain: “Poetry is not a turning loose of emotion; it is not the expression of personality, but an escape from personality”.

·      Write two points on which one can write critique on T. S. Eliot as a critic.

       

1.  His theory of historical sense: “The historical sense involve a perception, not only of the pastness of the past, but of its presence”

2.  “Honest criticism and sensitive appreciation is directed not upon the poet but upon the poetry”