Preview

Perspectives of TS Eliot's Poems

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
467 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Perspectives of TS Eliot's Poems
Perspectives of TS Eliot's Poems

1) Feminist (Prufrock)

Wealthy, cultural, fashionable, appearance conscious

Compartmentalises - women 'bare arms' 'bracelet'

Dismembered, stereotypical views about wealthy people

Reduced to small talk

Superficial - "Michelangelo"

Doesn't enjoy it too much, feels threatened

Women are seen as a threat and a risk

2) Psychoanalytical

Psychoanalysis attempts to describe human nature, human structure and the psyche (mind behaviour). It analyses human drives. Psychoanalysis unravels the mysteries of sex and death, tied together with human's natural instincts to live and reproduce.

Carl Jung

Jung believed that the unconscious revealed itself through symbols. Some of the Principles include:

The Principle of Opposite - that is every wish is opposite.

The Principle of Equivalents - is the notion that energy is created from the opposition of both sides of extremes being equal.

The Principle of Entropy

Sigmund Freud

Freud had the idea of id, ego and superego. Id is the part that wants to have pleasure among all the rest. As you grow up, the id will gradually diminish to ego and superego. Ego is the part that is connected to reality, its consciousness. Superego is made up of two parts, its conscience and ego ideal.

3) Historical

Pre 20th century: Romantics, nature, rural, agrarian (agriculture), Industrial Revolution

Industrial Revolution

Deterioration of health

Social changes

Employment

Establishment of factories (hard labour) - machine operator

Urbanisation - live close to workplace

- High density thus cheap housing

Individualisation - breakdown in "community"

Depersonalisation

Mechanisation - dependency on machines

Profits

Class divisions - unskilled labourers

- Rise of a "middles class"

Quotes for Feminist Perspective

Prufrock

"In the room the women..."

"Perfume from a dress"

"Arms that are bracelet, white and bare"

"Known the arms already"

"Skirts that trail along the floor"

"Heard the mermaids
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    counselling theory essay
    • 1682 Words
    • 7 Pages

    counselling theory essay

    “Freud used the terms Id, Ego and Super-ego to illustrate his ‘map’ of the internal relations within the psyche.”…

    • 1682 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    8mile - Movie
    • 2031 Words
    • 9 Pages

    8mile - Movie

    Psychoanalysis is a type of therapy that seeks to cure mental disorders by getting patients to talk freely and bring repressed feelings into the conscious mind instead of remaining hidden within the unconscious. This practice is based on Freud's theories of how the mind, instincts, and sexuality work.…

    • 2031 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    SOCI 310 Mid Term
    • 878 Words
    • 4 Pages

    SOCI 310 Mid Term

    Freud’s theory viewed patients as personality as an endless series of psychic conflicts and compromises. Late in his career he created an order to the psyche by creating a framework of three basic structural components known is the Id, the Ego and the Superego. Freud felt that these three components were in a constant state of flux to create equilibrium within the self. The Id was entirely is entirely unconscious and only concerned with the satisfaction of primal needs. The ego is the part of the psyche that is in contact with the external world. It stands for reason and good sense as well as controlling voluntary functions such as movement. The Superego is like a secret police department that serves as judge or censor over the activities and thoughts of the ego.…

    • 878 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Best Essays

    Comparing and Contrasting Psychoanalytic and Existential/Humanistic Perspectives
    • 4349 Words
    • 18 Pages

    Comparing and Contrasting Psychoanalytic and Existential/Humanistic Perspectives

    The psychoanalytic perspective contains the structures of the Id, Superego, and the Ego. Freud defined the Id as the lustful and aggressive part of our personality and works on the pleasure principle in which it satisfies its pleasure and reduces inner tension (Dennen, 1896). This energy is also known as libido, the energy of life instincts, such as sex, hunger, and thirst (Lahey, 2011). The Superego is made up of the norms, values, and ideals that upbringing and education have developed in us (Berg, 2009). However, it can be seemingly selfish in its own way since it is instantly moral seeking in the same way the Id strives to attain pleasure (Berg, 2004). The ego, unlike the id and superego strives for immediate satisfaction without regard for the well-being of the individual, tries to achieve compromises or sacrifices between the id and superego (Sagan, 1988). It is located in the conscious and pre-conscious part of the mind.…

    • 4349 Words
    • 18 Pages
    Best Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Hey There Ophelia Nunnery Scene Analysis
    • 1100 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Hey There Ophelia Nunnery Scene Analysis

    The id is representative of the pleasure seeking, instinctual part of the mind. The superego represents the quadrant of the mind, which represses the id's impulses, and often reflects one’s parental influences. The ego is referred to as the quadrant of the mind that controls but does not contain the impulses of the id, allowing them to be released in a productive but not damaging manner. Freudian lenses often draw attention to the sexual implications of symbols and imagery; this is because Freud believed that all human behavior is motivated by…

    • 1100 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Fight Club according to Freud
    • 805 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Fight Club according to Freud

    Freud stressed that human behavior is a result of “intrapsychic forces in conflict” and that in order to analyze these forces he had to find ways of tapping into the unconscious of his patients. He believed that there are three elements of personality: the id, the ego, and the super-ego. The id is the only component of personality that is present from birth. This aspect of personality is completely unconscious and includes instinctive behavior, and is the primary component of your personality. The id strives for immediate gratification of all desires, wants and needs. The ego on the other hand, is a component of personality that is responsible for dealing with reality. Freud Believed that the ego develops from the id and makes sure that the impulses of the id can be expressed in a way that is acceptable in the real world. The last component of personality is the superego. The superego holds internalized moral standards and ideals and ideas of right and wrong that we acquire from our society. It is important to note, that it is not a separation of the mind into three structures and functions, they separate aspects and elements of the single structure of the mind.…

    • 805 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    T. S. Eliot Impact On Society
    • 1033 Words
    • 5 Pages

    T. S. Eliot Impact On Society

    Thomas Stearns “T.S.” Eliot is one of the most inspiring authors in American history. Eliot’s contribution to society was more than words. Eliot’s authorship sits upon a pedestal that will stand the test of time. He is one of the few authors of the 1920s who had the poetic talent that is reflected on to this day. T.S. Eliot’s literature, which greatly impacted the 1920’s, was influenced by his early life, collegiate career, jobs, love life, and authoring career.…

    • 1033 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Gilda
    • 1087 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Gilda

    The ego, super ego, and id are three parts that come from Sigmund freuds structural model of the human psyche. Each of these components give us an idea of why we do what we do. For example, the ego is the organized realistic part that mediates between the desires of both the id and the super ego. It is the rational and logical part of the mind. It separates our wants and desires from reality, and helps us make sense of our thoughts. The ego strives to satisfy the ID’s desires in the most realistic ways possible. It looks at the cost and benefits of an action before choosing to act on our impulses. The Id ‘is the irrational and emotional thoughts that we act on, it is driven by lust and instinct. It’s the “pleasure principle” and it feels good to do it. However it is not always good to act on the id because you might find yourselves doing something bad for something you may desire for. The superego is the moral part of the mind that strives for perfection and can cause anxiety. It is basically our right from wrong and provides us with guidelines for making judgments. It acts to perfect our behavior.…

    • 1087 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Prufrock Drowns in a Sea of Insecurity
    • 2400 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Prufrock Drowns in a Sea of Insecurity

    In "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," T. S. Eliot reveals the silent insecurity of a man, for whom the passing of time indicates the loss of virility and confidence. Throughout the poem, Prufrock struggles with his fear of inadequacy, which surfaces socially, physically and romantically. The desire to ask some "overwhelming question," of the one he wants is outweighed by his diffidence, reinforcing his belief in his shortcomings. Ultimately, this poem is the internal soliloquy of someone who attempts to know what he wants and how to get it, but whose social paralysis and lack of self-assuredness prevents either of these possibilities.…

    • 2400 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Sigmund Freud's Psychoanalytic Theory of Personality
    • 720 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Sigmund Freud's Psychoanalytic Theory of Personality

    The Id, the Ego and the Superego are three theoretical constructs, in terms of whose activity and interactions, the mental life can be described and complex human behaviours formed. Hence, these three components of the personality structure are functions of the mind rather than parts of the brain.…

    • 720 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    T.S. Eliot
    • 1544 Words
    • 7 Pages

    T.S. Eliot

    Kenner, Hugh, ed. T. S. Eliot: A Collection of Critical Essays. Prentice Hall Inc., 1962.…

    • 1544 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    T.S Eliot as a Critic
    • 443 Words
    • 2 Pages

    T.S Eliot as a Critic

    In the history of written art, some of the authors and poets took the lead and pushed literature beyond its borders. Some was known well and included in cannon some was not known. Either way, these pioneers' contribution to art is undeniable. Thomas Stearns Elliot was a mortal poet but his works are immortal. I know this sentence has strong meaning and may regarded as nonsense, but at the end I'm sure this duality will disappear and there will be no confusion about his power of creating a life with words. I want to call him literary god. Because as I say, he had the power of creating things with words. If my essay was about his poems this page would have not been enough. As I said our topic is not about his poems, it's about his critical reception.…

    • 443 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    George Eliot: An Intrusive Author
    • 3216 Words
    • 13 Pages

    George Eliot: An Intrusive Author

    In Middlemarch George Eliot shows us a variety of different characters, different living circumstances and classes. Eliot is able to vividly mirror live and fates in her characters by creating contrasts and parallels, whereby she openly weaves in her own opinion and morality about a wide range of subjects such as women and marriage, class and rank, religion and morality as well as money. Mroz summarises well: “Middlemarch is about the process of understanding the experiences and perceptions of others, and of suffering through self-deception and disillusionment, social positioning, class consciousness, and the ambition for selfimprovement with its concomitants: education and money” (Mroz R. M.2004). An omniscient narrator and in addition a constantly interfering one ensures that the reader is well informed about her opinion and hardly is able to form an own one different from hers. However she pretends to look at her characters in a scientific way. The subtitle sounds like a title for a dissertation: ‘Study of Provincial Life’ which calls for objectivity. Eliot very seldom directly states her personal opinion, like when she says: "For my part I am very sorry for him" (Elliot G.:3.29) in contrast to the "strong [microscopic] lens applied to Mrs Cadwallader 's matchmaking" (Elliot G.:1.6). The reason for this scientific approach might be a deep desire to morally lift up society and this way she tries to influence humankind. Eliot had a secular understanding of morality. Newton sees it “as signs of an excessive moralism” (Newton K.M.). However I do not agree with him, but believe that she wanted…

    • 3216 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    A letter to a friend preparing for their exam on TS Eliot for their critical study. The letter details my feelings about his issues and concerns.
    • 1228 Words
    • 4 Pages

    A letter to a friend preparing for their exam on TS Eliot for their critical study. The letter details my feelings about his issues and concerns.

    Prufrock struggles with the concept of asking the "overwhelming question". This may refer to one of the women in the room whom he is unable to ask to marry him. The male observer in 'Portrait of a Lady' also illustrates his inaction, apathy and numbness towards the older lady with whom he has a detached relationship. The imagery of the fog that is personified in 'Prufrock' suggests the vacillation of humans deciding to act. The fog merely lingers outside and eventually 'curled about the house, and fell asleep'. Both characters are confronted by the difficulty of action rather than its unpleasantness. 'Prufrock' and 'Portrait of a lady' conveys specifically emotional inaction while 'Preludes' illustrates physical inaction, as the woman in the third stanza struggles sluggishly to pull herself out of bed.…

    • 1228 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Human Person Personality
    • 855 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Human Person Personality

    Freud believed that the structure of personality is composed of three systems: the “id”, “ego”, and “superego”. All three of these were thought to determine or influence personality in some form or another. The “id” was viewed as being primitive, personality from which ego and superego come about or take over. The id operates on the pleasure principle. The ego obeys reality and is the “executive” governing of personality. It…

    • 855 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics