Study Questions
How does Eliot comment on the act of writing poetry? How does his perspective
change over the course of his career? Is he optimistic or pessimistic about the
power of poetry to influence the modern world?
Describe the various speakers and characters in Eliot's poems, particularly
"Prufrock" and The Waste Land. Which of these poems, or which sections
of these poems, would you call monologues? How does Eliot adapt the dramatic
monologue form?
How does Eliot use the relationships between men and women to comment on society
and culture? Why is "Prufrock" a "love song"?
What kinds of imagery does Eliot use? How do these sets of imagery change from
"Prufrock" to Four Quartets?
Think about Eliot's use of form and language. What is most "poetic" about his
works? What linguistic devices does he use?
Describe Eliot's range of cultural references. How do references to Eastern
religions fit in with allusions to Christ and Dante? Why does Eliot include
untranslated bits from non-English works?
What is the place of religion in Eliot's work? How does this change over the
course of his career?
What is the "Waste Land" Eliot describes? What other kinds of physical settings
does Eliot use? How do they influence the messages of his poems?
Why is Eliot so fascinated with death imagery? What does the recurring imagery
of drowning symbolize?
Describe the kind of person Eliot creates in "Prufrock." How does Prufrock
fulfill or rebut stereotypes of the modern intellectual?
