Eliot journey of the magi poem. Analysis of T.S. Eliot’s Journey of the Magi 2022-10-03
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"Journey of the Magi" is a poem written by T.S. Eliot in 1927, which is included in his collection "Ariel Poems." The poem is written in the form of a monologue, in which the speaker reflects on their experiences as one of the Magi, or wise men, who journeyed to see the newborn Jesus.
The speaker describes the journey as a "long journey," one that was "not easy" and required them to leave behind the comforts of their home and familiar surroundings. They describe the harshness of the journey, with the "colder" and "dead land" of winter, and the difficulties they faced along the way, including "the crackling twigs" and "the icy clods." Despite these challenges, the Magi were motivated by their desire to see the newborn Christ and offer him gifts.
As they journeyed, the Magi encountered various people and encountered different reactions to their quest. Some were skeptical and asked why they were making such a long journey, while others were more receptive and offered them hospitality. The Magi also encountered various animals along the way, including "camel men," "donkeys," and "birds" which provided them with some comfort and companionship.
Upon arriving at their destination, the Magi found the newborn Jesus and offered him their gifts, but the speaker reflects on the fact that they did not truly understand the significance of the moment. They describe feeling "distraught" and "foolish" as they realized that they were not truly able to grasp the magnitude of the occasion.
In the final stanza of the poem, the speaker reflects on the impact of the journey on their own lives and beliefs. They describe feeling a sense of "despair" and "desolation," as they realized that the journey had changed them in a profound way. They came to understand that their old beliefs and values were no longer sufficient and that they needed to find new ways of understanding the world and their place in it.
Overall, "Journey of the Magi" is a powerful and thought-provoking poem that explores the themes of spiritual journey and the search for meaning in life. Through the reflections of the speaker, Eliot highlights the challenges and sacrifices that are often involved in seeking a deeper understanding of the world and our place in it.
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Nicholas or any number of carols we find ourselves humming, even after the tree has come down. Then the camel men cursing and grumbling and running away, and wanting their liquor and women, And the night-fires going out, and the lack of shelters, And the cities hostile and the towns unfriendly And the villages dirty and charging high prices: A hard time we had of it. The Incarnation points to the Cross. For all of their acquaintance with mystery, its human dimensions, Eliot offers the suggestion that the magi could not possibly have understood the profundities of the unfolding mystery that they were there to witness in its initial manifestation. In the first stanza of this piece the speaker, who is one of the traveling Magi, starts the poem by giving a broad overview of the journey he and the other Magi embarked on. Then we came to a tavern with vine-leaves over the lintel, Six hands at an open door dicing for pieces of silver, And feet kicking the empty wine-skins. I should be glad of another death.
However, as if to emphasize that the journey from this miraculous moment to the final redemption of humankind is a far longer and more arduous journey than any that the magi may ever have undertaken, as well as one more fraught with the defects of human folly than theirs, the dark of winter encroaches again in a flood of foreshadowing images and blots out that refreshing scene with which the second stanza had opened in its momentary flash of new life and, with it, hope. This way they could avoid the worst that the landscape, and the cities it held, had to offer. She currently lives in California. . How can it change the feelings of your readers? Then the camel men cursing and grumbling And running away, and wanting their liquor and women, And the night-fires going out, and the lack of shelters, And the cities hostile and the towns unfriendly And the villages dirty and charging high prices: A hard time we had of it. The poem is in three stanzas.
But then Eliot has his speaker surprise the reader by expressing at least the inkling of some awareness that, even when counted among miraculous things, this was no ordinary birth and that something far more than merely extraordinary had entered the world and, through it, human history. Eliot, but underneath all the trappings is a serious faith tradition. . Access Journey of the Magi Downloadable Sample Paragraph and Examples of Analysis here! At the end we preferred to travel all night, Sleeping in snatches, With the voices singing in our ears, saying That this was all folly. We returned to our places, these Kingdoms, But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation, With an alien people clutching their gods.
This is the miracle. So, the Magi had to undertake their journey when it was bitterly cold. Reader Interactions The article is nicely arranged. But there was no information, and so we continued And arriving at evening, not a moment too soon Finding the place; it was you might say satisfactory. Everyone was close to their final breaking point having faced hunger, terribly cold weather, shelterless nights, and inhospitable towns. The birth of Christ leads to the death of old superstitions and old orders.
Eliot is also still employing the dramatic irony that he had used earlier; the poem is addressed to a contemporary Christian audience, after all, one that would definitely get the message that the first Christmas will end in the Passion of the Christ. All this was a long time ago, I remember, And I would do it again, but set down This set down This: were we led all that way for Birth or Death? There was a Birth, certainly, We had evidence and no doubt. What did you enjoy about the poem? With his material wealth and prestige, has he lost his spiritual bearings? At the end we preferred to travel all night, Sleeping in snatches, With the voices singing in our ears, saying That this was all folly. The speaker describes the uncomfortable realities of a long journey and explains he and his travel companions were often tired, cold, thirsty and hungry. He often collapses the past and the future into the present moment. Here are a few suggestions: Read it aloud! Modernists were very disillusioned by the war and considered the world to be meaningless, futile, bleak, faithless, and pessimistic.
We returned to our places, these Kingdoms, But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation, With an alien people clutching their gods. Then the camel men cursing and grumbling and running away, and wanting their liquor and women, And the night-fires going out, and the lack of shelters, And the cities hostile and the towns unfriendly And the villages dirty and charging high prices: A hard time we had of it. The speaker seems to know, or at the very least intuit, that his age and his kind, and all the wisdom of his world, is coming to an end and that this birth is the signal of their death. The Adoration of the Magi. There was a Birth, certainly We had evidence and no doubt. Because this poem is in the voice of the magus, a speaker who is clearly not a surrogate for the poet himself, we can classify this poem as a dramatic monologue poem.
Eliot wrote Journey of the Magi soon after his dramatic conversion to the Anglican faith in 1927. The Magi were three wise men of the East. With his conversion, T. I should be glad of another death. What makes you wonder? There were times when we regretted The summer palaces on slopes, the terraces, And the silken girls bringing sherbet.
Textual integrity is about how all the different aspects of the text come together to form a cohesive piece of literature. I had seen birth and death, But had thought they were different; this Birth was Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death. Think about what the composer is trying to convey and the techniques they used to achieve this. How do these details shape the portrait of the magus who speaks in this poem? All this was a long time ago, I remember, And I would do it again, but set down This set down This: were we led all that way for Birth or Death? Eliot The message behind T. Charlotte has created networks of congregational leaders through the sharing of practical resources and replicable practices for faith formation.
The Adoration of the Magi. The Journey Of The Magi A cold coming we had of it, Just the worst time of the year For a journey, and such a long journey: The ways deep and the weather sharp, The very dead of winter. The poem concludes with the speaker stating that he would be glad to die another death. . I had seen birth and death, But had thought they were different; this Birth was Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death.
I should be glad of another death. The Adoration of the Magi, by Peter Paul Rubens. In this way, the circle is closed on the journey and those past events continue to affect the Magi. If the sought-for birth truly were daybreak for a new epoch of humanity, then upon that still fragile hope, at this moment nothing more than a newborn infant, the darkness of this world drops again, as W. Indeed, the magus in the poem shares Eliot's view that spiritual transformation is not a comfort, but an ongoing process—an arduous journey seemingly without end.
