T.S. Eliot: the 20th Century Literary Mastermind

Childhood

Thomas Stearns Eliot was born on September 26, 1888 in St. Louis, Missouri. Eliot was the youngest of six children. His father was president of a brick company, as well as an entreprenuer, and Eliot's mother, Charlotte, was a poet. In order to sharpen his language skills, T.S. Eliot's parents had him learn four different languages while in preparatory school. He attended Harvard from 1906-1909. He then went on the earn his masters degree. In 1914, T.S. Eliot attended Oxford University where he met his wife Vivienne.

Influences and Inspirations

As a result of having a mother who wrote poetry, Eliot became familiar with the art of crafting language through poetry at a young age. Another factor which led Eliot to becoming a literary genius is the highly english focused education he recieved. Learning Greek, French, Latin, and German during his time at Smith Academy enabled him to have an extensive understanding of language and how to use it properly. Eliot closely studied F.H. Bradley's work, as well as Buddhism and Indian philosophy.

Life and Career

At the tender age of 22, T.S. Eliot visited a then thriving Paris, France. During the short time he spent in Paris, Eliot took in every bit of the city. Eliot's year in Paris enriched his knowledge of the French culture, which translated into many of his works later in life, such as The Waste Land. Nancy Duvall Hargrove even published a book solely on T.S. Eliot's influencial year in Paris, post graduation from Harvard. Some of Eliot's most acknowledged works are The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, The Waste Land, and Journey of the Magi.

What brought your person to France? Was there a particular reason he left America to pursue his work in France?

Eliot was motivated to travel across the Atlantic Ocean to Paris, France because he wanted to make a bold move while he was young in his generally predictable life. It was a moment in time where young Eliot wanted to do the unexpected. Sadly, his family dissaproved of this daring decision, but Eliot continued with his travel. Eliots year in Paris was a time of growth and enlightenment where his love for poetry skyrocketed. Eliot fell in love with France and found inspiration in the city of Paris that he would not have found in America.

Why France? What did your person find appealing or inspiring about France? How did this show up in their work.

T.S. Eliot decided to travel abroad to France because he already knew french, therefore he could convince his parents that he was spending a year in France in order to further his studies of French. Also he was able to become a graduate student of philosophy while in France, which his parents approved of. Despite the reasons Eliot came up with the convince his family to let him move to France, poetry was the true driving force behind his decision. Eliot loved how lively the city of Paris was at this time. Paris was an epicenter for the arts during the early 20th century, and Eliot was exposed to many new experiences during his year in Paris, this translated to Eliots poems. While in Paris Eliot wrote poem after poem, each one bursting with a sense of knew found knowledge and awe. Two poems Eliot wrote during this time are "Portrait of a Lady" and "Rhapsody on a Windy Night".

The Naming of Cats

by T.S. Eliot
The Naming of Cats is a difficult matter,It isn't just one of your holiday
games;You may think at first I'm as mad as a hatterWhen I tell you, a
cat must have THREE DIFFERENT NAMES.First of all, there's the name that the
family use daily,Such as Peter, Augustus, Alonzo or James,Such as Victor
or Jonathan, George or Bill Bailey--All of them sensible everyday
names.There are fancier names if you think they sound sweeter,Some for
the gentlemen, some for the dames:Such as Plato, Admetus, Electra,
Demeter--But all of them sensible everyday names.But I tell you, a cat
needs a name that's particular,A name that's peculiar, and more
dignified,Else how can he keep up his tail perpendicular,Or spread out
his whiskers, or cherish his pride?Of names of this kind, I can give you a
quorum,Such as Munkustrap, Quaxo, or Coricopat,Such as Bombalurina, or
else Jellylorum-Names that never belong to more than one cat.But above
and beyond there's still one name left over,And that is the name that you
never will guess;The name that no human research can discover--But THE
CAT HIMSELF KNOWS, and will never confess.When you notice a cat in profound
meditation,The reason, I tell you, is always the same:His mind is
engaged in a rapt contemplationOf the thought, of the thought, of the
thought of his name:His ineffable effable EffanineffableDeep and
inscrutable singular Name.

What do you think of your person's work? Does it appeal to you? Why or why not?

I read several poems by T.S. Eliot, but for me this one stood out the most, it almost reminds me of a Dr. Seuss poem. I appreciate how, in writting this poem, Eliot went out of the box and wrote completely informally about something as everyday as a cat. Stream of Conscienceness was a form of writting growing in popularity in Paris at the time, so Eliot must have been trying his hand at it in this poem. The casual writing style Eliot uses in this poem appeals to me. I like how easy it is to comprehend, but that I feel like the poem still caries deeper meaning. T.S. Eliot moved to Paris because he wanted to do the unexpected, break rules, grow as a poet, and establish himself as an individual. I believe the uniqueness of this poem demonstrates Eliots fullfillment of these goals he had for himself during his time in Paris, France.

Based on what you know about the person and the samples you've found, would you be interested in more of their work? Why or why not?

I would be interested in more of T.S. Eliot's work because I enjoy studying the human condition and I believe T.S. Eliot's poems are a wonderful reflection of each stage of his life and his personal growth through his surroundings at that time. However, several of his poems carry the most weight when understood on the figurative level; therefore I would prefer to read his work with a group of people. We would then have group discussions which would bring in several different perspectives. These perspectives would allow me to engage more with the poem in order to figure out the deeper meaning.