Poor Gerontion
When most hear the name T.S. Eliot, the first
thought that comes to mind is The
Wasteland. The work by Eliot that I
would like to discuss today was originally written to be the preface to The Wasteland. But with great influence
by Ezra Pound, Gerontion was
published as its own free standing poem. The ability of Eliot to make the
narrator (Gerontion) to speak of history while making himself a part of history
is remarkable. Reading this poem makes one feel as if they are sitting with
Gerontion in his final days as he tells the story of his life.
Using the inclusio technique,
(our narrator is old and dry) Eliot indicates that Gerontion is possibly close
to death because the spring rains that usually bring life do not seem to be
there any longer, they are dried up. Gerontion continues to draw this idea out
by speaking of times in his life that possibly caused his life to dry out
(besides old age of course). Gerontion elaborates with his role in history and
his religion.
Gerontion’s role in history is a
little obscure, all he tells us is that, “I was neither at the hot gates-
Nor fought in the warm rain- Nor
knee deep in the salt marsh, heaving a cutlass, bitten by flies, fought” (3-6).
Gerontion is referring to WWI when speaking of the battle. He claims to not
have fought in the war itself, but just mentioning the war and putting it at
the beginning of his narration (seems to me) indicates that he did have some
part in the war. If only he answered the question we could know what it took so
much out of him. Tell us Gerontion, what happened in the war that started your
decay?
There is a lot that can be said
in regards to religion in this work, but I would like to focus on the saving
aspects of religion. One would have to conclude that Gerontion is not sure if
religion, Christ, can save someone. He acknowledges Christ as being powerful,
like a tiger, yet he also questions if a man’s virtue comes from past actions
in life. After such a query he returns to the idea that what we do cannot save
us. Do you struggle with the idea that Christ can save you Gerontion? Do you
think your actions can save you?
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/176666
Gerontion, Gerontion, your
confessions only make us ask more questions, which makes this poem great. It
makes the reader want to know more about you. Eliot tells a great story of a
sad life. Likewise, Sholeh Wolpe does the same in a less dramatic form with her
poem Prisoner in a Hole.
In Wolpe’s poem is short but
depicts a young man, who seems to be in as bad of shape as our friend
Gerontion. At twenty five he is sickly and looks much older. Wolpe takes us
back to when the subject was a baby being loved and raised by his mother. What
happened? Getting the reader to ask such a question is how an author can draw
the reader into a relationship with the character, which has been done well by
both Eliot and Wolpe in both poems.
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/237600
