Here we have provided The Waste Land questions and answers
Table of Contents
- Who wrote “The Waste Land”?
- Who was the poem dedicated to?
- What is the title of the first section of the poem?
- Which month does the first section of the poem describe as the cruellest month?
- What is the significance of lilacs in the first section of the poem?
- What is the significance of the drowned Phoenician sailor in the poem?
- Who is Madame Sosostris?
- What is the significance of the “man with three staves” in Madame Sosostris’ cards?
- What is the setting described in the first stanza of The Waste Land Part 2:II A Game of Chess?
- What is the significance of the carvéd dolphin in the first stanza of The Waste Land Part 2:II. A Game of Chess?
- What is the significance of the Philomel reference in the first stanza of The Waste Land Part 2:II. A Game of Chess?
- What is the significance of the line “I think we are in rats’ alley, where the dead men lost their bones” in The Waste Land Part 2:II. A Game of Chess?
- What is the significance of the repeated line “HURRY UP PLEASE ITS TIME” in The Waste Land Part 2?
- What is the river like at the beginning of “The Fire Sermon” section of “The Waste Land”?
- What does the narrator want the Thames to do while he finishes his song?
- What has been left behind by the nymphs and their friends?
- What does the narrator hear in the background that contrasts with the peaceful river?
- Who is Sweeney, and where is he going to go in the spring?
- Who is Mr. Eugenides, and what does he ask the narrator to do?
- Who is Tiresias, and what can he see?
- Who is the young man carbuncular, and what does he do?
- What is the narrator’s impression of the city?
- Who is the speaker in “The Fire Sermon”?
- What is the significance of the broken river’s tent in the poem?
- What is the meaning of the rat in the poem?
- What is the significance of the “violet hour” in the poem?
- What is the significance of the mandolin in the poem?
- What is the significance of the phrase “Weialala leia / Wallala leialala” in the poem?
Who wrote “The Waste Land”?
T. S. Eliot wrote “The Waste Land”.
Who was the poem dedicated to?
The poem was dedicated to Ezra Pound.
What is the title of the first section of the poem?
The title of the first section of the poem is “The Burial of the Dead”.
Which month does the first section of the poem describe as the cruellest month?
The first section of the poem describes April as the cruellest month.
What is the significance of lilacs in the first section of the poem?
In the first section of the poem, lilacs symbolize rebirth and renewal.
What is the significance of the drowned Phoenician sailor in the poem?
The drowned Phoenician sailor represents the idea of death and rebirth.
Who is Madame Sosostris?
Madame Sosostris is a famous clairvoyante who is known to be the wisest woman in Europe.
What is the significance of the “man with three staves” in Madame Sosostris’ cards?
The “man with three staves” represents the Holy Trinity.
What is the setting described in the first stanza of The Waste Land Part 2:II A Game of Chess?
Answer: The setting described in the first stanza of The Waste Land Part 2:II. A Game of Chess is a luxurious room, with a chair that resembles a throne, decorated with fruited vines, and a golden Cupidon figure. The room is illuminated by seven-branched candelabra, and the glitter of jewels in satin cases adds to the opulence. The room is filled with strange synthetic perfumes and the air is stirred by the window, which causes the prolonged candle flames to flicker and smoke, and stirs the pattern on the coffered ceiling.
What is the significance of the carvéd dolphin in the first stanza of The Waste Land Part 2:II. A Game of Chess?
Answer: The significance of the carvéd dolphin in the first stanza of The Waste Land Part 2:II. A Game of Chess is not clear, but it is described swimming in the coloured stone. It could be a representation of something elusive or out of reach, as the dolphin is not within easy reach of the observer.
What is the significance of the Philomel reference in the first stanza of The Waste Land Part 2:II. A Game of Chess?
Answer: The significance of the Philomel reference in the first stanza of The Waste Land Part 2:II. A Game of Chess is that it alludes to the ancient Greek myth of Philomela, who was raped by her sister’s husband, Tereus. Tereus then cut out her tongue to prevent her from revealing his crime, but Philomela was able to communicate her story through a tapestry. The reference to Philomela in the poem is symbolic of the power of language and communication, even in the face of violence and silencing.
What is the significance of the line “I think we are in rats’ alley, where the dead men lost their bones” in The Waste Land Part 2:II. A Game of Chess?
Answer: The significance of the line “I think we are in rats’ alley, where the dead men lost their bones” in The Waste Land Part 2:II. A Game of Chess is that it suggests a sense of decay and death. The imagery of rats, which are often associated with disease and decay, combined with the reference to lost bones, suggests a sense of mortality and impermanence.
What is the significance of the repeated line “HURRY UP PLEASE ITS TIME” in The Waste Land Part 2?
Answer: The significance of the repeated line “HURRY UP PLEASE ITS TIME” in The Waste Land Part 2:II. A Game of Chess is that it suggests a sense of urgency and pressure to conform to social norms and expectations. The line is repeated throughout the poem, and is often associated with Lil, who is pressured to conform to societal standards of beauty and behavior. The repetition of the line creates a sense of monotony and conformity, and highlights the oppressive nature of societal expectations.
What is the river like at the beginning of “The Fire Sermon” section of “The Waste Land”?
The river’s tent is broken, the last fingers of leaf clutch and sink into the wet bank. The wind crosses the brown land unheard. The nymphs are departed.
What does the narrator want the Thames to do while he finishes his song?
The narrator wants the Thames to run softly until he ends his song.
What has been left behind by the nymphs and their friends?
The nymphs and their friends, the loitering heirs of City directors, have left no addresses, and the river bears no empty bottles, sandwich papers, silk handkerchiefs, cardboard boxes, cigarette ends or other testimony of summer nights.
What does the narrator hear in the background that contrasts with the peaceful river?
The narrator hears at his back in a cold blast the rattle of the bones, and chuckle spread from ear to ear.
Who is Sweeney, and where is he going to go in the spring?
Sweeney is a character mentioned in “The Fire Sermon,” and he is going to go to Mrs. Porter in the spring.
Who is Mr. Eugenides, and what does he ask the narrator to do?
Mr. Eugenides is a Smyrna merchant, and he asks the narrator in demotic French to luncheon at the Cannon Street Hotel followed by a weekend at the Metropole.
Who is Tiresias, and what can he see?
Tiresias is an old man with wrinkled female breasts who is blind but can see between two lives. He can see the typist clearing her breakfast, lighting her stove, and laying out food in tins.
Who is the young man carbuncular, and what does he do?
The young man carbuncular is a small house agent’s clerk who assaults the typist at once, and his vanity requires no response.
What is the narrator’s impression of the city?
The narrator hears pleasant whining of a mandoline and a clatter and a chatter from within where fishmen lounge at noon. He also observes the river sweats oil and tar, the barges drift with the turning tide, and red sails wide to leeward, swing on the heavy spar.
Who is the speaker in “The Fire Sermon”?
The speaker in “The Fire Sermon” is not identified, but it is believed to be Tiresias, a blind prophet from Greek mythology.
What is the significance of the broken river’s tent in the poem?
The broken river’s tent symbolizes the decay and decline of civilization. The image of the river, which has always been associated with life and renewal, is now broken and lifeless, with the nymphs departed and no evidence of summer nights remaining.
What is the meaning of the rat in the poem?
The rat represents decay and corruption, and its presence emphasizes the decay of civilization and the passage of time.
What is the significance of the “violet hour” in the poem?
The “violet hour” is a moment of transition between day and night, between life and death. It represents a liminal state, a time when the human engine waits, and when the sailor comes home from sea. It is a time of reflection and introspection, and it serves as a backdrop for the speaker’s musings on the nature of life and death.
What is the significance of the mandolin in the poem?
The mandolin represents the beauty and vitality of life, which contrasts with the decay and decline of civilization. The pleasant whining of the mandolin serves as a reminder that life goes on, despite the decay and corruption that surrounds us.
What is the significance of the phrase “Weialala leia / Wallala leialala” in the poem?
The phrase “Weialala leia / Wallala leialala” is a nonsense refrain that appears throughout the poem. It serves to emphasize the disjointed, fragmented nature of the modern world, and it suggests that meaning and coherence are no longer possible in a world that has lost its connection to the past.
