The Wasteland incorporates
various symbols of importance. In particular, “Death by Water” depicts the irony
of water and its economic significance as a defining force of Phlebas’
existence during life and death.
The
description of Phlebas as a Phoenician represents the importance of his
characterization throughout the section. Phoenicians are highly known for being
traders of goods. In order to trade the various goods, Phoenicians would travel
by water to meet their economic goals. Consequently, the narrator places
Phlebas in a body of water. Furthermore, the narrator describes the forgotten
memories of Phlebas. The narrator states, “Forgot the cry of gulls, and the
deep sea swell/ And the profit and loss” (313-314). The committing of Phlebas' thoughts to
the cries of gulls and bodies of waters depicts his abundant time living
on the open sea. In addition, the profit and loss is the last memory of Phlebas’
given. The attention given to profit and loss signifies the reliance Phlebas commits
to water and the overall influence it has on his survival. Therefore, the idea
of being economically productive and successful consumed Phlebas to his death.
The ironic
twist of Phlebas’ life is the death by water and the narrator's plea of remembrance. He presumably dies by drowning in the deep sea. The narrator describes
Phlebas’ floating corpse and the culmination of his life at sea. The narrator
states, “As he rose and fell/ He passed the stages of his age and youth”
(316-317). Thus, the water that gave economic opportunity, prosperity, and purpose in life to
Phlebas also takes it away.
Furthermore, while his body continues to rot at sea, he eventually
reaches a whirlpool. The whirlpool is a representation of nothingness; anything
entering the vortex never returns. Hence, the body and labor of Phlebas washes
away into the unknown. As a result, there is no trace of his physical existence. In
addition, the narrator asks for individuals to remember Phlebas simply for his
superficial qualities of height and appearance. This form of remembrance
disregards the deeper and more meaningful qualities of Phlebas and illustrates the lack of concern
his society has when he cannot be a contributing member. Therefore, Phlebas’
society considers him a replaceable commodity, whose height and appearance
remain his only distinguishable and memorable qualities toward existence.
I think this is a really great close reading. You focused in on one particular idea and developed it really well. My question only question is, how does the story of Phlebas tie into the rest of the poem?
ReplyDeleteMike,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your in-depth analysis of the poem. You did a fantastic job of unpacking quotes from the poem and explaining the deeper meaning behind them. My only input would be to add a little bit to the intro paragraph and to end with a proper conclusion paragraph. Your intelligent and thoughtful interpretation has been a pleasure to read.
Mike,
ReplyDeleteI have to commend you for tackling such a lengthy and (for me) confusing poem and giving a solid focus for your piece. I think your close reading of quotes and plot was definitely your strength, but my suggestion would be to possibly make more of an argument if possible. Overall, great work!
I think you did a great job with doing a close reading of this poem. I thought that you portrayed your argument in an organized way and allowed your thesis statement to be read throughout the entire piece. I thought that you focused on one topic of the poem rather than trying to tackle the entire poem. I think that you brought out such a simple element of the poem and brought out the more metaphorical qualities of it. Water can be such a simple term, but here you exemplified how water can act as an economic significance and also how it brings about death and life. Great job!
ReplyDeleteMike,
ReplyDeleteYour close reading is interesting and well-thought out. You did a great job honing in on a single topic to focus on, and your argument is solid. My suggestions for you would be to a.) provide evidence for your claims about phoenicians in the first body paragraph so the reader doesn't think you're generalizing/making it up, and b.) consider adding a short concluding paragraph to really connect all the points you're making. Overall, solid piece! I think you'll do well.
Mike, I enjoyed reading your essay and I liked the focus on Phlebas' life and how it cycles around water. I agree with Rachel, a conclusion paragraph that would wrap your ideas up and reiterate your topic might be beneficial for your argument.
ReplyDeleteMike,
ReplyDeleteI really like that you chose to focus on the poem. I think you need to go into more detail of the economic significance and opportunity of the water. You present the idea but you don't go into much detail. I also you should add a quick conclusion paragraph so close it out.
Mike,
ReplyDeleteI liked your essay and thought you produced some thought-provoking connections within the text. I think a conclusion paragraph would help tie all of your points together and add more assertion to your argument.
I agree with others that you did a nice job focusing on one section of a very long and confusing poem. The claims you make really bring light to that section and make it more understandable. However, I do agree with Rachel that you need to provide evidence for your knowledge on the Phoenicians. Other than that, good job.
ReplyDeleteMike, I like it. I really appreciate close, thought-out readings of a small selection of text like this. The second paragraph especially is real solid in analyzing specific words. I think you could talk more about the idea that the narrator is not only asking the audience to remember Phlebas out of respect, but to also consider that they (we?), despite being tall and handsome now, will eventually end up dead and gone like Phlebas too.
ReplyDeleteI think you did a great job addressing your topic here. I really enjoyed the number of angles you took to analyzing the element of water here, and what it meant for Phlebas. As others have already stated, I think a concluding paragraph would really tie this wonderful piece together.
ReplyDeleteLike everyone else, I would like to start by saying this was great. The focus is clear and keeps me right with it until the end. I think it could be a little bit more argumentative. You do a phenomenal job unpacking quotes and close reading so I'd like to see you take it in a bold direction.
ReplyDeleteThis was a really interesting close read. I enjoyed your analysis of the water. However, I wasn't totally sure about your argument until your last sentence. To remedy this, perhaps you could add a bit more to introduce your idea at the beginning. Other than that, great work!
ReplyDeleteThis was a great reading of such a packed poem. I like that you focus on one smaller part, because it might be too short of an assignment to consider the whole text. Although, I think you should argue why this part is important. What is its significance to the poem? To the audience? Why is this reading important?
ReplyDeleteGreat job :)
Focusing on one section of the poem and not getting caught up in the immense complexity of the whole thing was certainly a good call, but at the end I still have a sense of, "So what?" Perhaps it's just me, but while you don't have to go through and pick apart to entire poem to make your analysis fit in with the whole, I still don't completely understand why Phlebas and water really to the poem as a whole.
ReplyDeleteI like that you chose to focus on one specific section of The Waste Land, rather than trying to do something more comprehensive. Your analysis of the couple of passages you picked out was done nicely. Something for consideration: if the whirlpool wipes away Phlebas' existence, what do we do with the narrator's attempts to make us remember him? Also, I know I just said that I liked the fact that you didn't attempt to work with the whole poem, but I think it's also important to consider the significance of this segment in relation to the poem as a whole. What about the description of Phlebas' death works with the overall theme?
ReplyDeleteI commend you for picking apart such a complex piece. Your supports to your argument were easy to follow. However, I would suggest to take more of a stand/argument with your thesis, to me it read as more of a statement. Also, a concluding paragraph would be a great addition as well.
ReplyDeleteI think your reading of water and the sea in this story is on point. It was extremely well thought out and you gave concise textual evidence to support your claims. I like the birth and death of the water and the significance it had within the poem. I agree that it could take more of a stance.
ReplyDeleteLike everyone else, I would like to say that this was really well written and thought out! I would like you to push it a little bit further... maybe develop more of an argument, giving it more of the "so what" factor. Honestly, though, I really liked your post. Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteGreat close reading and I really like your analysis. What is the argument and how does it tie into the rest of the poem? What is the significance? Great job though!
ReplyDeleteI really like that you took a simple aspect of water to explain a theme/trope in a long poem. I would like to see you further explain your argument by expanding on the analysis of the evidence.
ReplyDeleteYou've produced a well written close reading and I enjoy your analysis of water within the Wasteland as you look at the ironic roles it played within Phelba's life. I think that you also did a great job of introducing your topic/argument early on and continuing to focus on and reference it throughout your entire piece. Your last sentence about Phelba's society considering him to be a "replaceable commodity" also caught my attention and I'd like to see you expound more on that idea.
ReplyDeleteYou've done a very good job establishing your focus and maintaining it throughout your essay. I do agree a conclusion and some more information would be helpful.
ReplyDeleteCool close reading, considering it was quite a confusing piece to work with. I liked that it seemed like you took a lot of time to consider your thesis and put together a well thought out reading. I would add a bit more to your introduction and throw a few more pieces of evidence (quotes) in for added emphasis of your argument.
ReplyDeleteGreat reading! I agree with others that a conclusion is needed to reiterate your argument yet I think it is a great start in that Elliot focuses on economy being the face of death to include water is great than in the loss of water is the loss of economy and the loss of life yet the presence of water can also be the leader of our death. It's seemingly a circular cycle.
ReplyDeleteYou did a great close reading and did a really nice job of analyzing the implications for the arguments you made. I think it might be interesting to tie this section into the rest of the poem, and see what comes up there.
ReplyDeleteI really liked you thesis and argument. It was interesting. I would only suggest more of a concluding thought that explicitly states the importance.
ReplyDeleteAn interesting read, but I'd like to see you complicate the issue a little more. For instance, if you look back at you're last paragraph, you do an excellent job of taking the reader from one thought to the next (signaling these transitions by using words like, "thus, furthermore, hence, as a result" etc. But this leaves little room for the reader to question what you're saying and really think critically. Is there a way you could complicate this a little more for the reader?
ReplyDelete