Blake Fletcher
AP English
The Waste Land Section 3
The third section of “The Waste Land” happens to be the longest of all the sections. Not only is it the longest but it might have the craziest form. Also, this may be the most provocative section of the poem. This whole section seems to have a very anti love theme. Also it starts out kind of dark and gloomy.
This section opens describing a riverbank which has rats scattered on it. Kind of a gloomy thought that doesn’t really set the mood for a romantic poem. Also, the colors used describe the banks are kind of off putting “The BROWN land” When I think romance I think white sand beaches. Also the discription of the rat walking along the riverbank is rather off putting “A rat crept softly through the vegetation Dragging its slimy belly on the bank.” The term slimy belly doesn’t really set the mood as a nice cruise down the river.
Now to the juicy part of the section, Tiresias shows up! Tiresias was the most famous ancient Greece prophet. He became a prophet because he at one point in his life had experienced what it was like to be a man and at another time in his life he had experienced what it was like to be a women. So Zeus and Hera called upon him to ask who experienced more pleasure in sex. Tiresias sided with Zeus and Hera got mad and cursed him blind. Zeus could not cure his illniss so he gave him the power of being a prophet.
It is odd that Tiresias, became a prophet because of his knowledge of sex and now is having visions of a girl possibly being raped. Tiresias being at one point man and at another point women clearly is not the find one person to love forever type which really matches the tone of the section of the poem.
Another place where the lust shines true is when Mr. Eugenides tries to pick up the speaker around line 210 when he asks the speaker to a hotel for the weekend. Is that really how you find love? Ask a random stranger to a hotel for a private weekend? I would have to say that this idea would have to be strictly lust.
In conclusion, I think that the main idea of this section of the poem could possibly be the lack of love in the world and that there is to much casual sex and rape.(the last sentence may be a tad extreme.) Althought the idea that somehow this is connected to Buddha somehow makes everything seem like there must be a deeper meaning to the words. Help?
Blake this is your best section on the Waste Land. The back story of Tiresias is well done, but you need to go further with the discussion of how it fits the poem. What is it ironic that Tiresias witnesses this scene? Also note that Tiresias was Odysseus guide through the dead in Hades. How does this fit? Note the scene is/ and is not a rape scene. At least not in the traditional sense.
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