The Waste Land Analysis of The Literary Devices in [PDF]

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Analysis of the Literary Devices in “The Waste Land” Literary devices, a significant part of any literary piece, are used to highlight hidden meanings. Through “The Waste Land,” T. S. Eliot brings clarity and richness to this poem using appropriate devices. The analysis of some of the literary devices is given below. 

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Metaphor: There are three major metaphors in the poem. The first one is used in the first stanza where it is stated, “April is the cruelest month.” April represents cruelty and brings change which is a source of pain for the people. The second metaphor is used in the third section of the poem, “a rat crept softly through the vegetation / Dragging its slimy belly on the bank.” Here rat represents the war and its aftermaths. The third extended metaphor is used in section five “Cracks and reforms and bursts in the violet air / Falling towers / Jerusalem Athens Alexandria / Vienna London / Unreal.” These cities show the destruction of cultural and traditional values. Personification: Personification is used to show human-like quality for inanimate objects. The first is used in the third section where the poet has compared the musical sound made by a mandolin to a whining sound of a human being. The second example is in also in the third section where he personifies the sound of utensils coming from the restaurant with human conversation. The third example of personification is in the last part where he personifies river by giving it a human attribute “of sweaty oil and tor.” Irony: Irony is a figure of speech that states the opposite meanings of the situation being discussed. Similarly, the poet presents irony in the very first line where he says that “April is the cruelest month”. April is a pleasant spring month but has become cruel as it brings the war memory back. Simile: A simile is a device used to compare two different objects. There are two similes in the poem such as, “The Chair she sat in, like a burnished throne” / “Turn upward from the desk, when the human engine waits, Like a taxi throbbing waiting.” Onomatopoeia: It is defined as a word which mimics the natural sounds of a thing which makes the description interesting and appealing. Eliot has used this device in the section of the poem called “The Fire Sermon “twit, twit, twit” / “jug, jug, jug.” Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds such as the sound of /y/ in “year to year” and /t/ sound in “twit, twit, and twit” and “time to time.”

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Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line such as the sound of /i/ in “little life with dried “and sound of /a/ in “a wicked pack of cards” and /o/ sound in “a crowed flowed over London Bridge.” Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of the same consonant sounds in the same lines of the poetry such as the use of /t/ sound in “Twit, twit, twit” and /g/ in “jug, jug, jug.

Analysis of Poetic Devices in “The Waste Land” Poetic Devices refer to those techniques a poet uses to bring uniqueness in his text. The analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem is given below. 1. Stanza: A stanza is a poetic device comprising a different number of verses. There is no fixed stanza type in this poem. Each section has various stanzas with a varying number of lines. The first section has four, second has three stanzas, while three have eight and so on. However, what is interesting is that there is no proper rhyme scheme or a set number of verses in each stanza. 2. Blank Verse: “The Waste Land” does not contain any specific rhyme scheme; it is rather written in blank verse. Eliot has also used chunks from different songs in a different section with specific meters to make his poem melodious at some points and rugged at other points. 3. Enjambment: Enjambment refers to a phrase that is carried over a linebreak without a major pause. Similarly, “The Waste Land” comes up with many examples where Eliot has continued the verses without any appropriate pause such as; “April is the cruelest month, breeding Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing Memory and desire, stirring Dull roots with spring rain.” 4. Scansion: It refers to a poem that does not follow a traditional or patterned meter. Eliot has not used any set meter pattern in this poem, making it a good scansion.

5. Repetition: There is a repetition of the verses, “HURRY UP PLEASE ITS TIME” and “Datta. Dayadhvam. Damyata.” Eliot enhances the musical quality of his poem with the help of repetition. The analysis shows that “The Waste Land” though, seems a simple depiction of confused modern culture, points out the miserable condition of humanity reeling under materialism.

Quotes for Usage from “The Waste Land” 

These lines can be quoted when teaching the children about deserts and sandy areas. There is no water in the deserts and only sand rocks. For example, “no water” would shed light on no possibility of life and “sandy rocks” deceive weary travelers and doesn’t offer help.

“Here is no water but only rock Rock, and no water and the sandy rock.” 

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The same lines could also be used to teach about global warming by directly referring to the poem and its title of “The Waste Land.”