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Sun 6 Mar, 2005 12:20 pm
I'm wondering what exactly the "red rock" is
What are the roots that clutch, what branches grow
Out of this stony rubbish? Son of man,
You cannot say, or guess, for you know only
A heap of broken images, where the sun beats,
And the dead tree gives no shelter, the cricket no relief,
And the dry stone no sound of water. Only
There is shadow under this red rock,
(Come in under the shadow of this red rock),
And I will show you something different from either
Your shadow at morning striding behind you
Or your shadow at evening rising to meet you;
I'm pretty sure it's a reference to Isaiah 32:2
And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.
I can't put 2 and 2 together though
Jay, welcome to A2K. I think The Waste Land is probably one of the most difficult of Thomas Stern's poems.
There are many allusions to both mythology and the Mayerling affair. Perhaps if you would post the stanza in question in its entirety, it would be easier to review,
red rock11
I agree with the Isaiah reference.
And Christ the Rock is generally supposed to be a positive thing...
But I'm not sure he isn't the "bloody man" as well as the "prince of peace".
I think "red" is associated with "bloody". And that prince of peace also said I have come not to bring peace but a sword, Matt 10 and Micah 7.
T.S. Elliot
Letty wrote:Jay, welcome to A2K. I think The Waste Land is probably one of the most difficult of Thomas Stern's poems.
There are many allusions to both mythology and the Mayerling affair. Perhaps if you would post the stanza in question in its entirety, it would be easier to review,
I agree the Wasteland is difficult, it has many allusions. Thomas Stern, did I miss anything? I thought it was T.S. Elliot's poem encouraged by Ezra Pound?
Hi, Angel. Thomas Sterns Eliot is his full name. (I may have misspelled it).
I'm not certain what you mean about encouragement from Ezra Pound, however.
Thank you Letty,
I knew I had missed something. Well Ezra Pound, I read encouraged T.S. Elliot, and a few other contemporaries to write some of their poems.
AE
Angel, Ezra Pound was funny, and brilliant. I'm not certain, but I think he was one of the members of the Lost Generation, but I must verify that. This has been an enjoyable exchange, thanks to the creator of this thread.
Lost Generation
Your right Letty, here is some information.
http://users.rowan.edu/~lindman/lost_generation.html
AE
The red rock in The Wasteland
Alongwith the other images in the poem,the red rock should be taken as a negative image.Red rock is a part of the wasteland where only cactus grows.Red rock is bare and infertile.
I'll agree with that. Nothing else makes much sense in his poetry, for me! I have to read the Love Song of Profrock as well. Eliot's stuff is depressing. he juxtaposes beauty with death a lot. What do you think of his stuff?
ooops, i meant Prufrock, sorry.