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Comparing Eliot's Poems 'Marina And Gerontion'

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Compare and contrast the poems “Marina” and “Gerontion”, noting how they share certain modern techniques and themes Modernism is used to describe new and distinctive features in literature especially those features that emerged after World War I. Features signified by modernism are used differently with every user however their uses all involve diverting from traditional bases of Western art and culture (Abrams 167). Eliot, one of the most influential Modernist poets, experimented with new forms and new styles that caused disorder which was contrasted to a lost order and integration that he claimed had been based on the religion and myths of the cultural past (Abrams 168). This essay will compare and contrast Eliot’s poems “Marina” and “Gerontion” …show more content…

“Gerontion” is a dramatic monologue by an old man who is describing Europe after World War I. This poem explores themes that are always evident in majority of his works; however the focus in this essay will be on the theme of religion. Eliot presents the theme of religion from a Modernist perspective. His autopsy of religion most clearly begins in the line “In the juvenescence of the year / Came Christ the tiger” (Eliot 19). Juvenescence is often interpreted as meaning Easter or Christmas; it is the sign of new life. This “juvenescence of the year bring[s] about “...Christ the tiger” (Eliot 21). Using the word tiger is to describe Christ echoes the poem “The Tyger” by Blake, the description of Christ as a tiger evoke a sense of terror as well beauty. In Blake’s poem, he is hinting that perhaps God has a much darker,

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