Poem Departure and Arrival (T S Eliot) Summary Imp Qs Ref Explanation

Poem Departure and Arrival (T S Eliot) Summary Imp Qs Ref Explanation

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Poem:

Standing upon the shore of all we know
We linger for a moment doubtfully,
Then with a song upon our lips, sail we
Across the harbor bar--no chart to show
No light to warn of rocks which lie below,
But let us yet put forth courageously,

Although the path be tortuous and slow,
Although it bristles with a thousand fears,
To hopeful eye of youth it still appears
A lane by which the rose and hawthorn grow
We hope it may be, would that we might know;
Would we might look into the future years.

Great duties call--the twentieth century
More grandly dowered than those which came before,
Summons--who knows what time may hold in store
Or what great deed the distant years may see,
What conquest over pain and misery,
What heroes greater than were ever of yore.

But if this century is to be most great
Than those before, her sons must make her so
And we are of her sons, and we must go
With eager hearts to help mould well her fate,
And see that she shall gain such proud estate
And shall on future centuries bestow.

A legacy of benefits--may we
In future years be found with those who try
To labour for the good until they die,
And ask no other question than to know
That they have helped the cause to victory,
That with their aid the flag is raised in high.

Sometimes in distant years when we are grown
Gray--haired and old, whatever be our lot,
We shall desire to see again the spot
Which whatsoever we have been or done
Or to what distant lands we may have gone,
Through all the years will never have been forget

T. S. Eliot

Anglo-American poet; born St Louis, Missouri 26 September 1888, died London 4 January 1965.

Thomas Stearns Elliot was educated at Harvard, the Sorbonne and Oxford. In London he taught for a while in Highgate School, then worked in Lloyd's Bank. Prufrock and Other Observations (1917) established him as an important poet with an ironic tone and a gift for urban images. The Waste Land (1922) is one -- of the greatest triumphs of the modernist movement-erudite, allusive, thematically profound in its concept of culture. As a publisher, critic and poet, Eliot--who became a naturalised British subject--had an enormous impact on modern literature. In East Coker, from Four Quartets (1943), He evoked: 'a lifetime burning in every movement, further claimed: 'In my beginning is my end.' This line is inscribed on T.S. Eliot's grave-stone.

Idea of Poem:

The most remarkable quality of Eliot's this early poem is his faith in idealism and optimism coupled with courage and fortitude which inspires us to accept the most formidable of the challenges of life. Eliot urges us to set high goals and strive undauntedly, guided bu our vision and sublime ideals. Nations and individuals wither away and perish without vision. Planning before, performance after, one's departure,--struggle to make this world a better place according to our lights is rewarding in itself. 'whatsoever' whosoever and howsoever we have been or have done.

Word                           Meaning

Tortuous                       full of twists and turns-circuitous

Dowered                      gifted

Introduction

This poem welcomes the twentieth century after the departure of nineteenth century. The most remarkable quality of the poem is the faith of the poet in the better future of the world. The post is an idealist and asks people to be courageous and brave for facing the new challenges of the new times. He urges people to set high goals before them and work hard for their achievements through thick and thin.

Summary

When we reach the end of our present knowledge, we hesitate for a moment because of the uncertainty of the future. We sing a song to encourage ourselves and then start our journey anew although we do not have a full awareness of the future which is like an uncharted sea or ocean. We wish that it would be better if we knew what is hidden in the lap of the future. We are afraid sometimes of the unknown fearful things. But we do not lose hope and try to find a rosy way into future inspite of the uncertain circumstances.

We have a lot of work to do. The twentieth century is calling us with greater gifts in its lap for us than the former century. We have to win victory over pain and misery in the new century and it is we who are going to fill it with greatness, with such a greatness that the next centuries would feel grateful to it.

The process may be very difficult and tedious and some of us may lose even their lives in it, yet the flag of the human progress must be flown at a height continuously and it should never be let down. When we go on and on into future, we will become old. Still our struggle will be a reward in itself and whenever we see the footprints we left, we will be pleased.

Important Questions 

Question No 1. Bring out the important qualities of the poem "Departure and Arrival" by T. S. Elliot. Or Write the Critical Appreciation of the poem.

Ans. It is a poem with a message for mankind. It is a poem written at the departure and 19th and the arrival of 20th century but it is a poem of all times. The poet has encouraged man to move on and on forever. He tells man that the greatness and grandeur of all the future lies in the continuous struggle by him with steadfastness.

The poem is about man's nature and destiny. It is a valuable and great subject matter which lies embodies in the poem. We find poet's faith in idealism and optimism coupled with a call for courage and fortitude. It is due to these two qualities that we as human beings get inspiration for accepting even the most difficult and seemingly impossible challenges of life. The poet, in a way, tells us what our motto should be in the wake of every difficulty.

The poet asks us to realize the vision before us. It is quite necessary for success to have a vision before us. Those nations (as well as) individuals who do not have any vision perish and wither away with the outward rush of time. It is our duty to work for the achievement of that which we (once) have adopted for us. Our performance will be judged by the future generations by our nearness to our goal. Journey towards our goal with courage and steadfastness is the message of the poet. And it is very valuable  message!

With the arrival of every new century, a new duty is assigned, that of making the world a better place than before. With the arrival of every new day, week, month, year, century, our duty should be fulfilled honourably by us. We may die in the struggle for betterment but this struggle is its own reward.

The theme of the poem has been presented in a serious classical style, with the use of similes here and there. The uncertainty of future has been termed in the following forceful way:

... no chart to show

No light to warn of rocks which lie below (lines 4, 5)

and Although it bristles with a thousand fears (line 8)

but there is an equal hope as:

To hopeful eye of youth it still appears

A lane by which the rose and hawthorn grow (lines 9, 10)

The theme of the poem is a heavy one but straightforward and it has been dealt with in a realistic way.

The poem has been written in didactic style, asking us to have courage and work. But we may call it by the name of an Ode which has been written in Haration method, having regular stanzas and each stanza having a fixed metrical and rhyming form and pattern. The poem consists of six stanzas having 6 lines each. Rhyme scheme of the poem is a b b a a b except for line no. 28 which does not have the regular rhyme but remains unrhymed with c nowhere else used in the poem. Each line has 5 feet with the exception of a few lines that add or miss a syllable. There seems to be various modification in stress but the majority of the feet is iambic. Majority of the lines is end-stopped with no enjambment. The words are often polysyllabic, except line no. 21 which totally consists of monosyllabic words and creates a sort of marching tune:

And we are of her sons, and we must go.

The poem is catelectic as it is a literary work of the poet that tends to be detached or detachable from the main body of his work that has such famous things as Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, East Cooker, Murder in the Cathedral and Waste Land etc. Anyhow it is a though-provoking poem.

Question No 2. "Departure and Arrival" by T. S. Eliot is a poem with message - discuss.

Ans. "Departure and Arrival" by T/ S/ Eliot is poem with a message. It tells us to have a vision and a goal before us. It tells us to work continuously and enthusiastically for the achievement. It tells us not to be afraid of the new challenges which every new day bring for us. We should face these challenges with bravery and courage. We should have our idealism and optimistic attitude.

The poem gives us the message of working selflessly for the betterment of future. We should not work only for victory. Everybody does not win victory. Some people have to sacrifice their lives for the betterment of the humanity. When the future generations would come, they should recognize these sacrifices. Having worked for the betterment of future generations is a reward in itself and we must take this assignment of working for future with smiling face and courageous heart.

The poem has a positive message for us and we must try to learn the lesson of devotion to work from this poem of T. S. Eliot.

Question No 3. Read the poem carefully and write a not on Eliot's idealism and commitment to ensure a bright future for man.

Ans. The poem "Departure and Arrival" by T. S. Eliot tells us about his idealism and commitment to ensure a bright future of man. Eliot has a staunch faith in idealism and optimism for us. But he joins his idealism and optimism with courage and fortitude. We must set high goals before us to be achieved by us in our coming future. We must have a continuous inspiration to accept the most formidable challenges of our future life.

Eliot asks us to set high goals and ideals before us for future and then strive undauntedly and bravely for their achievement. In this courageous journey, we will be guided by our vision and noble/sublimes ideals.

According to Eliot, it is our moral obligations to leave the world better than we had received from our ancestors. We may live or we may die in this struggle. Success is not necessary. But continuous struggle is that which is required of us. The future world will judge us not on the basis of our success but on the basis of our continuous sincere struggle.

Question No 4. Wordsworth has defined poetry as "a spontaneous over-flow of powerful feelings". Do you find this quality in Eliot's poem?

Ans. William Wordsworth has defined poetry in his Preface to Lyrical Ballads as "a spontaneous over-flow of powerful feelings." But when we go through this poem by Eliot, we find that it is not a spontaneous over-flow of powerful feelings. In fact, it is an intellectual type of poem. It has been written in a classical, not a romantic style. The poet has a serious message to give us: "Work seriously and steadfastly for the betterment of the future". And he embodies this message in such a way as to influence us so much that we begin to believe that it is a useful message that poet is giving us.

Reference:

These lines have been taken from the poem Departure and Arrival written by T. S. Eliot.

Context:

The poet in this poem says that man should keep in view his departure right at his arrival in the world. He should determine objects of his life and work for them. Man should leave a better world before his departure to the next world. As sons of the twentieth century we should set good examples for the coming generation, so that we may be remembered forever. We must struggle to make the future better, before we start for our destination. The poem shows Eliot?s faith in idealism and optimism.

Explanation:

Stanza: 1

Standing upon the shore of all we know
We linger for a moment doubtfully,
Then with a song upon our lips, sail we
Across the harbor bar--no chart to show
No light to warn of rocks which lie below,
But let us yet put forth courageously,

In these lines the poet has compared life to a sea. He says that while standing upon the shore of the sea of life, we delay for a few moments and ponder over the situation for sometime, doubtfully. This we do for what we know about the previous life of our forefathers. After that we take heart and cheerfully sail across the harbour by crossing its limits. Then we have no guide map to show us of the dangers of rocks that lie below water. Even then, we start our journey very courageously. The sea of life is full of dangers and threats but we start our life even if we do not know about them.

Stanza: 2

Although the path be tortuous and slow,
Although it bristles with a thousand fears,
To hopeful eye of youth it still appears
A lane by which the rose and hawthorn grow
We hope it may be, would that we might know;
Would we might look into the future years.

In the given lines the poet says that although the path of life is slow, troublesome and zigzag, although it is full of countless fears, yet it appears to the hopeful eye of our young generation, very colourful. It is like a street, on both sides of which hawthorn flowers and roses have grown and the street is red and beautiful. We hope it may be so. But it never happens that life is always colourful. Would that we might know about the future life, but we cannot predict the nature of our future life. We do not have certain knowledge of the future years.

Stanza: 3

Great duties call--the twentieth century
More grandly dowered than those which came before,
Summons--who knows what time may hold in store
Or what great deed the distant years may see,
What conquest over pain and misery,
What heroes greater than were ever of yore.

Many great duties devolve upon the 20th century. These duties are even more important than those granted to the previous age. These duties call upon us to be more responsible, because no body knows what has been written in our fate. So no body knows what we can give to the future life in terms of good and great deeds. No body knows whether, we will overcome the pains and miseries of our future life. Also no body knows whether 20th century will create heroes greater and better than those of the olden times (19th century). But we hope that the future years will bring us better conditions and heroes.

Stanza: 4

But if this century is to be most great
Than those before, her sons must make her so
And we are of her sons, and we must go
With eager hearts to help mould well her fate,
And see that she shall gain such proud estate
And shall on future centuries bestow.

In the given lines the poet assures that if they (people of twentieth century) have to make the 20th century greater than the past ones, its inhabitants will have to work hard with eager and willing hearts to help make its destiny shining. They should work hard for the better future of their own century and see that this century achieves proud estate and then, this century should bequeath its best estate to the future centuries.

Stanza: 5

A legacy of benefits--may we
In future years be found with those who try
To labour for the good until they die,
And ask no other question than to know
That they have helped the cause to victory,
That with their aid the flag is raised in high.

The 20th century should produce a legacy of advantages and benefits and bestow it upon the coming century. So that the sons of this century are counted among those who have been trying and labouring hard for good of their century till their death. And that the people of the coming century may not ask any other question than to know that people of 20th century have helped making their future glorious. And they have raised their flag and of the coming century, to height.

Stanza: 6

Sometimes in distant years when we are grown
Gray--haired and old, whatever be our lot,
We shall desire to see again the spot
Which whatsoever we have been or done
Or to what distant lands we may have gone,
Through all the years will never have been forget 

In these lines the poet says that some time in future years when the people of 20th century have gone grey and have become old, by then, they will desire to see that place again which they have left behind. They will like to see what-ever changes they have brought or whatever has been done for the betterment of the coming century by them shall be recommended. This makes no difference even if people of 20th century live no more and have gone to the unknown places (have died) they will like not to be forgotten in any age because of their good deeds for the future generation.