- Mar 2021
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human.libretexts.org human.libretexts.org
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And would it have been worth it, after all, After the cups, the marmalade, the tea, Among the porcelain, among some talk of you and me, Would it have been worth while, To have bitten off the matter with a smile, To have squeezed the universe into a ball To roll it towards some overwhelming question, To say: “I am Lazarus, come from the dead, Come back to tell you all, I shall tell you all” If one, settling a pillow by her head Should say: “That is not what I meant at all; That is not it, at all.”
It seems as though he is feeling regret here, and rightfully so. He should have more confidence, bravery, and courage. You only live once. No?
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Am an attendant lord, one that will do To swell a progress, start a scene or two, Advise the prince; no doubt, an easy tool, Deferential, glad to be of use, Politic, cautious, and meticulous;
Here the speaker tells how he is not important and is merely a tool for the important people. He acknowledges that it is his role in life to serve the important people and stay out of their way. He feels it is not his place to ask existential questions. He also feels that if he were to ask, he would be misunderstood.
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And I have seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker, And in short, I was afraid.
From these lines I got the sense that the speaker has given up on trying to change himself and the world. He feels like the presence of death makes a fool of him and he accepts it. He allows the "eternal footman" to snicker at him and the speaker feels afraid but does not fight to change.
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Do I dare Disturb the universe?
To me these lines are asking if one person has the bravery to try and change the universe. The speaker seems to feel hopeless and that he has no control over his own fate. He watches himself grow old. He knows that he is capable of changing how he views the world but he isn't sure if he is brave enough to.
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Till human voices wake us, and we drown.
This was the most concerning line as it makes me believe that the author has fully accepted a death as he is. I feel as if I am missing something however, and that it cannot possibly be that simple.
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I have measured out my life with coffee spoons; I know the voices dying with a dying fall
I chose this line because of the thought of measuring out your life seems like quite a sad thing. It makes me think that the narrator does not quite value his own life. It also makes me think that the narrator is currently over the hill, and thinks that death is coming.
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The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes, The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window-panes,
I chose this line as I don't quite understand what is meant by yellow fog, it's quite confusing. It has provoked my thoughts as to what is meant by yellow fog.
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And indeed there will be time To wonder, “Do I dare?” and, “Do I dare?”
I wonder what he means by "Do I dare?" Does it have any meaning in the poem, or does mean something to the reader? It makes me wonder what he's daring for.
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In the room the women come and go Talking of Michelangelo.
This line comes up twice. I wonder why Eliot keeps on referring to this. Why is Michelangelo important here? It makes me think that it supposed to give context to the situation.
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Oh, do not ask, “What is it?” Let us go and make our visit.
This line makes me wonder about the situation that is happening, like what does he mean by, "What is it?" It just makes me feel weird inside.
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nerdybookclub.wordpress.com nerdybookclub.wordpress.com
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ll children deserve access to their full promise through the improved opportunities literacy provides.
all children should have the opportunity to change their future and their view on the world through reading. Children in poverty especially should be given the opportunity to read as an escape and a form of evidence that they have the power to improve upon their lives
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Books as gifts. Books as escape. Books as shield. Books as solace. Books as education. Books as self-agency
Books were used as a way for the speaker to get through their childhood and all of the difficulties that they faced. Reading was an escape mechanism and a way to be alone and safe
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