Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Dying with a Dying Fall....

"I know the voices dying with a dying fall / Beneath the music from a farther room".  These two lines seem to have an almost musical quality to them. If one were to read these two lines aloud, one might be able to pick up a rising and falling rhythm. Along with this musical rhythm the word "music" is actually referred to thus solidifying a reference to something beyond the mere words on the page, to something more artistically abstract. Emotionally, these two lines are quite somber and downcast. He repeats dying and follows it with "fall" and "beneath" which coincides with the rising and falling rhythm I referred to previously. It is as if the music is the ideal place put the general "voices" cannot rise into this place and instead fall with a "dying fall" beneath the place of music.  Additionally, music could also be taken as a direct reference to an emotion of some sort.
He states that he "knows" the voices who are falling beneath the music. However, it is not clear whether he is part of these falling voices or if he has achieved the ideal of music.

3 comments:

  1. Efosaman, to be completely honest, upon reading these lines for the first time, i wouldn't have made the connection, analytically, that you did. great job, i was not only able to comprehend what these lines mean, but also understand the poem great as a whole. Overall, i think you did a good job on you paragraph, A-type work.

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  2. I like the fact that you recognize Eliot's musical style of poetry. I think that this is an uncommon way to analyze writing; however, your analysis still seems to have a profound effect in exploring the poem's quality. While the musical aspect of this poem proves to be a significant dimension of the poem, I would like to see you talk about how the musical aspects relate to other aspects of the poem such as the metaphorical language and allusions used within the poem.

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  3. As the others have said, your recognition of the poet's musical technique was very unique and impressive. I also liked how you explained specific words and the purpose of his diction. Good work Efosa

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