When I began to read T.S. Eliot's work as our assigned reading this week, I was pleasantly surprised with the familiarity that his writings bring. There seems to be a consistent beat, as well as a bit of rhyming within the lines. Several times within his works, Eliot mentions Ezra Pound. Was Pound a mentor or guiding counsel of Eliot's? Did Eliot purposefully allow Pound to influence him, or did it happen naturally?
Specifically on Eliot's poem, Gerontion, Pound had a great influence. In the Anthology footnote about the title of the poem, it says "Gerontion, from a Greek term for "an old man." Eliot had once intended this poem to serve as a prologue to The Waste Land, but Ezra Pound persuaded him to publish it separately." In the details as small as the title, Pound had an influence, what does this say about Eliot's poems?
Within the lines of Gerontion, Eliot writes in a sense of nostalgia. He writes this poem from the vantage point of an older man who desires to relive his younger days through a younger boy. The rhythm in the poem shows a sense of wisdom and sophistication within the words of the poem. The older man seems to be "flashing back" to his younger years, and by doing this, is writing a legacy for future generations to dwell on.
"After such knowledge, what forgiveness? Think now
History has many cunning passages, contrived corridors
And issues, deceives with whispering ambitions,
Guides us by vanities. Think now"
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