Whimpered Dreams in the Twentieth-Century Literature - Essay Example

Whimpers and Dreams Introduction As I reviewed the readings from this term I saw a panorama of whimpered dreams. I do not mean that the work is not magnificent or that it is weak or apologetic, but that writers may not be enough to save the world. They saved my world, as I used books as a haven while growing up. However, I recall the ending of one of my all time favorite poems, The Hollow Men, by T.S. Eliot. Some of the speeches we read this term were heroic. The poems and stories ranged from incredulous examination of the world around us to the demoralizing look inside the tortured human soul. In spite of the full range of human feelings in all these works none of them managed to shout loud enough to save the Dodo bird, the Buffalo and most of the world’s rain forests. Perhaps, as much pleasure and deep thought they bring, they are still only voices in the wilderness. They echo while the glaciers melt and the mighty polar bear nears extinction. Analysis of Some Related Work Thomas Stearnes Eliot wrote one poem which influenced me at a very young age. The imagery in The Hollow Men (1925) was so vivid and the voice was so strong, in spite of its desperate warning. It is strange to think that it became popular when the biggest fear was “the bomb”. Now we have interesting wars as far from home as possible, and most of the countries of the world have banded together to keep anyone from getting “the bomb’” who might actually use it. This poem points out how ineffectual we humans are in spite of our ability to cause horrendous destruction and death. He says we are empty (the hollow men, line 1), ineffectual (headpiece filled with straw/our dry voices crackle like/wind in dry grass /or rats feet on broken glass/ in our dry cellars) (Eliot 1925) This poem is strong and heavy, filled with despair. The rhythm punctuates his statements, and the imagery makes us think about a wasted land after war. However, it is not violence he dreads, but simple inaction. Thus the ending: “This is the way the world ends…..not with a bang, but a whimper. Sadly this is often what we see. All the slaves were freed more than 150 years ago. Yet, it took more than 100 years before we even began seeing negro faces on television or in movies in other than demeaning roles. I have heard Dr. King’s speeches, especially the “I Have a Dream” speech, (1963) but I never heard or read any of those by Malcolm X. I thought of him as inherently violent, because the media reported this. In his speech he mentions violence as a reaction, not a pre-emptive action. "Im nonviolent with those who are nonviolent with me. But when you drop that violence on me, then youve made me go insane, and Im not responsible for what I do.” (X, Malcolm 1964) He did urge reciprocal action, but his speech is much tamer than I would have expected. One major difference between his speaking and Dr. King’s is the references to America. Malcolm X speaks as if he wants to separate from America and Dr. King reminds us that he is American and all citizens of color are American. Malcolm X reminds us that legislation should not be necessary: “Why, if birth made you American, you wouldnt need any legislation, you wouldnt need any amendments to the Constitution, you wouldnt be faced with civil-rights filibustering in Washington, D.C., right now." (X, Malcolm 1964) Dr. Kings speaks of “our nation”, with his “Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.” (King 1963) In reading Malcolm X’s speech, I feel that he is drawing the same line as whites did, but simply switching the black hats and the white hats. Malcolm X seems to be saying that all white people are bad, and this is just as racist as anything the white people ever did. Dr. King simply sounds more American and he definitely remained non-violent, which was proven to be a very powerful tool. It reminds us that he is demanding justice, not ransom, and that the people for whom he advocated are every bit as good and deserving as anyone else. He also advocated for an end to all discrimination on any basis, which made him different from Malcolm X who never seems to have mentioned any other group but blacks. I think it is sad that much of the artistry of ethnic people has been submerged for so long in America. Langston Hughes is a prime example. My parents never heard of him. Yet, his work is powerful and beautiful. I read more by him after reading what was assigned. I think he had a lot in common with Dr. King, “Theyll see how beautiful I am/And be ashamed--/I, too, am America.” (Hughes 1926) Yet he preceded the civil rights movement by more than a decade. Hughes’ imagery is vivid, his words simply and the impact is like a slap or a kiss. We feel both included and shamed when we read poems like I, Too, Sing America. (1926) This poem is simple and short. Hughes simply points out that he is treated badly, because his skin is darker. Some of his other work shows how he really was caught between the two cultures, black and white in the first half of the twentieth century. He moves between two voices in The Weary Blues (1926): an educated literary voice (“Droning a drowsy syncopated tune” 1926) which is from how he lived, and a “street voice” of the common black man of his time (“Aint got nobody but ma self.” 1926) , which is where he was from. Sometimes it adds a bit of confusion to his work, but I think it says something all its own about who he was and about the world in which he lived. Even though he came before, he bridges Malcolm X and Dr. King, and connects with both. Conclusions from the Readings It may seem that these works by Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr. and Langston Hughes have little in common with T.S. Eliot, but the connection is there. It is not because bad people went out and violently perpetrated injustice against minorities in America, (though that did happen sometimes), but that good people stood by and did nothing to change the non-violent injustice. I see that as Eliot’s “whimper”, and if we continue down this road, his prediction will come true. References Eliot, Thomas Stearnes, The Hollow Men, 1925, The Hollow Men , Dial. King, Dr. Martin Luther, 1963, Washington D.C. X, Malcolm, 1964, The Ballot or the Bullet, Cleveland, Ohio Hughes, Langston, 1926, I, Too, Sing America, The Weary Blues, http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15615 Hughes, Langston, 1926, The Weary Blues, The Weary Blues, http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15612 Read More