Decoding "The Burial of the Dead"

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(Figure 4: Recurring Terms in the Biblical Allusions of "The Burial of the Dead")
(Figure 4: Recurring Terms in the Biblical Allusions of "The Burial of the Dead")
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<iframe width="760" height="520" src="http://voyant-tools.org/tool/TypeFrequenciesChart/?corpus=1355170727460.5352&stopList=1355170806695mq&type=idols&type=broken&type=evil&type=forsaken&mode=corpus"></iframe></html>
 
<iframe width="760" height="520" src="http://voyant-tools.org/tool/TypeFrequenciesChart/?corpus=1355170727460.5352&stopList=1355170806695mq&type=idols&type=broken&type=evil&type=forsaken&mode=corpus"></iframe></html>
  
Since the books of the Bible are arranged in the order that Eliot uses them at the bottom, the change over time is remarkable.  It begins with the introduction of "evil," or perhaps, the beginning of evil's reign, and creates a huge proliferation of idols.  Of course, the worship of idols breaks one of the commandments, and it appears, according to the chart, that Eliot's usage of [[Isaiah 2]] and [[Ezekiel 6]] (where the most frequent usages of "idols" occur) indicates that he believes his own time to be one of idolatry.  Looking at [[Isaiah 2]], the sort of idolatry occurring in the scriptures would certain resonate with Eliot.  [[Isaiah 2]]:7-8 wshows idolatry to be an obsession with wealth, and a worship of the arts as a means of boosting an artist's ego--both would appeal to Eliot.
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Since the books of the Bible are arranged in the order that Eliot uses them at the bottom, the change over time is remarkable.  It begins with the introduction of "evil," or perhaps, the beginning of evil's reign, and creates a huge proliferation of idols.  Of course, the worship of idols breaks one of the commandments, and it appears, according to the chart, that Eliot's usage of [[Isaiah 2]] and [[Ezekiel 6]] (where the most frequent usages of "idols" occur) indicates that he believes his own time to be one of idolatry.  Looking at [[Isaiah 2]], the sort of idolatry occurring in the scriptures would certain resonate with Eliot.  [[Isaiah 2]]:7-8 shows idolatry to be an obsession with wealth, and a worship of the arts as a means of boosting an artist's ego--both would appeal to the times.  The transition from idols to "broken," however, shows that God has already begun the process of breaking man's idols.  In [[Ezekiel 6]], in fact, God makes the mountains of Israel a "Waste Land," in his wrath, as a means of humbling and frightening the Israelites into penance.  It would appear, then, that "The Burial of the Dead" indicates that this process has already begun.
  
 
=='''Biblical Allusions'''==
 
=='''Biblical Allusions'''==

Revision as of 09:54, 13 December 2012

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