Decoding "The Burial of the Dead"

Here, Voyeur Tools provides a basic way of visualizing the very interesting thematic diversions of "The Burial of the Dead" from the "[[Order for the Burial of the Dead]]."  The key terms--"life," "eternal," "dead," and "death"--are all related in a Judeo-Christian resurrection of the eternal soul.  As the chart shows, in the "Order for the Burial of the Dead," which includes many passages from the Bible underscoring death as a sort of stopping point to the next stage of life (such as [[1 Corinthians 15]]: 20-22 " But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept.  For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive."), the four terms are closer together and almost overlap entirely, with life occurring more frequently than any other term.  The "Order" promises life, even after death, and the service is for the living, who have to continue living on without the deceased.   

Alternatively, in "Burial of the Dead," the word "dead" outstrips all other terms, "life" goes down in importance, "eternal" does not occur at all, and "death" stays the same as it did in the "Order."  More emphasis is place on the individual dead, and on being dead, than on those who are left behind.  Even the few live people that Eliot includes in the poem seem to be haunted by a proliferation of the dead.