Thinking activity on T.S.Eliot :- Tradition and Individual Talent

(1) How would you like to explain Eliot 's concept of tradition ? Do you agree with it ?
 Ans  :-
         Yes, I agree with the concept of tradition given by Eliot in his essay.       Firstly  Eliot’s conception of tradition is dynamic one and it is constantly changing, growing and becoming different from what it was. He also says that Tradition is not slavish imitation of the past. And it cannot be obtained by hard labor. Tradition can be obtained by those who have the historical sense. And last we can say that Eliot in his essay criticizes the romantic and favors tradition.

2) What do you understand by historical sense?

Ans :-
       This historical sense which is a sense of the timeless as well as temporal and of the timeless and of the temporal together is what makes the writer traditional. The quote means what is the importance of tradition is always far from the immortal and timeless.
 3) What is the relationship between "Tradition" and "Individual Talent" according to the poet T.S.Eliot
 Ans :-
        According to T.S.Eliot,tradition has the image of particular genius minds.separately they contributes in traditional journey. In his creation they always depicts or rather involves the base & the flow of present time.they mostly try to be a member of present with the involvement of the past.

 4) Explain " Some can absorb knowledge the more tardy must sweat for it Shakespeare acquire more essential history from Plutarch than most men could from the whole British museum "
Ans :-
       Some can absorb knowledge, the more tardy must sweat for it. Shakespeare acquired more essential history from Plutarch than most men could from the whole British Museum". In this quote Eliot explain that to be a good poet one must have the common sense. It is not necessary for a poet to read all the literary history of the past but one has to have understanding of human nature. Like the Shakespeare who is not a university student or very educated fellow, but he easily understood everything which the university wits and his contemporary could not. In our Gujarati and Hindi literature there are examples like Narsinh Maheta, Mira, Kabir etc. who never went to school.

 5) Explain :" Honest criticism and sensitive appreciation is direct not upon poet but upon poetry".
 Ans :-
     This quotation shows that honest criticism means we enjoy, we criticizes, we appreciate or we may hate  only poem. It means we can not hate or love a poet. Only interpretation or criticizing  poem. Without knowing the name of the poet we try to understand and evaluate what are the elements in the poetry so here it is not important of poet but the poetry.

6) How would you like to explain Eliot 's theory of Depersonalization?  You can explain with the help of chemical reaction in presence of catalyst agent Platinum.    

  

 Ans :-
     Eliot's theory of depersonalization is related with the chemical process in this process person is not present in the poem and he is not important also. Poetry is not an expression but it is an escape from emotion.  In the chemical process platinum is the mind of the poet.  Oxygen is emotions. And Sulphur dioxide is the feeling of man. Here without platinum the process cannot possible. And even after the chemical process there is not presence of platinum found in it. So is that the poets mind’s presence is important for the creation of the poetry, but in poetry his mind does not reflected.

 7) Explain " Poetry is not turning to loose of Emotions but an escape from emotion it is not the expression of personality but escape from personality. "   

  Ans :-
       The poet has not a personality to express, but particular medium which is only a medium and not a personality. The intensity of the emotions, the components but the intensity of the artistic process. So to speak under which the fusion take place that counts.  
 8) write two points on which one can write critique on T.S.Eliot as a critic.     

  Ans :-
       One can write critique on “T.S.Eliot as a critic” from the following points mentioned in his essay :
• "Honest criticism and sensitive appreciation is directed not upon the poet but upon the poetry."
• “Poetry is not a turning loose of emotion, but an escape from emotion; it is not the expression of personality, but an escape from personality."