T.S. Eliot's "Ash-Wednesday"

[pax]

"Consequently I rejoice, having to construct something
Upon which to rejoice"
--from "Ash-Wednesday," T.S. Eliot

"I can't change the world
But I can change the world in me
If I rejoice..."
--"Rejoice," U2

What do y'all think?

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If you cannot live together in here, you cannot live together out there, let me tell ya. --Bono

You've got to cry without weeping, talk without speaking, scream without raising your voice... --Bono

 

[pax]

Anyone?

 

[sulawesigirl4]

errr...well, call me ignorant, but honestly the only similarity I see in the two passages is that they both use the word "Rejoice". Does that indicate a deeper meaning. I dunno.

 

[pax]

I see a deeper similarity because in both selections, the speakers are talking about having to construct the notion of joy internally, presumably because the external world doesn't offer much to rejoice about.

Think of "Rejoice": It's a song that I listened to a lot after September 11th, because it has some references to war and terrorism. In this song, I think Bono is saying that we have to look within for our own goodness and capacity for change so that we can find it in other people.

In "Ash-Wednesday," largely viewed as Eliot's "conversion poem" wherein he finally renounces the vague agnosticism of his past and claims the Christian God as the center of his spiritual life, Eliot does something similar. In earlier poems such as "The Waste Land" and "The Hollow Men," Eliot deftly explored the emptiness and desperation of life in the post-World War I era. He, however, is able to build something upon which to rejoice.

So. Anyone know if Bono's an Eliot fan?

------------------
If you cannot live together in here, you cannot live together out there, let me tell ya. --Bono

You've got to cry without weeping, talk without speaking, scream without raising your voice... --Bono

[This message has been edited by paxetaurora (edited 04-10-2002).]

[This message has been edited by paxetaurora (edited 04-10-2002).]

 

[sulawesigirl4]

Ah well, when given a bit more to work off of than one line, yes I do see the similarities.

I wouldn't be a bit surprised if Bono's read Elliot; he seems like the sort of poet that Bono would enjoy.

I must say that my thoughts on the song "Rejoice" differ just a bit. I don't see it as the speaker finding joy within himself, but rather that he makes a decision to change himself rather than focus on all the things in the wider world that he is impotent to change and that he decides to rejoice anyways. Semantics probably. lol.

Anyways, interesting discussion. I should go read the Elliot poem, then I'm be more likely to be able to contribute.

-sula

 

[pax]

Sula, did you ever read it?