In T. S. Eliot's The Waste Land, what does this passage mean?

Question

From the section "A Game of Chess" :

"The change of Philomel, by the barbarous king
So rudely forced; yet there the nightingale
Filled all the desert with inviolable voice
And still she cried, and still the world pursues,
'Jug Jug' to dirty ears"

Answer 1

Philomela and Procne were the daughters of King Pandion of Athens. Procne was married to King Tereus of Thrace (one of the sons of Ares), and had a son by him, Itys. Tereus conceived an illicit passion for Philomela and contrived to get her sent to Thrace; he raped her, and then cut her tongue out and imprisoned her so that she could tell no one of his crime. However, Philomela wove a tapestry which revealed the facts of the matter to Procne. In order to get revenge, Procne killed Itys and cooked him, so that Tereus ate his own son for dinner. When Tereus discovered the ghastly trick, he pursued the two women, trying to kill them. Before the chase could end, all three were turned into birds--Tereus into a hoopoe, Procne into a swallow, and Philomela into a nightingale. (Hence the nightingale is often called a "Philomel" in poetry.)

Here the game of chess referred to (as I remember from way back in school) was the one between Ferdinand and Miranda in "The Tempest" -- a game between two innocents in a dangerous world full of intrigues. "The Waste Land" tells of a world sullied by war and the atrocities of man's inhumanity to man and juxtaposes these sordid things with what is beautiful, fresh and pristine. The killing of Philomel was an act of cruelty and barbarity and the voice of the nightingale bears witness to it in the desert (the waste land). The song of the nightingale (jug jug) is evident to all and nothing can be done by the evil world to suppress it (it is inviolable), despite the attempts of those on whom the song is lost (people rendered unclean by deeds of shame -- those with "dirty ears").

Answer 2

Philomela was part of a Greek myth; she was raped by her brother in law, King Tereus who then cut her tongue out to keep her from telling and threw her in a jail cell. She embroidered what had happened to her on some cloth which her sister, Procne, Tereus wife, saw. When Procne realized what had happened, she cut up Tereus son, made a stew out of him and fed him to Tereus. When Tereus found out about his stew, he chased after the sisters with an ax. The gods intervened, turning all 3 into birds - Philomela into a nightengale, Procne into a swallow and Tereus into a hawk.

This particular passage alludes to the sweet voiced nightengale, Philomela, whose voice is still inviolate even though her human body was violated.

Some analyses say that this section of The Wasteland is a comparison of 2 sides of modern sexuality. One is barren and arid, the other ripe and lush.

If you google "The Wasteland" and "analysis" you can find a ton of essays, and sparknotes also offers some insights into the poem.

Answer 3

One would desire to examine this excerpt in context. right here that's in context, and you may click the link below to verify the entire poem. "PHLEBAS the Phoenician, a fortnight lifeless, Forgot the cry of gulls, and the deep seas swell And the income and loss. A contemporary below sea Picked his bones in whispers. As he rose and fell He surpassed the ranges of his age and babies getting into the whirlpool. Gentile or Jew O you who turn the wheel and look to windward, evaluate Phlebas, who replaced into as quickly as handsome and tall as you." It seems to me like that distinctive line tells you to contemplate the reviews of people who took the same direction which you're taking. in case you're on top of issues (turning the wheel), in case you look windward (to the destiny), you will desire to evaluate people who've taken the same direction. a number of people who took the same direction met with their destruction.