Death by Water Quiz : Overview of Death by Water (Fourth Section of The Waste Land)
The fourth section of The Waste Land, titled Death by Water, is the shortest part of the poem. It describes the drowning of a man named Phlebas, a Phoenician sailor. His body sinks into the sea, and the waves slowly wash away his past, including his youth, profits, and ambitions. The section highlights the inevitable decay of human life, emphasizing the power of water as both a cleanser and a destroyer.
T.S. Eliot uses this section to contrast with earlier references to water as a source of salvation. Instead of renewal, Phlebas’ death symbolizes the futility of worldly desires and the unavoidable cycle of life and death. The poet warns readers to reflect on their own mortality and avoid being consumed by materialism.
References in Death by Water
- Phlebas the Phoenician – Inspired by The Tempest (Shakespeare), where Ariel sings about a drowned sailor.
Text of Death by Water
312 Phlebas the Phoenician, a fortnight dead,313 Forgot the cry of gulls, and the deep sea swell314 And the profit and loss.315 A current under sea316 Picked his bones in whispers. As he rose and fell317 He passed the stages of his age and youth318 Entering the whirlpool.319 Gentile or Jew320 O you who turn the wheel and look to windward,321 Consider Phlebas, who was once handsome and tall as you.
Death by Water Quiz
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