The poem "The Four Quartets" by TS Eliot illustrates a complex connection between the various problems and limitations of language and those of religious thought. This direct relationship is expressed through the poem's first two quartets, "Burnt Norton" and "East Coker", which see the poet grappling with the meanings and perceptions of language and religious beliefs. Say No to Plagiarism Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games”. Shouldn't it be banned?Get an original essayIn order to fully understand the various issues of language, it is first necessary to examine the variety of linguistic styles used in this poem. The first most striking feature of the poem is its title, "Four Quartets", which evokes a feeling of musicality. Indeed, we find an orchestration of a variety of styles and voices throughout the poem. The first movement of “Burnt Norton” presents us with the voice of a philosopher in deep meditation on the past. , the future, and what might have been, as the poet begins with these rather enigmatic lines: “Present time and past time/Are perhaps both present in future time…” (“Burnt Norton,” I , ll. 1-2) The second stanza seems to break completely from the previous style and voice as we see the experience in the rose garden described with emotive words and repetition to show enthusiasm. The numerous adjectives such as "dynamic" and "dignified" indicate the rather descriptive language of this passage, which can be contrasted with the reflective and abstract language used in the opening stanza. The poem also uses several Old English verses such as “daunsinge, meaning marriage” (“East Coker,” I, line 30). This continues for the next four lines to show not only the great variety of language, but also to describe its significant evolution. The idea of ​​the evolution of language introduces the theme of time, which concerns the cyclical nature of language, life and death. . Eliot, at the beginning of “East Coker,” states, “In my beginning is my end,” which suggests that life and death are two sides of the same idea of ​​existence. The life cycle of societies also constantly gives rise to change, as Eliot asserts that the old is always made new. This implies that human life is both limited and eternal: when we die, our loved ones survive us and the next generation succeeds us. Although Eliot's description of change refers directly to life, it can also easily be seen as a metaphor for evolution and the ever-changing temperament of language. This is especially evident since the poem states that old things are "removed, destroyed, restored, or in their place." "It is an open field, or a factory, or a bypass" ("East Coker", I, ll. 3-4). Thus the meaning and implications of the words are constantly changing over time, creating problems of interpretation. This is manifested through the juxtaposition of religious and secular ideas in the passage to create the same image. We are first presented with the image of a Christian funeral scene as the poem says: “Old fires to ashes and ashes to earth” (“East Coker,” I, l. 6). This soon contrasts with the pragmatic view that there is a time for everything – everything finds its true form and meaning in time. However, this practical view is somewhat fuzzy because it appears that even in a non-religious universe there exists a higher being controlling human life in the form of time. Eliot's struggle against this higher being and his attempts to exploit him leave him distressed as he protests that the words“will not stand still/shall not yet say” (“Burnt Norton,” V, l. 17). The disruptive impact of time is evoked again as Eliot explains that to write is to start again each time. This is a problem because while one is learning the proper uses of a word, it either ceases to exist or the transformative effect of time has completely changed its context and meaning. The first two quartets also raise the question of interpretation, and issues of language, religion and knowledge seem linked due to religious distrust of language. The particular religious belief Eliot espouses is that of apophaic or negative theology, which states that we must recognize our own powerlessness in order to reach the higher levels. Eliot first mentions this belief in the first movement of “Burnt Norton,” where he speaks of transcendence through suffering. The third movement of “East Coker” sees Eliot telling his soul to be still and “Let darkness come upon thee/Which shall be the darkness of God” (“East Coker,” III, ll. 12-13). This juxtaposition of ideas implies that to reach the top, we must first reach down. Positive and negative do not simply coexist, but are the same. This form of belief poses problems of interpretation, because we are offered two contrasting but complementary arguments. The danger of such coexistence was perhaps best described by the poet WB Yeats, who warned of a "marked oscillation between radically different points of view". The juxtaposition of the two different paths to transcendence described in apophaic theology can also describe the problems of language. Eliot constantly references both the old and new language, suggesting that he believes that the only way to achieve literary transcendence is to combine the old and new forms of language to form a whole. Thus, due to coexisting religious and literary conceptions, we are faced not only with ambiguity of meanings, but also with an obscure debate on how to achieve spiritual enlightenment. Eliot's attitude towards language also seems to have been affected by his religious beliefs. Negative theologians view words as tending to favor positive statements, without developing negative perspectives with the same depth. The poet, from the beginning, seems skeptical and even cynical about the possibility of ever extracting concrete meaning from the words. This uncertainty first appears in “Burnt Norton,” as Eliot states: “What might have been is an abstraction/remaining a perpetual possibility” (“Burnt Norton,” I, ll. 6-7). Although this refers to missed opportunities, it can also be seen as a meditation on the interpretation of language. Each person can extract different meaning from words, making it problematic to communicate a particular point of view or idea. The limits of our knowledge are also reflected in the restrictions of language. The poem shows genuine doubt about whether an experience is trustworthy. This is expressed in the depiction of the events in the rose garden. Although it is presented as the strongest example of true experience in the two quartets, its various mythical allusions, such as the bird in the garden, make it somewhat exalted and therefore imaginary. The language used to describe the landscape, which contained much repetition to show excitement and a wide variety of adjectives, can be described as lacking "the poignancy of a defined individual experience". Problems of language, knowledge and religion are further closely linked due to their »,.