Morning at the Window

Karl Marx attributed the alienation of the modern man to suppression of the innate needs of the individual impressed upon man by the collective forces of society. The subjective nature of alienation, however, suggests It Is both a personal and social construct, shaped by the symbiotic relationship between the individual an the word around us, where both personal instincts and social paradigms can contribute to an antagonism and disharmony that potentially defines one’s relationship to the world. T. S. Eliot’s “Morning at the Window and “Preludes” support the notion that experiences of alienation can be the result of an individual’s interaction with others and perception of the world around them.

The poem “Morning at the Window” evokes an onlooker position on the English working class, establishing a sense of emotional disconnection and loneliness ot the person, gazing trom the window down on the street. The opening anonymous pronoun “They” conveys a sense of an emotional distance and detachment from the daily life.

The metaphor in stanza two ” The brown waves of fog toss up to me” and the personification ” Twisted faces from the bottom of the street”, reinforces a emotional and mental disfigurement- that accompanies urban and class Isolation and disconnection. The personification”almless smile” conveys a emotional disfigurement and a spiritual ennui from the daily life. “Preludes” starts with a bleak metaphor comparing the end of the day with a ” burnt- out” cigarette establishing the spiritual ennui of the daily life that pervades the oem.

The bleak description of “broken blinds” or “grimy scraps” Is characterized by the visually squalid emptiness in the crepuscular landscape. The meaningless rituals of the day are part of the lack of ‘the spiritual’ emphasis contributing to the emotional disfigurement and urban disconnection of the society. The personification The morning comes to consciousness” represents the stirrings of a drunkard reinforced by the faint stale smells of beer helping to contribute a sense of personal alienation.

The poet’s personal voice- articulates his own personal longing for Christ, suggesting the absence of th divine or an absence of god. The poems represent the suffering and emotional distance from the urban society characterized by a lack of ‘the spiritual’. The poet does not suggesta solution to the problem ‘alienation’ and lust complains about his pain and spiritual ennui. However he evokes a good image about what alienation is and points out that it’s often caused by the urban society and by your self.