In six pages this research analysis examines the guilt and lingering regret portrayed in the poem and how it may reflect the poet's own painful life experiences. Three sources are cited in the bibliography.
Name of Research Paper File: D0_kheleyes.rtf
Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
does not inform the reader as to why the memory of a look, the image of crying eyes, haunts the poet, yet an examination of this work clearly shows that
this is what is taking place. Considering this fact, it seems logical to look at possible circumstances in Eliots life that could have provided the impetus for this poem. By
looking at both the poem and at certain known facts about Eliots life, it is possible to find further illumination on the meaning of the poem from understanding the basis
for Eliots failed marriage. However, before looking at Eliots life, a detailed analysis of the poem provides the structure for this investigation. The first lines of the poem read: "Eyes
that last I saw in tears/ Through division" (lines 1-2). First of all, the reader is struck by the alliterative flow of the words. The /s/ that provides the final
sound in "eyes" is repeated within "last," provides the first sound for "saw," and the last again for "tears." Eliot is remembering someone who was crying when he saw that
person for the last time. "Through division" implies that he saw the persons eyes as the poet and a loved one were parting. The third line tells where he
is seeing the eyes in the present, which is "Here in deaths dream kingdom." Again, alliteration, this time with /d/, makes the line flow. In fact, the student researching this
topic will observe that alliteration is a common feature of the poem and often works as a connecting device between lines. Furthermore, the length of some lines influences the way
in which the poem is read. The shortness of the second line forces the reader to pause between lines one and three, which emphasizes these lines, compelling the reader to