Our Whimpering WorldThe world is a wasteland harboring hollow men

“Poetry is not a turning loose of emotion, but an escape from emotion; it is not the expression of personality, but an escape from personality”
-T.S. Eliot

Being an expatriate T.S. Eliot was extremely affected by World War I and as a

result his writings were blatantly dominated by his cynical views of the world around

him. Constructed in 1925 Eliot’s poem “The Hollow Men” was one of many depressing

pieces that had evolved during the period between both World Wars. It’s a poem that

evokes a sense of hopelessness within society, assuring his fellow men that they will get

lost in it or be defeated by it: His overall pessimistic claim being that our world is

corrupt. Generally, Eliot is disgruntled by the profound imperfections in men within his

social order; which include two-facedness, laziness and indifference. He’s not pointing

fingers but rather warning us that we’re ...