Despair and Alienation in T. S. Eliot’s and Adonis’ Poetry: A Comparative Study

Abstract

This article sheds light on some outstanding topics that deal with modern literary themes like alienation and despair by showing their negative effects on modern individual's life. The definition of alienation, its types, and an analysis of the self and soul are done according to different philosophers who Eliot is influenced by. The paper also portrays the impact of the two world wars and how their related economic, social, and political events have worsened the physical and spiritual alienation. In their poetry, T. S. Eliot and Adonis accentuate this adversity throughout their quest for a meaningful existence. According to Eliot, returning to religion is a necessity for overriding the crisis of spiritual alienation and loss. On the other hand, writing poetry is Adonis’ technique to surpass internal despair where realms of divine imagination are weaved to soothe the sense of isolation. The study also delineates how both poets have used symbolic and figurative language to present the bitter reality. Although Eliot uses an impersonal way for portraying alienation, Adonis tends to be biographical in depicting this trauma.