T.S Elliot Hysteria
T.S Eliot’s ‘Hysteria’ is a very short insight into a somehow disturbed man’s mind. The time frame of the poem is extremely short, which enforces the idea that a moment can last in one’s mind forever. The poem also establishes the role of powerful, rich upper class women in early 20th century. The text also displays an interesting perspective of panic, and how the narrator reacts whilst panicking.
T.S Eliot describes the context of his poem ‘Hysteria’ quite abstractly, but it is reasonably easy to establish the setting. It seems clear that the narrator is a man observing his female companion while they are having tea or waiting for it to be served to them. The woman is laughing, which somewhat disturbs the narrator. The reason for this reaction is not clear in the text. The poem opens with “As she laughed…” as if it is an afterthought to an unknown previous conversation. This is significant because I believe poem captures a single, abruptly short moment in time, yet the verse has no distinguishable beginning or end. I feel as if the ‘hysteria’ was not created, nor did it conclude within the poem, which represents how a moment can last forever in one’s mind. At the end of the poem, the narrator is still struggling to overcome the laughter which unhinged him. This portrays how people can maintain being emotionally affected by something over a short or long period of time. This concept of ‘a moment lasting forever in one’s mind’ makes me think about the consequences of our actions and the significant effects they have on other people. If a moment can truly last forever in one’s mind then I believe this reinforces the idea that our society has to be collectively careful of its actions, so not to hinder the progress of our society has a whole.
I believe that perhaps the laughter is a product of the women’s ‘hysteria’; her extreme happiness could potentially be justifying the title of the text, rather than the subsequent reaction from the man. This concept is
T.S Eliot describes the context of his poem ‘Hysteria’ quite abstractly, but it is reasonably easy to establish the setting. It seems clear that the narrator is a man observing his female companion while they are having tea or waiting for it to be served to them. The woman is laughing, which somewhat disturbs the narrator. The reason for this reaction is not clear in the text. The poem opens with “As she laughed…” as if it is an afterthought to an unknown previous conversation. This is significant because I believe poem captures a single, abruptly short moment in time, yet the verse has no distinguishable beginning or end. I feel as if the ‘hysteria’ was not created, nor did it conclude within the poem, which represents how a moment can last forever in one’s mind. At the end of the poem, the narrator is still struggling to overcome the laughter which unhinged him. This portrays how people can maintain being emotionally affected by something over a short or long period of time. This concept of ‘a moment lasting forever in one’s mind’ makes me think about the consequences of our actions and the significant effects they have on other people. If a moment can truly last forever in one’s mind then I believe this reinforces the idea that our society has to be collectively careful of its actions, so not to hinder the progress of our society has a whole.
I believe that perhaps the laughter is a product of the women’s ‘hysteria’; her extreme happiness could potentially be justifying the title of the text, rather than the subsequent reaction from the man. This concept is