Journey of the Magi by T.S. Eliot
The poem this week is Journey of the Magi by T.S. Eliot. You can find it at http://www.americanpoems.com/poets/tseliot/6602. Apparently Eliot, who had recently converted to Christianity, wrote this poem as an insert in his Christmas cards (probably in 1927, just after being baptized in the Anglican Church). He was totally misunderstood by the people he sent it to. Many think the poem is somewhat reminiscent of his conversion experience since there is the journey to being a Christian and then the hard and uncertain times after as one comes to terms with the extent of the decision. Think about that too as you read the poem. Some other questions for you to think on as you read and study this poem are:
1. Who is the narrator? What is his relationship to the magi?
2. Why does he say ‘a cold coming we had of it’?
3. You will have to listen carefully to the way I read this poem. There are nuances and emphasis that make the meaning of the poem come out. I have to admit that I read the poem as it was originally read to me.
4. What were some of the trials of the journey?
5. Read the story of the coming of the Magi in Matthew 2: 1-12. Ask yourself “what would it be like to be part of that caravan that trudged up from the East to Bethlehem.” This is T.S. Eliot’s rendition of that journey.
6. What is meant by the “three trees on a low sky”?
7. What is he talking about with that last line?
8. Read through some of the comments some people have written about this poem. If you feel moved, do add your own comment.
Les questions de semaine
As you think of the Magi, the gifts they brought to Bethlehem and the journey they took to get there and then back, why would the narrator add:
And I would do it again, but set down
This set down
This: were we led all that way for
Birth or Death?
What is he ‘setting’ down? What does he mean by those words?
The Gift of the Magi by O Henry
The short story of the week is The Gift of the Magi by O Henry. I will be photocopying a copy for you and reading it aloud on Tuesday. It is really a beautiful story of the love of a young married couple. The vocabulary is quite rich so keep a dictionary handy. Maybe I need to add a vocabulary section on this blog…
The literary technique that we will be looking at this week will be ‘foreshadowing’. Look for foreshadowing of the climax of the story. You may have to go back over the story to find them.
Explain in a paragraph or two what is meant by the title and the last paragraph. Make sure you make reference to the story.
For your Language Power Assignment you will be doing Lessons 18, 19 and 20.
If you have any comments about the assignments or questions that you may have, don’t be afraid to post them on the blog. I do check daily if there has been any activity. Your comment or question may help someone else. I will also answer on the blog. Any dialogue about the story or poem is always welcome.
And finally don’t forget your Book Report that is due for Friday, December 12, at 12:45 – 12:50.
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44 comments:
as always i will make my personal hypothesis, a well executed and interpreted response before another is stated.
I think this is said by the author because the magi's experienced much through their journey, to see the birth. Through their journey they had experienced something new, something that after experienced will never leave the one who experienced it the same again. This is described as "death" by the author. The magi had experienced death when they experienced the birth of christ. The event was so powerful, that the only way the author could convey the message was to say the magi experienced death in their consciousness. such as to say how overwhelmed they were.
He was set down a new path when he became a Christian. He laid down his heart for the love of God and it changed his life. He was never the same again. The Death is his death to sin and the Birth is his birth in Christ.
i feel that T.S Eliot is trying to say that he is dissapointed. he says that if he did it again that he dosnt know if the journey would be worth it knowing that he would die later on. i personaly beleive that even though Jesus would die later on, it would still be worth it to go to see him.
The narrator said this to show that the Magi were confused. They wondered if they travelled all that way for a birth or a death. I believe that it could be both. Of course it was a birth. It was the birth of our Saviour and the Magi were probablly exctied to make this trip to see this Jesus that everyone was talking about. However, on their journey the Magi also experienced death from a few things that they saw. An example would be of the three trees standing in the distance. These three trees were a symbol of the crosses where Jesus died. Another example is the white horse galloping away in the meadow. This is a symbol of the Old Testemant ideas slowly being replaced by new ideas. These are just a few examples of some of the 'death' that the Magi experienced on the way to see the birth of the Savior.
personally believe he means to say it as a sense of disappointment or a predicament, as if he was unsure on what to base his beliefs upon. He goes into further detail, to explain his simplistic summary of this term “set down.” To further determine the meaning of this we must realize he speaks of Jesus’ birth, and also of his crucifixion, thus for him to realize if it was a “set down” for him to travel through such harsh conditions, symbolizing Jesus' death (three trees on the low sky, 6 hands dealing silver peices etc). to make it to the future king, truly knowing it ends in death.
ohh ... i forgot about the setdown part...
The narrarator says "This set down..." because he wants to emphasize to the readers his point of whether they travelled for birth or death.
T.S. Elliot talks about the journey the Magi took to see Jesus’ birth. In the poem he talks from the perspective that he is one of the Magi. He wonders if they took this journey to see birth or death. Originally they began on this journey to see the birth of the baby Jesus, but along the way ran into a bunch of other things. He saw a lot of death along the way. He talks about how he seen three trees standing, at the time he doesn’t know what that means. But, we all know now it was probably a symbol of the cross in which Jesus died on. So, it’s just ironic that on the way to see the baby Jesus’ birth they see three trees symbolizing the crosses. I can see how that would confuse the Magi. Were they sent on the journey to see birth or death? I believe that they were meant to see both birth and death. It was like a reality check of some sort. They were meant to see both sides of “life”.
I think he says this set down as to say this is what it is. Was this journey worth everything they went thru? What was the whole trip about? I think that the trip was to go see birth but along the way they learnt a lot about death so he is confused wether or not life is about death or life. But you would almost think life becouse you need life to have death.
K this is for the short story one
In the short story named “The Gift of the Magi,” we can pick out a definite foreshadow within the descriptive writing. The story starts out with a young woman “penny pinching” to afford a gift for her beloved, Jim. After come to the depressing realization she can do nothing with a dollar and eighty seven cents, she knows she must find a way to salvage more money. As she sits by her window, she glances at a pier glass in her living room, with her beautiful hazel hair swaying at her ankles reflecting in the narrow glass peice. By the immense emotion brought in from the author (“her eyes were shining brilliantly, but her face had lost its color”) we can come to the conclusion, which she devises to sacrifice her prized possession, for Jim her loved one. Thus realizing this as a true foreshadow to the rest of the story.
He is setting down the problem of whether the trip was for birth or for death. The Narrator experienced birth in that he saw the birth of Jesus and the reason he they were led that way was because of the birth, but along the way they experienced many things that would be considered death: the hard journey and the three trees were all symbols of death.
The question asked can be written in different words. Did he travel all that way for birth or for death? The answer to that could be both. He traveled all that way to see the birth of Christ. But in the end the purpose of Christ coming to this earth was to die on the cross for our sins. When it says “and three trees on the low sky” it refers to the cross which He had died on for us. By saying “this set down” he says that he want us to know all about the experience he had.
I think that T.S. Eliot wrote this because he is trying to say that the wise men may not have known Jesus’ full significance. They may have been told later that he had been crucified, and they may not have known of his incredible and miraculous ascension from the dead and that he would live forever in heaven. They could have thought that this death was the end of The King of The Jews FOREVER. They could have realized his greatness while living on Earth and then that was the end of his magnificence. So I think that the wise men do not know Christ’s full significance and only know of his birth, life and death.
As in the story the main character, Della, cut her hair off and in the end Jim had bought something for Della’s hair. This gift was no longer needed. Della had cut her hair off to make money so that she could buy a fob, which would be used for the watch that Jim had. In the end Jim had also sold his watch to pay for the comb. This leaves to expensive gifts that were no longer useful to either of these characters. The wise men at the end of the story brought gifts to the Babe in the manger. These gifts were gifts that were not very useful to the Babe because of the young age. This shows that all the gift given were very useful and as the story would say “wise gifts” in the end they did not help the gift receivers out.
In "Journey of the Magi" the narrator says that he would do it again, but with one thing set down. What he is saying that he wants to know what the purpose of their journey was. Throughout this expediton they viewed both death and birth, so which was it for? That is what he is setting down. He needs to know this before he would think of going through such an ordeal again.
I think that the title is what it is because it is pointing towards the gifts of the characters and saying that they are wise to sacrifice what they have for others, and that this is what people should do. The magi gave expensive gifts to baby Jesus and this may be nearly all that they owned. They may have sacrificed all they had for one who rules over all and their generosity may be greatly rewarded in time.
The author is not specifically setting down anything. He is just trying to set down whether the trip was for birht or for death. I personally think the trip was originally for birth. The Magi did not go to experience death. That was not their motive of the trip. It was to see the birth.
I think they went there for birth but aslo death because jesus was born on the day and because of his birth we are saved which is a big thing for us people on earth.Death was a big thing too because he was born many babies have died.he was setting down the the reason of if the magi went there for birth or for death.
The Gift of the Magi is stating that Magi are very wise people who always made smart choices. The Magi can in some ways resemble the anglels that God sends. They were always making smart choices and doing whats best! Thats why the title is called the Gift of the Magi. The Magi have the gift of being wise.
The Gift of the Magi
In the story the two sold what was there most valuable possession in order to buy a gift for the other. In the end the gifts they bought for each other were intended for use with the treasure each sacrificed, Jim bought combs for Della’s hair, which she sold, and Della bought a fob for Jim’s watch which was sold so he could buy the combs for Della. The title is referring to the gifts of Jim and Della who are called the magi in the last paragraph of the story because they were wisest of all who give gifts as the author says in the last paragraph.
Journey of the Magi
I would have to agree with Cody's statment. The narrator is setting down the question of the meaning of the journey. Did we come all this way for birth or death? The three Magi took the journey for the birth of Christ Jesus. The journey showed signs of things that are new and things that are symbols of death. The white horse is a sign of something new coming along. The wet valley that smelled of vegetation was also a symbol of newness. The three trees were a symbol of death as well as the tough journey. He is struggling between the two because they were both active problems in the journey.
I think that they are like the wiseman because they wanted to get each other the perfect gift just like the wiseman wanted to get the perfect gift to Jesus.The title says "The Magi, Their Journey and Their Gift". This title is good because it is kinda meaning that it was their journey to do what ever they can do to get the right amount of money to get the right gift.
I think that the author means by saying they were "set down" that they were not quite sure of the meaning of their trip. They know that it is of importance because they were lead there by a brillient star, but they do not know any other details besides the fact that a Messiah was born. they see so much evidence of life on their trip but they also look back and see so much death. I'd say that they were a bit confused and questioned the meaning of the whole expedition but after it was all said and done they'd do it all again.
He had a whole new path to walk down and he became a Christian. He followed his heart and changed his life, so he could be closer to God. He had changed his life and never waas the same man. He is one in Christ.
In the short story "The gift of the Magi" by O Henry, the title and the ending paragraph could confuse some people. However, upon closer inspection you see the reason for which they are there. The Magi were wise men who therefore would give wise gifts. However their gifts do not seem significant to us, we would think that a baby rattle would be a more suitable gift for a child. What we have to realize is that we did not live in that time or know these people so we should not assume they were meaningless gifts. Yet, even if they were poor choices of gifts for a child, that is not the important part of the gift giving. What is important is the reason for which the gifts were given. They were given to honor Jesus. This is where the title and last paragraph of this story come from. In the story Della’s and Jim’s gifts may be meaningless because they sold the things the presents would be used for; however the reason for those gifts gives them their meaning. The love that compelled each person to sell their most valued possessions to pay for these gifts gives them so much more significance. Like the Magi they gave gifts that did not seem suitable, however it is the reason for the giving that speaks volumes.
The word ‘setting’ down has to do with the journey that was taken. The question was whether it was for birth or death? Death is the dying to sin and birth was when we are born in Christ. Along the way we run into many obstacles that cause us to stray the way! As well, along the journey there are many objects that were difficult. There were also signs along the way
The narrator is a Magi on a journey to see a birth, but as he travels, he sees different things. First he sees three trees, foreshadowing the crosses, secondly a white horse, the author uses this as a reference to the Old Testament ending. Finally he sees six hands at an open door dicing for pieces of silver; Judas and the high priests. He arrives at his destination with the babe and it is satisfactory. Unknowing of the future the narrator wonders at why he took this journey, for this birth or death. I think the message of this poem illustrates that the narrator takes this journey to see the birth, which is quite essential to the other wondering thought, death. How can there be death, if there is no life? Jesus needed to live to prophecy, and than to die for us. Though the narrator can not understand this, he has indeed led all this way, for the birth and death.
The Gift of The Magi
In this story a couple who loved each other so dearly gave up their most prized and cherished possesions to buy one another the perfect Christmas present. Della, gives up her hair to buy Jim a fob for his pocket watch. Jim, sells his pocket watch to buy Della gold combs that she had wanted for so long. It's ironic how what they sold could have been used for the gift the got each other. In this story, it is really referring to the Magi who bought the most precious gifts that they could for the baby Jesus. The Magi brought their most precious gifts to Jesus in the manger, and Della and Jim gave up their most treasured posessions for one another. That is why the title is pretty good because the gifts they were giving truly were gifts of the Magi; precious gifts.
The Gift of the Magi
I'm not to sure what this story is really trying to represent. In my opinion this was a very good story, I quite enjoyed it. The stuff that I understood anyways. In the story a husband and wife give of their most priced possessions to get their spouse something that they would love for Christmas. Della sells her hair for a fob for Jim's pocket watch. Jim sells his pocket watch for some gold combs that Della had been admirering for quite some time. Do you see the craziness of this all? They each wanted to get the other a Christmas present to please.
The Magi (the 3 wise men) also did something of the same things. They brought baby Jesus their riches trying to give Christ the best of what they had. Little did they know that when Jesus grows up to be a man gives of his life for them and their sins.
I'm not to sure if this is the right response but it was a thought I had.
As for the title, I suppose it fits alright.
In the story the two people are compared to the Magi. The two sold what they loved the most in order to buy a beautiful gift for there spouse. Upon receiving these gifts the two were surprised. The woman who loved her hair so much cut it off and the man who loved his watch sold it. In the end the man and the woman’s gift are no use to each other until the man buys another watch and the woman’s hair grows back. The title refers to the gifts that the Magi bring to Jesus and the gifts the man and woman exchange. The two are like the Magi because they are the wisest because of the gifts they share.
The words “setting down” in this poem is meaning the birth of Jesus or the death of Jesus. As they were on this journey was it the waste of time. I think that they went for this journey to see the birth of Jesus. At the end of the poem it says the death. Well it happenes at the end and the birth of Jesus is the first of our life. When he dies on the cross he is doing it for our sins that we have committed.
The journey of the Magi.
The narrator of this story is wondering why they were lead all that way, to Jerusalem. He would go all that way again to get his answer. All that way through the snow and the times of bitter darkness of hardship and agony. His mind is not at ease now in his own country where he feels as though he is among alien people and their gods.
Where they lead all that way for Birth or Death?
I think that just like every persons life starts with Birth and ends with Death, so the Magi’s journey started with Birth and ended with Death. The Magi were lead there to see something amazing that had happened. To them the birth of Jesus was nothing extraordinary, yet to us who know, His birth is the most awesome thing. For this, to know what happens, the Magi would travel all that way again. Through all that represents death and unknowing to see what has become of that little babies life. The Magi were lead all that way not for Birth or Death, But for Birth AND Death. And this is what he is setting fdown, this is what he wants us to know.
I think they both really loved eachother enough to give up alot that they really cherished for eachother. He really loved her so he gave up his pocket watch and she gave up her hair for him, and in the end they ended up with nothing, but that was ok because they both loved each other very much. That was all they needed was there love for eachother.
In the poem the “Journey of The Magi” the narrator tells of his journey to see the birth. Along the strenuous way he finds and sees different things that could for shadow the death of Christ. It was a new day when he seen the three trees and the white horse. This represents the three crosses and Christ. The question we all wanted to know was why they went there. Was it because of death or was it for the birth? I think honestly think it’s because of both. The death represents dying to sin and the birth represents how we were born in Christ.
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