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The Journey of Magi

T.S. Eliot was a master of his craft and one of the most prominent poet’s of the twentieth century. He was born an American, however, he renounced his citizenship in favor of British citizenship in 1927, at the age of 39. He was renowned for his work and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in the year 1948 for his outstanding contributions in the present-day poetry ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"MBc7yzT0","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Bush, 1983)","plainCitation":"(Bush, 1983)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":834,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/5VyEEXyp/items/PERG32BQ"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/5VyEEXyp/items/PERG32BQ"],"itemData":{"id":834,"type":"book","title":"TS Eliot: A Study in Character and Style","publisher":"Oxford University Press New York","ISBN":"0-19-503376-0","author":[{"family":"Bush","given":"Ronald"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["1983"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Bush, 1983).

His poem “Journey of the Magi” is a classic ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"ab4pssuA","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Eliot & Rudge, 1927)","plainCitation":"(Eliot & Rudge, 1927)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":833,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/5VyEEXyp/items/5XDR9BJD"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/5VyEEXyp/items/5XDR9BJD"],"itemData":{"id":833,"type":"book","title":"Journey of the Magi","publisher":"Faber & Gwyer","author":[{"family":"Eliot","given":"Thomas Stearns"},{"family":"Rudge","given":"William Edwin"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["1927"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Eliot & Rudge, 1927). It comprises of well-written prose that uses the medium of magi, discussing the journey taken by wise men when began to follow the star to Bethlehem following the birth where Jesus Christ was born. The poem is filled with metaphors, explaining the birth, death, life, renewal and ultimately spiritual rebirth all through the journey taken by wise men. Remarkably, nowhere in the poem does Eliot mention God, a star or even Jesus by his name. It even does not say that the magi narrating the poem are Persian astrologers, but it does a brilliant work of relaying facts without being explicit about the details.

The poem focuses on the inner and outer journeys taken by individuals throughout their life. Here, the actual birth i.e. witnessed by the magi and the dispensation of old through death are both eclipsed by the efforts made by a soul to experience a spiritual rebirth. This rebirth is responsible for taking one closer to God and make them feel closer to their creator. Spiritualism was a huge part of Eliot’s life, and it is reflected in ways and folds within this poem.

However, this poem is not only powerful for the prose it has woven, but also for the form of narrative, where magi are plays the role of a religious teacher, while also being on a journey himself. The poem regales the tale of individual identity and self-worth in present society, telling people to seek themselves and their spirituality with an open heart before they come to their own demise.References

ADDIN ZOTERO_BIBL {"uncited":[],"omitted":[],"custom":[]} CSL_BIBLIOGRAPHY Bush, R. (1983). TS Eliot: A Study in Character and Style. Oxford University Press New York.

Eliot, T. S., & Rudge, W. E. (1927). Journey of the Magi. Faber & Gwyer.