The Journey of the Magi
BY Thomas Stearns Eliot
Subject: Literature-in-English
Theme: Poetry
Topic: The Journey of the Magi by Thomas Stearns Eliot
Sub Topic:
Date: dd/mm/yyyy
Class: S.S 2
Average Age: 15 years and above
Duration: 35 Minutes
No of Learners: 40
At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:
1. Explain the Background of the Poet
Thomas Steams Eliot was born in St Louis Missouri in 1888. He attended Harvard Merton college oxford, and the sabonne setting in England in 1915 and becoming a British Subject in 1927 we was once a section master and later joined the foreign department of Lioyds Bank. In 1922, he founded the literary review called “criterior”, soon after he was made a director of Faber and Faber, the publishers’ talks like Shakespeare he has been a successful business man as well as a poet. He was awarded the order of merit in 1948 and he also received the noble prize for literature while most of the leading British and American universities have conferred honorary degrees on him. He wrote this poem in 1927.2. Explain the Background of the Poem
Journey of the magi is a 43 line poem that explore the journey of the wisemen (magi). It is a metaphorical poem representing both birth and death, renewal and spiritual rebirth. The speaker is a magus, whose narrative is split into three stanzas;➢ the initial difficult journey to the birth place and the doubt.
➢ the arrival, the prefiguring (image before hand) and satisfaction.
➢ the reflection and acknowledgement of new faith.
The focus of the journey is more on the process, the inner and outer journey than a human [and humanity] has to undertake in order to experience spiritual rebirth. What makes the poem powerful is the fact that the poet makes one of the magi [a magus] the speaker and turns the narrative into a psycho-spiritual journey, typical of a pilgrim.
3. Recite the poem
Journey of the Magi
‘A cold coming we had of it,
Just the worst time of the year
For a journey, and such a long journey:
The ways deep and the weather sharp,
The very dead of winter’
And the camels galled, sorefooted, refractory,
Lying down in the melting snow.
There were times we regretted
The summer palaces on slopes, the terraces,
And the silken girls bringing sherbet.
Then the camel men cursing and grumbling
and running away, and wanting their liquor and women,
And the night-fires going out, and the lack of shelters,
And the cities hostile and the towns unfriendly
And the villages dirty and charging high prices:
A hard time we had of it.
At the end we preferred to travel all night,
Sleeping in snatches,
With the voices singing in our ears and, saying
That this was all folly
Then at down we came down to a temperate valley,
Wet, below the snow line, smelling of vegetation;
With a running steam and a water-mill beating the darkness,
And three trees on the low sky,
And an old white hoarse galloped away in the meadow.
Then we came to a tavern with vine-leaves over the lintel,
Six hands at an open door dicing for pieces of silver,
And feet kicking the empty wine-skins.
But there was no information, and so we continued
And arriving at evening, not a moment too son
Finding the place; it was (you might say) satisfactory.
All this was a long time ago, I remember,
And I would do it again, but set down
This set down
This: were we led all that way for
Birth or Death? There was a Birth, certainly
We had evidence and no doubt. I had seen birth and death,
But had thought they were different; this Birth was
Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death.
We returned to our places, these kingdoms,
But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation,
With an alien people clutching their gods.
I should be glad of another death.
T. S. Eliot 1888–1965
‘A cold coming we had of it,
Just the worst time of the year
For a journey, and such a long journey:
The ways deep and the weather sharp,
The very dead of winter’
And the camels galled, sorefooted, refractory,
Lying down in the melting snow.
There were times we regretted
The summer palaces on slopes, the terraces,
And the silken girls bringing sherbet.
Then the camel men cursing and grumbling
and running away, and wanting their liquor and women,
And the night-fires going out, and the lack of shelters,
And the cities hostile and the towns unfriendly
And the villages dirty and charging high prices:
A hard time we had of it.
At the end we preferred to travel all night,
Sleeping in snatches,
With the voices singing in our ears and, saying
That this was all folly
Then at down we came down to a temperate valley,
Wet, below the snow line, smelling of vegetation;
With a running steam and a water-mill beating the darkness,
And three trees on the low sky,
And an old white hoarse galloped away in the meadow.
Then we came to a tavern with vine-leaves over the lintel,
Six hands at an open door dicing for pieces of silver,
And feet kicking the empty wine-skins.
But there was no information, and so we continued
And arriving at evening, not a moment too son
Finding the place; it was (you might say) satisfactory.
All this was a long time ago, I remember,
And I would do it again, but set down
This set down
This: were we led all that way for
Birth or Death? There was a Birth, certainly
We had evidence and no doubt. I had seen birth and death,
But had thought they were different; this Birth was
Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death.
We returned to our places, these kingdoms,
But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation,
With an alien people clutching their gods.
I should be glad of another death.
T. S. Eliot 1888–1965
4. Explain the setting of the poem
The setting of poem is in the period of deep winter, when the season is not conducive for journey on animals.5. Explain the Subject Matter of the Poem.
The poem “The Journey of the Magi” is a narrative poem that recounts the journey of the three wise men (Magi), who upon siting a star, shinning bright, travelled from the East to discover and pay homage to the new born baby Jesus Christ. It also talks about their spiritual rebirth and all the hindrances they encountered on the road.6. Analise the poem
Stanza One: The Journey the suffering and uncertainties. In the first stanza of the poem, the persona, who happened to one of the wise men, described the journey to Bethlehem. The journey began at the height of the cold season of winter. The worse time of the year it is was a very long and difficult journey, even the camels they journed with felt the painful effects of the wintery weather.There were other source of discomfort for the magi during the journey.
- temperature to stray and follow earthly pleasures.
- Lack of fire to keep them warm.
- Lack of shelter.
- Unfriendly towns and cities.
- Dirty villages with unhygienic conditions.
- Unbearably high price and cost of living.
- A lingering doubt in in their mind that was all going to be a fruitless venture.
Stanza Two: Arrival at the destination finding the place after travelling at night, the magi cam to more friendly environment this was at the dawn. The persona describes the pleasant natural environment at this stage of their journey.
- The welcoming smell of vegetation in a temperate valley.
- Running stream and water.
- A tavern with wine leaves.
However, they had still not got any information about the where about of the infant Christ Jesus. They had to keep going till evening when they finally found the place they were looking for.
Stanza Three: Acknowledgement of spiritual birth.
Now brings us back to the present moment. As he reflects the whole experience, He tells us all doubts in their mind about debate was now cleared. But the best was at the same time of death of their old selves and identity. It was like dying to be born again and having returned to their old place they were “no longer of ease” they felt alienated and uncomfortable among their own people and therefore would gladly embrace another death.
7. Explain the theme of the poem
1. The theme of spiritual rebirth and renewal:The poem explores the process of the inner struggle and physical challenges that one has to go through in order to achieve spiritual rebirth. For the persona there can be no renewal and strengthening of ones feet without going through this painful process but like everything worthwhile, the end justifies the means.2. The theme of change: Change only happens when an old gives way to the new. On this transformation had it takes place without struggling and pain. This applies in all factors of man's existence. For the narrator, the spiritual transformation he and the others have experienced is worth the effort.
3. The theme of the effects of historical: Events on society journey of the magi goes beyond the level of individual. apart from being an exploration of the individuals spiritual journey in search of renewal of faith, it also addresses the profound effects of historical events on whole society and culture one such effect is the change in the identity of a people anytime an events of great importance occurs. This debate of the Christ child most only changed the lives of these wise men it also resulted in irrevocable change in the cultures and religions of society across the world.
4. Theme of suffering: The Journey of the Magi” Begins an end with suffering on the magi suffer a whole lot during the journey the bad weather and even worse people the psychological suffering of the dying culture of the magi in addition to the physical and mental anguish we know about Jesus would experiences as he grew up to become Christ. So what do we do to make of this? We think Eliot’s reminding us that a whole lot about spirituality and religion.
8. Explain the structure and form the poem
the poem is a free verse poem of 43 lines, made up of 3 stanzas. There is no set rhyme scheme or meter and the lines are of varied length.7. Explain the Styles and Symbol (Poetic devices) in the poem
Poetic devices are a form of literary device used in poetry. Poems are created out of poetic devices composite of: structural, grammatical, rhythmic, metrical, verbal, and visual elements. They are essential tools that a poet uses to create rhythm, enhance a poem's meaning, or intensify a mood or feeling. Below are the poetic devices used in this poem;Language and Style
The following are the techniques/ways through which the writer presents his work.(a) Diction: The choice of words of the poet is quite simple except the syntax which is a bit complex. Readers are familiar with most of the words used in the poem but some of these words needs explanation from the dictionary and so students will be needing that in order to understand these words. Examples of such words used are galled, sherbet, refractory. The poem is written in the form of prose and verse! This narrative prosaic descriptive and musical. the first five lines and closed in inverted commas review The direct experience that influences the entire narrative process. One of the three wise men (Magi) in the Bible is here recalling a past experience.
Here, normal elements of nature seem to perform religious roles. The diction therefore convert all account as to a semi religious ritual.
(b) Mood/Tone: The state of mind in which the poet expresses his thoughts on this poem is that of agony disappointment despair disgust, though at the, their faith and hope are restored back, this is expressed in their statement when the Magi say, they would be happy to embark on the journey once again. In summary, one can simply conclude that the tone is that of disappointment and courage.
Figures of Speech
1. Alliteration:this is the repetition of the same consonant sound on the same line of poetry. In this case some of the examples can be cited here:A. "Winding ways" (line 4)
B. "There ... times" (line 8)
C. "Then the..." (line 11).
Others include! "Sleeping in snatches", were we led", "cold coming", camel men cursing".
2. Repetition: In the poem, the word "the is repeated in second and fourth lines. The word "journey" is repeated in the third line. Others include: "Time", Birth", "Death", . There is no doubt that repetition lays emphasis and gives music to the poem.
3. Pun: This is another musical device used in the poem. For the sake of definition, pun is a play on words. In line 37 of the poem, there is a play on the word "Birth". The "capitalized "birth" is the birth of Jesus Christ while the birth in lower case letters is the universal birth of all people world-wide. 4. Personification: this simply mean attributing life to lifeless objects or inanimate things which has abstract qualities. Elements that were personified in this poem are:
" Night-fires going out"
The cities were hostile, the towns unriendly.
This expressions can be explained below:
Night-fire can not go out because they are not animals or humans which have lims to move about.
Secondly cities and towns are not living things and so have no emotions to to express act of hostility or unfriendliness.
5. Synecdoche: This is an act of taking part for a whole or a whole for a part. Examples as seen in this poem are:
"And feet kicking the empty wine skins".
Here, "feet" represents "people" that is the drunkards at the tavern.
"Six hands at open door dicing" (line 27).
Here, "six hands" represents the three men at the door of the tavern, "dicing" for pieces of silver.
6. Simile: Simile is an imaginative comparison between two things or objects which are in general not alike but in a particular aspect are similar.
Simile uses "like or as" as introducing words.
Example of simile as used in the poem are:
"Hard and bitter agony for us, like death our death" (line 38-39).
"Hard and bitter agony for us, like death our death" (line 38-39).
7. Irony: Irony is the opposite of what one mean to say. The irony used in the poem are:
"I should be glad for another death" (line 43).
It is ironical that despite the severe suffering of the Magi, the narrator would ever think of embarking on another similar journey again.
8. Allusion: This simply means a reference to a place, thing, object or event. The allusion in the poem is seen in the expression: "Three tress on the low sky". This is a typical biblical allusion. It refers to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ in between a robber and a murderer. Recall, three persons were crucified! Jesus Christ with two criminals.
9. Litotes: This is an understatement for the purpose of emphasis. A good example of litotes in the poem is seen in line 30, where the poet says, "not a moment too soon" which indicates that the journey took a very long period.
10. Rhetorical question: This is question ask without expecting a reply or answer. The case of this poem rhetorical question is found in the expression, "This: where we led all that way for birth or death?".
Symbols
In Literature, Symbolism is the practice of representing things by symbols, or of investing things with a symbolic meaning or character. A symbol is an object, action, or idea that stands for something other than itself, often of a more abstract nature. Symbolism creates quality aspects that make literature like poetry and novels more meaningful.when you talk of symbols in poetry, journey of the Magi is one of the poetries that centres most on symbols.
The Poet T.S Elliot employs brilliantly the effective use of symbols and imagery to vividly bring forth his message in the poem. These symbols as used in the poem are discussed below:
1. The Three Trees: the three trees symbolise the blessed Trinity. God the Father, God the son, and God the holy ghost. Jesus Christ, who is born is the second person of the Trinity. The three trees were those which John the Baptist had warned the pharisees and sadducees who came to his baptism in Matthew 3:10.
2. The white Horse: white horse symbolises purity. In spite of the immorality that was common in the entire landscape covered by the travellers, there was still a redeeming feature. The white horse is also a symbol of Christ's triumphant entry into Jerusalem which was fulfilled many years later.
The Vine Leaves: The story of Labourers in the Vineyard is told in Matthew 20: 1-16. The story teaches generosity.
3. The running stream: This is symbolic of Christ's Baptism in River Jordan.
4. Pieces of Silver: This symbolises the 30 pieces of silver which was the price at which Judas betrayed Jesus Christ.
5. Wine-skins: We read in the Bible the story of the wine-skin in which no one puts new wine.
6. The Dicing: This represents the casting of the lots for the garment of Jesus by the Jews after his crucifixion by them. This is seen in Like 23:24.
7. The Journey Of the Magi: Even the poem title is centred on symbol of a soul in search of salvation.
Rationale:
THE POEM “The Journey of Magi” is a recreation of a bible story. It is based on the biblical visit of the three wise men (Magi) from the east in search of the new born child, Jesus Christ.Prerequisite/ Previous knowledge:
storytelling, songs, history etc.Learning Resources:
Flash cards, an audio video you-tube examples, Available useful objects.Reference Materials:
1. Exam focus on Literature in English by J.O.J Nwachukwu et’al.2. Standard literature in English vol.4 by Tony Duru
3. The Journey of the Magi by Thomas Stearns Eliot.
4. Internet sources
Lesson Development:
STAGE |
TEACHER'S ACTIVITY |
LEARNER'S ACTIVITY |
LEARNING POINTS |
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| STEP 1: PREVIOUS KNOWLEDGE full class session |
The teacher begins the day's lesson by asking questions based on previous knowledge. List and Explain the Poetic Devices of the poem “The Song of the Women of My Land” by Oumar Farouk Sesay The teacher recite the poem and remained the students that, The poem “The Song of the Women of My Land” explores the plight of the women in Sierra Leone, in the wake of colonialism and slave trade. Sierra Leone is a small country along the coast of West Africa, bounded in the north by Guinea, and by Liberia in the south. It is a nation with deep historical connections to the United States. During the time of slave trade thousands of Sierra Leoneans especially the women and able bodied men were brought to South Carolina and Georgia during the Atlantic slave trade. Women are said to have experienced untold trauma and hardship during this time, and the persona laments bitterly about their problem. The memory of the condition of those women drives the persona crazy. The poem is written in a feminist point of view, exploring the problem of social inequality among women. This poem both addresses conditions of women during decade old civil war and the Atlantic slave trade and their unforgettable memories.. The Song of the Women of My Land Like a sculptor chipping away at bits of wood Time chisels away bits of their memory It strips away Lyrics of the song of the women of my land Leaving only a fading tune echoing the song They sang in the forlorn fields About their lives; songs Of how they ploughed the terrain of their minds-cape For memories of Lyrics lost in the vast void of time In those days when a song beheld their lives: When servitude cuffed the ankles of their souls, And dereliction decapitated the epic of their lives. With a song, they sponged off their anguish, To behold their collective pains, To celebrate their gains, Give Lyrics to the tune of their lives, Cheat the tyrant of time, And commune with yet unborn To give meaning to an epoch lost of antiquity, Yet time strips the Lyrics and scars the tune, Leaving a dying song Dead! Like the women who died long ago, Leaving the song to tell the story of their lives Today the tune roams the forlorn fields Like their souls looking for Lyrics Oumar Farouk Sesay |
The students respond to the questions based on previous knowledge.Poetic Devices of “The Song of the Women of My Land” by Oumar Farouk Sesay1. Simile:Line 1: “like a sculptor chipping away at bit of wood”. Line 22: “like the women who died long ago” Line 25: “like their souls looking for Iyrics” Here the persons compares the conditions of those women to different things. 2. Alliteration: line 5: “... in the forlorn fields”. Line 11: “and dereliction decapitated”. Line 12: “with a song, they sponged off...” Line 16: “cheat the tyranny of time" 3. Assonance: line 14: “To celebrate their gains Line 16: “The tyranny of time Line 19: “Strips the Lyrics 4. Personification: In the poem, the memory of these women who suffered daily humiliation is being treated as human, such personification include: Line 16: “cheat the tyranny of time Line 10: “when servitude cuffed the ankles of their souls Line 20: “leaving a dying song” Line 23: “Leaving the song to tell the story of their lives” Line 24: “Today the tune roams the forlorn fields” This personification attempts to give human attributes to non-human objects so as to make them act or behave like humans. 5. Hyperbole: The use of exaggeration in the poem helps to heighten the anguish experienced by the women such examples include: Line 2: “Time chisels away bits of their memory”. Line 17: “And commune with yet unborn”. Here time is said to possess the ability to cut memory, and also communicate with the unborn children. 6. Rhyme: The poem makes use of end rhyme to show musicality. Such examples include: Line 13-`4 “To behold their collective pain” To celebrate their gains” Line 15-16: “Give Lyrics to the tune of their lives” “Cheat tyranny of Lime” Line 24-25: “Today the tune roams the forlorn field” Like their souls looking for Lyrics” 7. Repetition: “There is a repetition of few words or lines for the sake of emphasis in the poem. “Song” “lives”, “time” for instance, are repeated frequently, “forlorn field” also is repeated in line 5 and 24. 8. Paradox: There is a self contradictory expression with deeper underlining Meaning in line 23: “leaving the song to tell the story of their lives”. 9. Metaphor: Metaphors are amply observable in the poem, beginning with the title. (a) “The song” in the title is a metaphor for act of adulation, appreciation for the heroic experience of the women in Sierra Leone. It is the song of pains and anguish and even suffering. The songs also help the women to calm their pains. (b) “They sang in forlorn fields” is a metaphor for hopelessness and helplessness. “The song” in line 12 is a metaphor for endurance and acceptances of daily humiliation. (c) “Cheat the tyranny of time” is a metaphor for the need to resist the violent act done to the women as their freedom of movement has also been denied of them. (d) “Like a sculptor chipping away” is a metaphor for forgetfulness. It implies that we have completely forgotten the memories of those women. The persona also buttresses this point in the last two lines of the poem; He says.” Today the tune roams the forlorn fields like their souls looking for Lyrics. 10. Symbolism/Imagery: The presentation of mental images to express a central idea is seen in the poem. From the title of the poem, readers are prone to create a mental picture as they read through the poem. The “song” in the title of the poem is symbolic of the ugly experience of the women in the land. There is auditory image in line 5-7, 12-15 as the person hears their song of anguish and pain as they toil along on the plantation farm. Even the last two lines re-echo this as their tone move to and fro searching for freedom. 11. Tone: The tone of the poem is cynical, that is, the persona believes in the worse that happened to the Sierra Leone women. The poet sounds cynical because he seems to have superior knowledge of their experience in the captors’ den. The reference to “when servitude cuffed the ankles of their souls/with a song, they sponged off their anguish/to behold their collective pain/to celebrate their gains/cheat the tyranny of time” equally brings out the poet’s tone of cynicism. 12. Mood: The state of mind of the persona is that of sadness and pessimism. 13. Euphemism: “They sang in the forlorn fields” about their lives, song” meaning that those women morn their hopelessness in a lonely field about their lives. 14. Language and structure of the poem: The poet’s choice of words is simple and the entire poem in complex, as the poet makes use of far-fetched imagery. Anyway, there are some words that can give a clue to what the persona has in mind to say. The poem is divided into 6 stanzas of unequal length and 25 lines Line 1-4 explains what happened to the women in the land, and line 5-11 explores how they manage to survive the pain and anguish they experienced, while the remaining lines reveal to us that these women lost their lives leaving their memories to roam the earth. |
Reversing previous lesson |
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| STEP 2: INTRODUCTION full class session Identification of prior ideas. |
The teacher review/introduce what they are going to study today, A poem "The Journey of the Magi" by Thomas Stearns Eliot. THE POEM “’The Journey of Magi” is a recreation of a bible story. It is based on the biblical visit of the three wise men (Magi) from the east in search of the new born child, Jesus Christ. The poem therefore describes the experiences which the three wise me (the Magi) encountered in the victorious search for the new born king Jesus. The story however retold by one of the three wise women who underlook the journey. The opening stage highlight on the initial heart shape which the magi experienced due to the line departure which then set the mood of the poem. A Journey Taking Place In A Cold Weather And At “The Worst Time Of The Year” Is One Which Certainly Foretells Danger Adder To Their Problems, The Poet Said The Root Was Deep And The Weather Was Sharp. This was a winter time, also “the very dead of winters” there was snow everywhere and as a result of this, the travellers camel proved stubborn and uncontrollable “lying down in the melting snow”. At an inn the traveller decided to pass a night, but sequel to the high prices, filth and hostile (unfriendly) attitude of those in and around, they decided to “travel all night”. Nevertheless, because the travellers were tired and needed some sleep, they slept in snatches as the moved on then outdone the travellers came to a temperate valley full of vegetation and life. There, they saw a tavenn whose entrance was decorated with vine leaves, they was three men dicing four pieces of silver and kicking the empty wine-skin with their feet. The wise men could not get the desired information about the place they were the child Jesus was born and they went their way. However, they were not discouraged they endured toil they reached their destination, “---and so we continued and arrived at evening, not moment too soon (finding the place) it was (you may say) satisfactory”. All these happened “a long time ago” the narrator continues. He says he would undertake a similar journey again, if given the opportunity. At this point, he begins to nurse regret over the hazardous journey. He questioned was it birth or death that lived him and his colleges to that unnecessary risk. He contend that he has seen both birth and death but that particular birth had been different, producing the effects of death, however the magi were concerned that they had seen the “Messiah” whose sight uplifted their hope and faith. Finally, the narrator stated that at the end of their journey, the group returned home only to discover that thing were no longer what they were at the beginning. Eventually things have fallen apart and centre cannot hold apparently because of the infiltration of foreign influences, yet, he says that in the midst of all these, would be “glad of another death” he will do it again inspite of the harsh conditions of the road and weather. |
The students listen attentively to the teacher. | Introducing the topic for discussion to arouse their interests and refresh their memories. |
| STEP 3: DEVELOPMENT Group Work |
The teacher guides the learners to form four groups and asks them to choose their leaders and secretaries. | Learners choose their group leaders and secretaries. | Inculcating leadership skills, competitive spirit, cooperation, teamwork and a sense of responsibility among learners. |
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| STEP 4: EXPLORATION Mode: Individual |
The teacher presents to the class the instructional resources and guides the students to explain the background setting of the poet and poem. | The students explain the background setting of the poet and poem. THE POET BACKGROUND: T.S Eliot was born in 1888and died in 1965. He was educated in England, and became a British citizenin 1927. At a time , he was s school master and later found a literary review called “the criterion”. He was made the director of faber and faber, a publishing outfit. His poetry was not easily accepted because of his unconventional use of words, which made it difficult for his reader of his works. 1927 was an important year for Eliot. Not only did he gain British citizenship, but he converted to Anglo Catholicism, which he committed to for life. |
The background Settings of the poet. |
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| STEP 5: DISCUSSION Mode: Group |
The teacher recite the poem and explain the setting of the poem to the students.
Journey of the Magi ‘A cold coming we had of it, Just the worst time of the year For a journey, and such a long journey: The ways deep and the weather sharp, The very dead of winter’ And the camels galled, sorefooted, refractory, Lying down in the melting snow. There were times we regretted The summer palaces on slopes, the terraces, And the silken girls bringing sherbet. Then the camel men cursing and grumbling and running away, and wanting their liquor and women, And the night-fires going out, and the lack of shelters, And the cities hostile and the towns unfriendly And the villages dirty and charging high prices: A hard time we had of it. At the end we preferred to travel all night, Sleeping in snatches, With the voices singing in our ears and, saying That this was all folly Then at down we came down to a temperate valley, Wet, below the snow line, smelling of vegetation; With a running steam and a water-mill beating the darkness, And three trees on the low sky, And an old white hoarse galloped away in the meadow. Then we came to a tavern with vine-leaves over the lintel, Six hands at an open door dicing for pieces of silver, And feet kicking the empty wine-skins. But there was no information, and so we continued And arriving at evening, not a moment too son Finding the place; it was (you might say) satisfactory. All this was a long time ago, I remember, And I would do it again, but set down This set down This: were we led all that way for Birth or Death? There was a Birth, certainly We had evidence and no doubt. I had seen birth and death, But had thought they were different; this Birth was Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death. We returned to our places, these kingdoms, But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation, With an alien people clutching their gods. I should be glad of another death. Thomas Stearns Eliot The setting of poem is in the period of deep winter, when the season is not conducive for journey on animals. |
The Students listen to teacher. | The poem "Journey of the Magi" and the settings of the poem. |
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| STEP 6: APPLICATION Mode: Group |
The Teacher guides the students to explain stanza by stanza analyses of the poem. | The Students explain stanza by stanza analyses of the poem. STANZA ONE: In the first stanza, the speaker who is one of the travelling magi, starts the poem in line 1-5 by giving a broad overview of the journey he and the other embarked on. It was not a pleasant trip. They had a “cold coming.. of it”. The men were forced to deal with a terrible weather that made everything harder. The speaker reflects on the days of the travel as having occurred in the worst time of the year/for a journey and the troubles they had to face along the way/ the ways deep and the weather sharp. The very death of winter, line 1_5. They could not choose when they can travel and had to face these conditions. STANZA TWO: In the second stanza , a few dangers came over the party of travellers. The speaker describes a “down” in which they came down to a temperate valley “this is a landscape which quite unfamiliar to them, as they had spent so much time travelling through such terrible conditions. The valley is “below the snow line” and it smells of vegetation. It is clear from these first lines that they have come to a much better place. There is a running water and a water-mill beating in the dark. STANZA THREE: In the their stanza, the speaker halts his description of the journey and moves on to describing how he felt about the entire experience now. He begins in line 32-33 by saying it was a long time ago but that he would do it again. It was at least in his mind a journey worth undertaking. It is at this point in the poem the speaker directs a question to his listeners to whom he is telling the story. In line 35-36, he ask, “… were we let all the way for Birth or death? “he knows that there certainly was evidence and no doubt but what of death. This particular birth was so painful to the magi and their companions that it was like Death or Birth. |
stanza by stanza analyses of the poem. |
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| STEP 7: EVALUATION Mode: Entire Class |
The teacher asks the students the following questions: 1. What is the poet background of the poem "The Journey of the Magi" by Thomas Stearns Eliot? 2. What is the setting of the poem? 3. What is the poem summay? 4. What are the poetic devices used by the poet? |
The students expected answers 1. Thomas Stearns Eliot was born on 29th September, 1888 at St, Louis, Missouri, United States. He was a poet, essayist, publisher, playwright, literary critic and editor. He was considered as one of the 20th century’s major poets, he is a central figure in English-Language. He died on January 4th, 1965. 2. The setting of poem is in the period of deep winter, when the season is not conducive for journey on animals. 3. The poem The journey of the Magi is a recreation of a bible story it is based on the biblical visit of The Three Wise men Magi from the East in search of the new born child Jesus Christ. The poem therefore describes the experiences which the three wise men (the Magi) encountered in the victorious search for the new born king Jesus. The story is however retold by one of the Three Wise men who undertook the journey. The opening stage highlights on the initial heart shape which the Magi experienced due to the time departure which then set the mood of the poem. "A cold coming we had of it, Just the worst time of the year For a journey, and such a long journey The ways deep, and the weather sharp, The very dead of winter". A journey taking place in a cold weather and "at the worst time of the year" is the one which certainly foretells danger. Added to their problems, the poet says that their route was deep and weather was sharp. This was a winter time also "the very dead of winter". There was snow everywhere and as a result of this, the travellers Carmel proved stubborn and uncontrollable "lying down in melting snow". At an inn, the travellers decided to pass the night, but sequel to the high prices, filth and hostile (unfriendly) attitude of those in and around, they decided "to travel all night". Nevertheless, because the travelers were tired and needed some sleep, they slept "in snatches as they moved on. Then outdone the travelers came down to a temperate valley full of vegetation and life. Here, they saw a tavern whose entrance was decorated with vine leaves. They saw three men dicing four pieces of silver, and kicking the empty wine-skins with their feet. the wise men could not get the desired information about the place where the child Jesus was born and they went their way. However, they were not discouraged they endured till they reached their destination,... and so we continued and arrived at evening, not a moment, too soon (finding the place), it was (you may say) satisfactory". All these happened "a long time ago", the narrator continues. He says he would undertake a similar journey again if given the opportunity. At this point, he was (you may say) satisfactory". All these happened "a long time ago", the narrator continues. He says he would undertake a similar journey again if given the opportunity. At this point, he begins to nurse regret over the hazardous journey. He questions: Was it Birth or Death that lured him and his colleagues to that unnecessary risk. He contends that he had seen both birth and death but that particular birth had been different, producing the effects of death. however the Magi were concerned that they had seen the "Messiah" whose sight uplifted their hope and Faith. Finally, the narrator stated that at the end of their journey, the group returned home only to discover that things were no longer what they were at the beginning. Eventually, things have fallen apart and the centre cannot hold apparently because of the infiltration of foreign influences, yet he says that in the midst of all these, he would be "glad of another death" - he will do it again in spite of the harsh conditions of the road and weather. 4. Diction - the language of the poem can still be easily understood by readers, despite the language of some old and contrasting sentences. ➢ Structure - the poem is a free verse poem of 43 lines, made up of 3 stanzas. There is no set rhyme scheme or meter and the lines are of varied length. ➢ Metaphor - The poet takes the biblical story of the journey to Bethlehem by the three wise men at the birth of the Jesus Christ and uses it to explore his personal spiritual journey towards an acknowledgement and renewal of faith. ➢ Allusion - There are many references to the life of Jesus Christ, especially in the second stanza of the poem, e.g. Running stream - living water Vine leaves - Christ as the vine Dicing for pieces of silver - betrayal and crucifixion of Jesus Empty wine skin - the parable of the wine skin. |
Asking the learners questions to assess the achievement of the set objectives. |
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| ASSIGNMENT | The teacher gives learners take home. Write short notes on the following: 1. Central Message: Spiritual transformation comes with challenges and emotional turmoil. 2. Poetic Form: Dramatic Monologue, Free Verse. 3. Themes: Death, Journey, Spirituality 4. Emotions Evoked: Contentment, Empathy, Faith, Hope, Regret |
The learners copy the assignment | Better understanding of the Poem. |
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| CONCLUSION | The teachers wrap up from the learners' contribution. The poem “The Journey of the Magi” is a narrative poem that recounts the journey of the three wise men (Magi), who upon siting a star, shinning bright, travelled from the East to discover and pay homage to the new born baby Jesus Christ. It also talks about their spiritual rebirth and all the hindrances they encountered on the road. |
The students listen to the teacher and copy down notes. | Consolidating and harmonizing scientific concepts. |