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Aunt Helen
T.S. Eliot's poem "Aunt Helen" describes the aftermath of the death of the narrator's maiden aunt Helen. When she dies, there is silence in heaven and on her street. Her house is shuttered and the undertaker wipes his feet, being familiar with death. While the dogs are provided for, the parrot also dies. As the clock continues ticking, the footman and second housemaid begin flirting, moving on with their lives despite Helen's passing. The poem reflects on making the most of life while one can.
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Aunt Helen
- 1. AUNT HELEN T.S Eliot Golosino, SheenaM. Falgui, Lyka
- 2. THE AUTHOR ThomasStearns Eliot 26 September 1888 St. Louis, Missouri, United States American-born essayist, publisher, playwright, literary and social critic, and "one of the twentieth century's major poets“ At England in 1914 at age 25, settling, working and marrying there. He was eventually naturalized as a British subject in 1927 at age 39, renouncing his American citizenship. T.S Eliot 1934
- 3. Died: 4January 1965 (aged 76) at Kensington, London, England Occupation: Poet, dramatist Literary critic Editor Nationality: British Citizenship: American by birth; British from 1927 Education: AB in philosophy Alma mater: Merton College Oxford Harvard University Sorbonne(1905– 1965)
- 4. THINGS THAT INFLUENCEDELIOT WITH LITERATURE He had to overcome physical limitations as a child: Congenital double inguinal hernia He could not participate in many physical activities and was prevented from socializing with his peers. Eliot states: "It is self-evident that St. Louis affected me more deeply than any other environment has ever done. I feel that there is something in having passed one's childhood beside the big river, which is incommunicable to those people who have not. I consider myself fortunate to have been born here, rather than in Boston, or New York, or London."
- 5. MARRIAGE Married toVivienne Haigh-Wood at Hampstead Register Office on 26 June 1915. The marriage was markedly unhappy, in part because of Vivienne's health issues. When Harvard offered him the Charles Eliot Norton professorship for the 1932–1933 academic years, he accepted and left Vivienne in England Vivienne was committed to the Northumberland House mental hospital, Stoke Newington, in 1938, and remained there until she died. Although Eliot was still legally her husband, he never visited her.
- 6. On 10January 1957, at the age of 68, Eliot married Esmé Valerie Fletcher, who was 30. In contrast to his first marriage, Eliot knew Fletcher well, as she had been his secretary at Faber and Faber since August 1949. Literary movement: Modernism Notable works: The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock (1915), The Waste Land (1922), Four Quartets(1944) Notable awards: Nobel Prize in Literature (1948) Order of Merit (1948)
- 7. AUNT HELEN BY T.S. ELIOT 1Miss Helen Slingsby was my maiden aunt, 2And lived in a small house near a fashionable square 3Cared for by servants to the number of four. 4Now when she died there was silence in heaven 5And silence at her end of the street. 6The shutters were drawn and the undertaker wiped his feet — 7He was aware that this sort of thing had occurred before. 8The dogs were handsomely provided for, 9But shortly afterwards the parrot died too. 10The Dresden clock continued ticking on the mantelpiece, 11And the footman sat upon the dining-table 12Holding the second housemaid on his knees — 13Who had always been so careful while her mistress lived.
- 8. CRITICAL ANALYSIS OFTHE POEM Title = Affectionate The narrator in the poem is Aunt Helen's nephew since Eliot states in the first line; “…my maiden aunt". Eulogy – a speech that praises someone who has died One stanza containing Thirteen lines One line shy of an Elizabethan sonnet Irregular rhythm scheme; abcdeeccfghij
- 9. In linefour, we realize why Eliot refers to Helen in the past tense because “Now when she died…" The reader is conscious of the fact that Helen is no longer alive. Foreshadowing. “….was my maiden aunt" In honor of her death there was "Silence in heaven” "Silence at her end of the street" evokes to the reader that perhaps she was popular among her community and that this woman was genuinely kind, warm- hearted woman.
- 10. In linesix, Eliot writes, "The shutters were drawn" which is symbolic of mourning, people would not let light into the house. Eliot also states, "the undertaker wiped his feet“ The undertaker seems to be "aware that this sort of thing had occurred before“ "sort of thing" is a euphemism for death and it is regarded as a minor circumstance The Dresden clock
- 11. And thefootman sat upon the dining-table Holding the second housemaid on his knees — Who had always been so careful while her mistress lived. Flirting; moving on with their lives; having fun in the process The death of Helen has established this so the footman and the second housemaid are making the most of their lives while they still can. “second housemaid" to perhaps convey that the first housemaid is also dead.
- 12. SYMBOLS The clock The death of Helen The parrot indication that death is unexpected
- 13. REFLECTING MESSAGE Lifeis too short to live by other people's expectations and requirements, no matter what one achieves you will not be able to please everyone You should have fun with life while you still have the time and to be able to die without any regrets.