This document provides an analysis of the second part of T.S. Eliot's poem "The Waste Land" titled "A Game of Chess". It summarizes that this section contrasts two opposing scenes - a wealthy woman surrounded by luxury versus a conversation between two women in a bar. The first scene depicts a richly decorated woman preparing for sex, while the second features a discussion of a woman named Lil who had five kids and took pills for an abortion. Both women are portrayed as frustrated and unhappy, with their lives and sexuality treated as meaningless games.

1. Name – Parmar Shubhda A.
Paper -9 (The Modernist Literature)
Roll no – 30
Topic – The waste Land
(A Game of Chess)
Guide – Barad Sir
Submitted to – S.B Gardi
Department of English
Maharaja
Krishnkumarsinhji Bhavnagar University

2. Introduction :
One of the most important poem of
the 20th century .
 A central text in modernist poetry .
‘High brow ‘reference and quotes
from Shakespeare, Ovid ,Homer .

3. Poem’s structure divided into five
parts
1. The Burial of the Dead
2. A Game of Chess
3. The Fire Sermon
4. Death by Water
5. What the Thunder Said

4. A Game of Chess
Part-2

5. A Game of Chess
What is meaning ?
Title taken from
Play writer Thomas Middleton

6. Part 2 focuses on two opposing scenes
High Society Low Society

7. Poem represents our current world.
 A mob of fakes of fragmented images.
 The many ideas , many people in a
diverse culture.
 A metaphor for the strategic nature of the
relationship between men and women.
 Strategic , mindless and devoid of soul
due to the demands of society .

8. First half of the section portrays
A wealthy .
 Highly groomed woman .
 Surrounding by exquisite furnishings .
 Her sexuality is a dry .

9. Description of a woman sitting inside .
 The woman is preparing for rich , satisfying
live love making.
 Fills out this description of luxury that
seems.

10. In the first scene :
“The chair she sat in, like a burnished throne,
Glowed on the marble, where the glass “
 “ The glitter of her jewels rose to meet it,
From satin cases poured in rich profusion.”

11. Second half the section portrays
London bar room .
 Two women discusses a third women .
 Lack of culture .
 Rapid again .

12. In the second scene :
This scene shifts to a bar .
 Woman is telling her conversation with another
woman named Lil .
 Albert got demobilized after four years in the war
 Friends advice about making her self more ,
- Attractive
- A nice set
- She will be sexually attractive to him.

13. “ To get yourself some teeth. He did, I was there .
you have them all out, Lil, and get a nice set ,
He said ,I swear, I can’t bear to look at you .”
“I can’t help it ,she said, pulling a long face,
It’s them pills I took, to bring it off , she said .”
o Lil has five children , and took pills to get an abortion .

14. “ Hurry up please , it’s time”.
 “Good night, ladies, good night, sweet
ladies , good night, good night .”
- This line is taken from
‘Hamlet ‘(Ophelia’s madness ‘ ) .

15. Conclusion :
Present modern view .
 Not take sex very seriously .
 Sex is like A Game of Chess .
 Both women are frustrated and unhappy .
 Lil the low woman , her life is arbitrary and like A
Game of Chess .

16. Thank you