T.S. Eliot's essay argues that a poet's ability to relate their emotions to those expressed in previous works of literature is as important as their direct self-expression. The essay compares tradition, represented by references to other works, with an individual poet's talent or ability. Eliot supports his argument by providing examples from works like Othello and Ulysses that show similar emotions expressed across different works. He disagrees with the trend of his era that valued works primarily for their direct expression of the poet's ideas over references to literary tradition.

1. Tradition and the Individual
Talent
T.S. Eliot
Class Discussion

2. Key Questions
1) Why is this essay entitled Tradition and the
Individual Talent?
2) What is T.S. Eliot’s main argument on this essay
in relation to the expression of the poets in
their work?
3) What evidence provided by Eliot to support this
argument?
4) Do you agree or disagree with his argument?
5) Why do you think he points out several issues
mentioned in the essay?

3. Answers
1) Because it compares between the ability of poets to refer
to the previous literary works and his/her own ability to
express their emotion in their own works
2) He argues that the poet’s ability to relate his emotions to
other poets’ emotions in the history is as important as his
direct expression in his own literary work.
3) The evidence he provides in this essay is taken from
Othello, Ulysses, Agamemnon, etc, which shows the
repeated numbers of similar emotions in found in one
work and in the previous work.
4) He points out this issue because there is a trend in his era
that the better literary work is the one that directly
expresses the poet’s ideas. (he disagrees with this)