Tradition and the Individual Talent
Tradition and the Individual Talent
T. S. Eliot
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Tradition and the Individual Talent Symbols & Motifs
Platinum
Platinum represents the mind of the poet. When the poet matures, the creative process will be separate from “the mind that suffers” (40) just as platinum is a necessary but inert presence in the chemical reaction. The ability of the creative mind to reach beyond the poet’s experience mimics platinum’s role in the creation of sulphureous acid.
Sulphur Dioxide and Oxygen
In Eliot’s analogy, the sulphur dioxide and oxygen are mixed in the presence of platinum to form sulphureous acid. This can only take place if platinum is present. The sulphur dioxide and oxygen represent feeling and emotion. A poem is formed out of one or more emotions combined with one or more feelings. In the mature poet, the presence of the creative mind and the pressure of its artistic process fuse them into a new and separate composition from the poet’s experience.
Science and Scientific Process
Eliot’s analogy of the chemical reaction links platinum, sulphur dioxide, and oxygen to specific parts of the poetic process. But even before he introduces the analogy, the language of chemical reaction and scientific reason shapes Eliot’s images. When speaking of
