The poetic techniques used by T.S. Eliot have been constructed to present an exacting overview of society. A particularly critical view of society and its “masquerades” is conveyed in the poems Preludes and The Hippopotamus. Preludes examines the importance of time and the importance of structure, while the Hippopotamus reflects both the deemed frailty of mankind and Eliot’s personal criticism of the Roman Catholic Religion. Eliot constantly uses imagery to symbolize his perspective and ideas in his poetry, but as in the Hippo and Preludes, utilizes a number of other poetic techniques (e.g. allegory and juxtaposition) as well as connotative language to underscore a socially critical perspective.
The Hippopotamus uses mostly traditional poetic techniques to present a critical view of the Roman Catholic religion. The title the Hippopotamus may have been an intentional reference to the ancient name of the modern city of Bone in Algeria (then Hippo Regius) or perhaps, more specifically, to its benefactor, St. Augustine of Hippo. Augustine is considered to have been one of the most important figures in the development of Western Christianity, and to have framed the concepts of original sin and just war. The epigraph included at the beginning of the poem is known as the Epistle to the Laodiceans, referenced in the bible in Colossians 4, versus 16, purportedly written by Paul the apostle. The inclusion of this epigraph in the introduction reinforces the critical view of Catholicism as presented in the poem. The connotations provided by the language used in the poem suggest that the hippopotamus is the symbol for mankind. In the first stanza, for example, the tone of the speaker portrays contempt for man’s tendency to believe that they are more important than they really are, when they are “merely flesh and blood”, which, as the second stanza emphasizes, is “weak and frail / susceptible to nervous shock”. Despite this critical perspective of mankind, in relation to the ‘true Church’, or the Roman Catholic Church, as is hinted (both by the epigraph and its base upon a rock), mankind is “among the saints”, “while the true Church remains below”.
The Hippopotamus uses mostly traditional poetic techniques to present a critical view of the Roman Catholic religion. The title the Hippopotamus may have been an intentional reference to the ancient name of the modern city of Bone in Algeria (then Hippo Regius) or perhaps, more specifically, to its benefactor, St. Augustine of Hippo. Augustine is considered to have been one of the most important figures in the development of Western Christianity, and to have framed the concepts of original sin and just war. The epigraph included at the beginning of the poem is known as the Epistle to the Laodiceans, referenced in the bible in Colossians 4, versus 16, purportedly written by Paul the apostle. The inclusion of this epigraph in the introduction reinforces the critical view of Catholicism as presented in the poem. The connotations provided by the language used in the poem suggest that the hippopotamus is the symbol for mankind. In the first stanza, for example, the tone of the speaker portrays contempt for man’s tendency to believe that they are more important than they really are, when they are “merely flesh and blood”, which, as the second stanza emphasizes, is “weak and frail / susceptible to nervous shock”. Despite this critical perspective of mankind, in relation to the ‘true Church’, or the Roman Catholic Church, as is hinted (both by the epigraph and its base upon a rock), mankind is “among the saints”, “while the true Church remains below”.
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