A lion in a rather industrialized surrounding seems very contradictory. A wild animal in the jungle of a big city? This could imply that there is a man-made (because "they" feed) separation of men and nature. The tone of the poem probably shows the criticism of this separation.

No matter what the lion is fed, he still seems to grow. This implicates that the lion must be rather young as he is still in the period of growth/development and is therefore dependent on someone to feed him. It seems to be many industrial things that make him grow so that is what he gets used to until he is fully grown. But what happens when he gets independent and does not need anyone to feed him anymore?

Grammatically speaking this seems incorrect, but in spoken language it can be understood that it must be "They feed the/their lion." So this could just be an imitation of a dialect, maybe from a foreigner. However, the tone of the poem shows that the author is not making fun of someone, but taking the "lion" very seriously.

This might refer to his mentally unstable mother. However, he has not been trying to cover certain words so far, why here?

'The ash of poetry' - does poetry then still exist? If there is a larva and ash at the same time it seems at if it was a cycle. Maybe he means that poetry is in a way eternal.

Ginsberg dedicates the poem to Carl Solomon (1928-1993), an American writer, whom he met in the Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital in New Jersey. Carl Solomon went there due to a depression and had a shock therapy.

The ‘Wheel’ represents the circle in which the whole world moves on. The process, how it seems to be presented by unreal cities is nothing but an illusion. Eliot shows that there is no progress, only change that nonetheless does not change anything. A 'wheel' is characterized by having a center around which it is turning all the time. If one relates the poem to Yeat's "The Second Coming" http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/172062 the 'wheel' can be compared to a 'gyre'. The more the gyre is turning, the more it gets away from its center. If the center was nature or a just a specific point in the past, where mankind and nature were more closely connected, it could be interpreted as constantly moving away from 'realness'. In a gyre it is impossible to move to the center; one is constantly pushed towards the outside. The same in a wheel. What is turning on the outside and constantly moving on is disconnected from the center, that stays where it is.

However, the wheel and its center always have to move the same way. Without synchrony the wheel does not work. In a gyre the cycles become bigger and bigger, but still there needs to be synchrony. Modern time in the Waste Land seems to be moving too fast and like a gyre destroying something or approaching 'apocalypse'. The wheel turning faster as its center destroys the synchrony and harmony and hence makes it unreal. So modern time with its unreal cities could be moving on without a center, without a basis or a close connection to something constant. Therefore Eliot mentions the ring, where crowds of people are walking around. Basically like a wheel without a center. Maybe just because they lost the connection to the nature, the center of human nature. In comparison to a ring, a wheel has spokes that lead to the center. Spokes that make a connection and therefore make it real.

‘Crowds of people, walking round in a ring’ alludes to ghostly figures created by an unreal city. For example in an industrialized world, in big cities, where people go to work every day and just follow the crowd. Cities, civilization and culture pretend to lead people somewhere and to make them move on. They think they have a destination. However, they do not move on, but stay in that circle.

The ‘Wheel’ capitalized stands for a higher power that makes the system move. A wheel literally standing for a new invention and for progress does not apply in this context, it stands for something higher or even godlike.

The clairvoyante could therefore just stand for mankind’s predetermined destiny and the ‘one-eyed merchant’ stands for another aspect of an unreal city. In the modern world, due to the consequences of the industrialization, there is a big difference between rural and urban areas. Cities stand for agglomeration of people, capital and products. The ‘one-eyed merchant’ however, seems not to see the ‘whole thing’. He seems to be blinded by the illusion of the unreal cities and the modern world. This also refers to Eliot’s rejection of a modern world. In a city, people just follow the mainstream and believe in non-existing things, they are not alive and conscious, but just ghostly figures.

Furthermore, the ‘one-eyed merchant’ carries something on his back, which the clairvoyante cannot see. It is a blank card. It seems like a burden for humanity that men must carry, especially the one-eyed merchant, as a representative of a ‘modern urban man’. If the clairvoyante cannot see it, it might contradict the fact that the future is pre-determined and hence the ‘Wheel’ can be interpreted differently. The blank card could mean that there is still a possibility to change the future and that people are able to act. The ‘Wheel’ itself is just turning around its center, but seen as a whole the ‘Wheel’ could be moving on.

The Hofgarten used to be a residence representing the old Europe, which consisted of empires ruled by monarchs. However, World War I and the Russian Revolution changed the political system in Europe completely. Propaganda led to the alienation of the other countries and to the division of the peoples. Multinational empires were split up in a very short time that had existed for so long.

The Hofgarten in Munich is used by Eliot in order to represent the downfall of this political structure and also represents the motif of the unreal city. Due to its downfall the Hofgarten also stands for the motif of a ghost, which once was alive in the past, but now its existence is present even if it does not really exist anymore. An aerial photo of the Hofgarten shows its baroque architecture, very symmetrical, with a huge man-made garden. It still is an unreal, artificial and man-made place. The complete opposite of a waste land of disorder, industry, pollution and grotesqueness. However, going to the Hofgarten is a travel to the past. Eliot mentioning the sunlight seems to show a longing for the past or just a rejection of the fast changing modern world.

Time is not seen linear, but rather like a circle. After rain there will be sunshine and then maybe rain again. The weather can be referred to the changing political systems. Like London, Athens or Alexandria, cities (that also stand for a political system or an empire) are not 'real'. Some fall and others rise. It is just an illusion.

Considering the year when the poem was written, many countries in Europe tried to forget the horrible consequence of WWI in the 1920s, so probably many cities also seemed unreal due to an unauthentic/superficial atmosphere. For example Paris and the "années folles" (engl. "the crazy years"), the center of art and entertainment, where Eliot also spend some time, and the reason for Hemingway describing the "Lost Generation". Basically a generation created by the 'unrealness of the city'.

Who is talking? Sounds like the Negroes' consciousness reminding them of what happened. This can be linked to Hughes' essay "The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain". There is no justification for the Negroes trying to be like the white men. They should see the beauty in themselves.

"They" are not just the young, strong men, but especially the white American, who treated the black people very badly and sold them as slaves. However, it was the black people, who created a great part of America's culture and history ("I, too, Sing America"). The poem and mostly the title are ironic, because the strength of the white men comes from the power over black people. The Negroes contributed to American culture, but still were excluded from society. As mentioned in Hughes’ essay “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain”, the Negroes always tried to be like the white people. But in a way it is quite the opposite, because the white, too, claim products of the blacks to be their own achievements. Ma Rainey ‘doesn’t like men’, because she might remember what they did to her race in general. It could be a rejection of men for that reason, but on the other hand, it could also be a lesbian statement in her song.

Throughout the whole poem, Brown uses language as a tool. It is written in dialect/the oral language of the black people during that time, which Brown is trying to transform into appropriate written language. For exampe, "d" and "g", as they are not pronounced in spoken language, are elided at the end of the word. Therefore it sounds very authentic and creates the identity of black people. Like in Ma Rainey's song, the poem, too has a special rhythm. For example, the second and the fourth, and the sixth and eight verses rhyme. In "Prove it on Me" there is a similar rhyme scheme.

The moaning of the piano could be referred to its material. Ivory, as a highly demanded and very precious good, has become a rather 'exploited resource'. Due to colonization the ivory trade flourished. It causes a lot of suffering for the elephants, but is only seen as capital by many men. This agains refers to the negative consequences of a modern capitalistic world.

This might refer to a psychological growth rather than a physical growth. He learns how to deal with that situation, makes the best out of it and is optimistic for his future.

I feel like this could be a criticism of modernism. As an African American he might have a deep indigeneous knowledge, which might be spiritual and closely connected with nature. In modern America nature and mankind are much more separated. The wisdom he would like to share does not interest anybody in the new place he lives. For 'modern' Americans such knowledge belongs to a 'backward people'.

This makes me think of the 'unreal city', of crowds of people going to work in "The Waste Land" and also of Pounds poem "In A Station of The Metro". The city is the place, where the 'modern man' lives, where there is work and where there is another perception of time. Subways reduce distances and make it easier for people to go to work. The repition of 'work' emphasizes its importance in a modern society and is kind of contradictory to the life of an artist.

Race and nationality appear to be nearly the same. Instead of saying African/American or Negro/White he combines these descriptions. Even though an "American" is often a mixture of different nationalities, the race of the Negroes seem to be excluded. Furthermore "American" may also hint at being a real citizen and having rights.

The ‘Wheel’ represents the circle in which the whole world moves on. The process, how it seems to be presented by unreal cities is nothing but an illusion. Eliot shows that there is no progress, only change that nonetheless does not change anything. ‘Crowds of people, walking round in a ring’ alludes to ghostly figures created by an unreal city. For example in an industrialized world, in big cities, where people go to work every day and just follow the crowd. Cities, civilization and culture pretend to lead people somewhere and to make them move on. They think they have a destination. However, they do not move on, but stay in that circle. The ‘Wheel’ capitalized stands for a higher power that makes the system move. A wheel standing for a new invention and for progress does not apply in this context, because it is personified as God. The clairvoyante could therefore just stand for mankind’s predetermined destiny. The ‘one-eyed merchant’ stands for another aspect of an unreal city. In the modern world, due to the consequences of the industrialization, there is a big difference between rural and urban areas. Cities stand for agglomeration of people, capital and products. The ‘one-eyed merchant’ however, seems not to see the ‘whole thing’. He seems to be blinded by the illusion of the unreal cities and the modern world. This also refers to Eliot’s rejection of a modern world. In a city, people just follow the mainstream and believe in non-existing things, they are not alive and conscious, but just ghostly figures. Furthermore, the ‘one-eyed merchant’ carries something on his back, which the clairvoyante cannot see. It is a blank card. It seems like a burden for humanity that men must carry, especially the one-eyed merchant, as a representative of a ‘modern urban man’. If the clairvoyante cannot see it, it might contradict the fact that the future is pre-determined and hence the ‘Wheel’ can be interpreted differently. The blank card could mean that there is still a possibility to change the future and that people are able to act. The ‘Wheel’ itself is just turning around its center, but seen as a whole the ‘Wheel’ could be moving on.

The Hofgarten used to be a residence representing the old Europe. The old Europe consisted of empires ruled by monarchs. However, World War I and the Russian Revolution changed the political system in Europe completely. Propaganda led to the alienation of the other countries and to the division of the peoples. Multinational empires were split up in a very short time that had existed for so long. The Hofgarten in Munich is used by Eliot in order to represent the downfall of this political structure. It also represents the motif of the unreal city. An aerial photo of the Hofgarten shows its baroque architecture, very symmetrical, with a huge man-made garden. It still is an unreal, artificial and man-made place. However, going to the Hofgarten is a travel to the past. Eliot mentioning the sunlight seems to show a longing for the past or just a rejction of the fast changing modern world. Time is not seen linear, but rather like a circle. After rain there will be sunshine and then maybe rain again. The weather can be referred to the changing political systems. Like London, Athens or Alexandria, cities (that also stand for a political system or an empire) are not 'real'. Some fall and others rise. It is just an illusion. Considering the year when the poem was written, many countries in Europe tried to forget the horrible consequence of WWI in the 1920s, so probably many cities also seemed unreal due to an unauthentic/superficial atmosphere. For example Paris, the center of art and entertainment, where Eliot also spend some time, and the reason for Hemingway describing the "Lost Generation". Basically a generation created by the 'unrealness of the city'.

I found the translation "peace" for shantih, which could mean that there will be peace when the cities haven fallen down. When the 'frame of civilization' collapses, when mankind is closer to nature again, then there could be peace.

Thinking of the unreal cities and time as a circle, the beginning of the poem with "April" could hint a the fact that April is every year. When April is is over, it'll start again after 11 months. This refers to the unreal city that falls, but others will rise again.

Makes me think of UV-rays

It may be 'death' or even God that is always with him

life equates with death So what is 'living' then? Nothing more?

Why capitalized? The word spelled backward means God. Does he want to say that God, as a friend to men, takes the souls to heaven after death? But how can one prevent God to come? If God would dig up the corpse it could not sprout anymore, what does that mean? Could this indicate a separation of God and men or science versus belief?

Does reading make you feel free? Or should these lines not be linked?

Why does he especially want to go to the Hofgarten in Munich? It was a former court garden, so could this symbolize anything?

As if she was philosophizing about the hen and the egg. Which came first? Maybe she comes to the conclusion that at 24 percent it was the hen.

She mentions this word so often. It seems like she wants to revolt against the necessity of a poem having a certain form.

Why is the rhyme scheme different from all the other stanzas?

She feels completely powerless in her own life. It's not her creating her life, her life is dominated by her fate, husband, doctor, etc.

He repeats 'two' so often, but it does not seem to be too much or redundant. The repitition gives the passage a certain rhythm and underlines the double-consciousness. He consists of two different parts - but in one dark body.

Woman capitalized expresses a higher power or even a goddess at that time. It could also express how much he regrets that the woman is not seen like that in America