"Poetry is not a turning loose of emotion, but an escape from emotion; it is not the expression of personality, but an escape from personality" -T.S. Eliot Being an expatriate T.S. Eliot was extremely affected by World War I and as a result his writings were blatantly dominated by his cynical views of the world around him. Constructed in 1925 Eliot's poem "The Hollow Men" was one of many depressing pieces that had evolved …showed first 75 words of 1323 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1323 total…reveals misdirection within the poem but it also mirrors Eliot's lack of direction within a larger context. As one of the "hollow men" Eliot is without hope. His grim view of life leads him to believe that our world with end "not with a bang but a whimper." Inevitably, when the world ends so will the people. Assuming life is worthless the "hollow men" won't put up a fight but go down with a whimper.