Burnt What??

 As I sit down to write this I am a little disappointed with the text. I really enjoyed the first part but I find the themes and ideas difficult to remember. I think this is important to point out because we discussed in class that the first part is a reflection of an event that occurred between Hail and Eliot. I think my inability to remember it comes from the personal nature of the section. I think that in Eliot’s distaste for authors and their personal lives being associated with their poems now seems valid. The intimate nature of the poem takes away from the universality of the poem. Unlike the previous poems that we read that drew the reader in, the first part of this one pushes the reader away. In the same way that Eliot was known to push Hail away, so does he push the reader away.  
 Despite the fact that the Rose Garden is supposed to represent love, Eliot’s own personal struggles cause him to write something that does not make love seem like an attainable thing, but instead as a constant struggle between two people. It also seems to become a thing to be challenged. This is evident in part V when the speaker states “Love is itself unmoving,/ Only the cause and end of movement.” This shows the way love takes on a life of its own, as powerful but it also causes movement as much as it ends it. This is very evident of the effect that love had on Eliot’s life. The negativity from this part really disappoints. I prefer a poem with a message that is not as evident or relating to the poet’s life.