Definition: An allusion is a reference, within a literary work, to another work of fiction, a film, a piece of art, or even a real event. An allusion serves as a kind of shorthand, drawing on this outside work to provide greater context or meaning to the situation being written about. While allusions can be an economical way of communicating with the reader, they risk alienating readers who do not recognize these references.


T.S.Eliot belonged to the age of industrialization and of world wars.He presented literary theory and have inspiration with Ezra pound.The Waste land is an important poem ,being enriched with biblical allusions and mythology.in his own words;

the point of view of Eliot regarding tradition is well elaborated;
In this confused poem,poet contrasted past and present,anarchy and morality,tradition and individual talent with continuous quoting from Chaucer to Alexander pope.He alluded also from Spanish and french writers to make it classical.The narration symbolizes mental agony of poet as he was living in industrialized society.He expressed his fear about the ethnocentrism of Germans also apprehended about the winter epoch of world.


This is the starting verse of WASTE LAND in which he contrasted the description of spring with the general opening of prologue to Canterbury tales.To regard April, the harbinger of spring,as the cruelest month is natural for the dwellers in the waste land,who are afraid of life.


The Father of modern English poetry says in the prologue to Canterbury;
Themes of barrenness is explored with enriched imagery of cold,winter ans water.
the poet used figure of speech in order to give the essence of classicist like
Homer,Virgil, Dryden,Donne and others.
These lines expressed apprehension and fear of people,at that time RUSSIAN nationality could ward off the danger.being German national is a sign of protection so poet is sating he is Not from Russia.
These lines anticipates the vision of anarchy and of feelings of being a refigee.
He continuous going to allude and now alluded from bible in line;
This verse is pointing toward the Ezekiel.The name Ezekiel is assigned twice in the Bible. The lesser known Ezekiel is a priest in the time of King David.The famous Ezekiel is the author of the Book of Ezekiel, and a major prophet of Israel who lived and worked among the exiles in BABYLON.in that book he addresses Jews as 'SON OF MAN".but what poet says is the forests had nothing to offer us.How could it offer us roots that clutches and different kinds of branches which would grow out of this infertile land?the forests has strange thing to present.THe forests represents past time and he lamented ther is no pastoral life but have ugly images.

This is again taken from bible and that saint addressing to his people.so the poet dilemma is to live in present but have ornamentation of past.The modern man is make up of mere images and images are dead like autumn leaves or plants.
ANd only thing can relieve the is the establishment of Christ kingdom.the zeal for religious reform and hatred for modern life where man can not find escape but only as moral being or to follow the Christ.

The Wild Hyacinth is in flower from early in April till the end of May, This is the 'fair-hair'd hyacinth' of Ben Jonson, a name alluding to the old myth, for tradition associates the flower with the Hyacinth of the Ancients, the flower of grief and mourning, so Linnaeus first called it Hyacinthus.

This is from Shakespeare Tempest,act 1The magical atmosphere Shakespeare creates in The Tempest is one of the play's defining qualities.

his genius lies in his quality to infuse far-fetched and remote ideas .this can make poetry vague.But n order to be subjective it is better that to present indirectly your observations