Hollow Men, Stuffed Men

T.S. Eliot uses a lot of imagery in "The Hollow Men" to criticize certain members of the modern civilization who are "hollow" (1) in terms of personal thoughts and passion, yet "stuffed" (2) in a way that they don't have room to accept anything new. Imagery like "broken glass" (9), "dead land" (40), and "broken jaw of our lost kingdoms" (56) provide a strong sense of lifelessness in the world that is filled with hollow men. They live in the "Shadow" (76) that comes between ideas and acts. I like how the poem ends: "This is the way the world ends / Not with a bang but a whimper" (97-98). The world is so lack of substances and meanings that it doesn't even cause a "bang" when it ends. Also, I think the drawing Men of Straw in the book goes very well with the context of the poem, and really helps with the readers' visualization.