On “The Waste Land” by Vex Butler

A poem composed of five different sections and referencing many languages and cultures, “The Waste Land” by T.S. Eliot has a lot to unpack. Focusing on collage elements, the first thing to address is the variety of languages and sources that he collages into his piece. The poem starts with a greek fragment addressing the prophet Sybil, cursed to live forever but continue to age. When asked what she wants most, she responds “To die”. This is the start of the poem’s overall melancholy tone.

The text addresses wealth, womanhood, death, and war throughout five fragmented sections, each with their own meaning and importance. Between stanzas are quotes or pieces of other literary works, touching on classics such as Dante’s inferno. Eliot notably does not provide translations of the text fragments in other languages, content to leave them in their own German, Latin, Greek, or whatever other languages they might be in.

His use of collage is integral to understanding the entirety of the piece. Masterfully providing context as well as added mystery, these shards of other literary texts give the overall poem a far deeper meaning than could otherwise be achieved. Artfully creating implications about the characters, Eliot’s piece combines – at the time – more obscure mythological and literary references.

This poem raises an interesting question in the context of collage: When using translated works, should one use the translation or the original? Additionally, is there merit to using both the original and a translated version beside it? One could use this piece as a model by taking a well-known, translated piece of literature, and creating a collage with it. Then, by collaging untranslated pieces of text, one stays truer to the closer meaning of the original piece.

Additionally, when doing this, it would be important to consider all the different ways each fragment could be translated, either by consulting translations or someone fluent in the language to be translated.

Music in “The Second Bakery Attack” by Isabel Issakhan

SUMMARY

In Haruki Murakami’s short story “The Second Bakery Attack,” an unnamed newlywed couple wake up hungry in the middle of the night. They do not have any food, and they ignore their hunger pains by sitting at the kitchen table. The husband randomly mentions he and his best friend tried attacking a bakery ten years ago. The two were broke and unwilling to get jobs, so to put food into their stomachs, they attempted to steal bread. 

The two boys were caught by the baker, who was a “classical music freak.” He made a deal with the boys: if they listened to Wagner’s overtures in full, they could eat as much bread as they desired. The boys agreed with the proposal, and they did not go hungry. After the so-called “attack”, the friends wondered if it was really worth it listening to classical music for food.

The wife, inspired by her husband’s anecdote, decides to help her spouse finish unfinished business. The newlyweds get into a car and start searching for a bakery. When the two realize that bakeries are not open at three in the morning, the wife settles on attacking the closest McDonald’s. The husband is unsure about this idea, but his wife decides to take the lead and asks the cashier for thirty burgers. She also asks for two beverages, in which she pays for, and explains to the fast-food staff that if any bakery was open, her husband and she would have attacked that instead. The newlyweds find an empty parking lot and fill their bellies.

ANALYSIS

Looking at the highlighted bits of the “The Second Bakery Attack” excerpt, this is the only time the Wagner overtures are mentioned throughout the entire short story. There is no description of the music, like its quicker paces or volumes changes. It almost seems absurd that the music is even used to move the story along because what is at stake is: if the boys sacrifice some of their precious time to listen to music that they will most likely never need to hear in the future, they are guaranteed free bread. The baker made no threat of notifying authorities or calling attention to everyone else in the bakery for public humiliation. The baker also did not give any reason as to why he would give the bread to the boys so easily. As seen in the short film “The Bakery Attack”, this short story’s “pre-sequel”, the boys pretend to like Wagner just to eat the bread. 

MODEL

“The Second Bakery Attack” is not the best model to represent music wiritng.

Murakami uses Wagner’s Tannhäuser and The Flying Dutchman overtures in “The Second Bakery Attack” as a subplot to an earlier, failed bakery attack. In the end, the boys still got the bread.

“…we accomplished our mission…got the bread. But you couldn’t say we…committed a crime. It was more of an exchange.”

When the husband and wife attack McDonald’s, Wagner’s overtures aren’t mentioned at all. Murakami does not describe the overtures in the story; he only used those operas to reason why the husband’s best friend ten years ago and he grew apart (an unresolved curse, per se).

DISSCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Do you agree or disagree with Murakami’s use of Wagner’s overtures in “The Second Bakery Attack”? Could the overtures have been used differently (and if so, how)?
2. How can music (like your favorite songs) play a role in a story’s plot? Does the genre contribute anything? The lyrics? Beat? Instrument(s)? 

OPTIONAL QUESTIONS

1. Are there any songs and/or pieces of music you would incorporate into your writings? (Like ekphrastic poems, a short story, etc..?) 
2. Would you even use music in your writings?