Why is a sense of tradition essential?

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Why is a sense of tradition essential Tradition is the living bond between the past and the present T S Eliot - believes that no poet can create great poetry without knowing the heritage of earlier writers For this reason the writer of Tradition and Individual Talent says that a sense of tradition is not a choice It is a need for every poet who wishes to write lasting poetry Historical Sense According to Eliot the first step toward tradition is to develop what he calls the historical sense It means that a poet must feel both the pastness of the past and its presence in the present age Eliot writes Tradition is a matter of much wider significance It cannot be inherited and if you want it you must obtain it by great labour This sense makes a poet aware that all literature exists together as a simultaneous order

Through this awareness the poet learns that his work must connect the temporal and the timeless Relation with the Past Eliot strongly believes that no poet can be understood or valued alone He writes No poet no artist of any art has his complete meaning alone A poet s real meaning and importance depend on his relation with the poets of the past When a new poem is created it slightly changes the meaning of the whole literary tradition Thus there is a continuous exchange between old and new works Awareness and Responsibility A poet who understands tradition becomes aware of great difficulty and responsibility He knows that his art must follow the spirit of the past without losing its freshness Blind imitation is useless because true conformity lies in a balance between the old and the new The poet must study deeply think widely and work hard to keep this harmony In short Eliot teaches that tradition is not merely imitation but rather a conscious awareness of the past It gives the poet direction discipline and creative strength Without a sense of tradition poetry becomes shallow and temporary

Tradition and the Individual Talent

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Why is a sense of tradition essential?

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T. S. Eliot

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