Journey_of_the_Magi

Journey of the Magi Journey to Christianity “Journey of the Magi” can be read and perceived on many different levels. The imagery, while when first read is easy to understand, may be researched to find deeper meaning. Since the poem was written in the year of Eliot’s own conversion to Christianity, the quest of the Magi for the Christ child can be seen as a parallel to Eliot’s own religious quest. The first five lines of “Journey of the Magi” describe the hardships of their journey (Barbour 190-191). I think these five lines also refer to the difficulty of Eliot’s conversion to Christianity. Lines 2-4 express the hardships that have been endured through Eliot’s life and the Magi’s journey. “Winter” expresses a feeling of death and despair. It shows that the Magi are losing or have lost all hope throughout life. The camels lying down in the melting snow reinforces the enormous difficulties the Magi face. Line 8 refers to things they had endured and would like to change. Palaces on slopes, terraces, and silken girls bringing sherbet represent a loss of accommodation. magi, journey, eliot’s, lines, life, horse, conversion, christianity, white, represents, own, old, hardships, first, christ, valley, temperate, symbolic, shows, satisfactory, revelation, represent, religious, read, out, new, magi’s, five, feeling, endured, despair, death, dean, darkness, child, change, appears, about, being, year, written, word, women, wohlpart, winter, while, ways, war, wanting, wall’s