Horizon

Looking through some of my old files, I came up on this. It is the last academic paper I wrote for Plymouth State University. After being an English: Writing major for about six years, I think I sufficiently earned my B.A. in B.S. and I wanted the opportunity to prove my skills to the world one last time.

The course was a special topics lit course focusing on the twenties. Our professor told us we could write our final paper on any topic we chose... and some students -- most of whom were freshmen -- didn't get the concept of the freedom that had been presented to them.


I understood, though. This was to be my moment of glory.

Extraterrestrial Influences on the Twenties

The twenties defined itself as an age of completely ignorant innocence. In the wake of the “Great War” people attempted to form some semblance of order in their lives – like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle that had been scattered haphazardly about the world, and then run over by a tank.

This proved itself to be a prime opportunity for visitors from outer space to embed and entrench themselves in world culture. Conspiracy theorists suggest that the television, which was supposedly “invented” in Scotland was either a gift from aliens to cope with the pain of their generation – or a tool that they gave the people of Earth to distract themselves from reality in order to make it easier for the ultimate takeover of the planet to occur.

Perhaps to accompany this cultural razing or directing, aliens – who, until recently, many believed to have come from Mars – planted members of their own race to spark a cultural revolution. The twenties saw literary movements like feminism, perspectives on the world like new criticism, the blossoming of the Harlem Renaissance, and an influx of new readers at least partially sparked by the Book of the Month Club.

A “wise” person, thinking with so-called “common sense” would say that even if aliens exist – after all, they say, in an infinite universe with an infinite number of chances, the odds are extremely high that somewhere out there sentient life exists – that those creatures would likely never come to Earth, and would have no reason to conquer it.

I disagree. Perhaps I would understand their point if evidence did not exist to the contrary: that is, the aliens that live and lived amongst us. One need only look at Charlie Chaplin and his short stature, unnatural movements, and made up face to know, instantly, in your heart of hearts that it was impossible for that man to possibly be human.

Chaplin is a given, though. The true root of the alien menace can be traced far deeper than that – even the conspiracy theorists, too caught up in their delusions of mediocrity would ever realize the connections placed by the alien who called himself T.S. Eliot.

According to popular belief, Eliot – whose name immediately forces one to reminisce of E.T. by Steven Spielberg – was born in 1888 in St. Louis, Missouri. We enlightened souls immediately detect the suspicious circumstances here: who would want to be born in St. Louis? The natural answer that occurs is “no one.” Therefore, it would be reasonable to assume that no one would be born in St. Louis. More than that, some believe that the Arch of St. Louis, the Gateway to the West, is a giant antenna for alien spacecraft. Why not? It serves no other purpose than to block out the glorious light of the sun that is often forbidden in that miserable pit.

One need only look at the life Eliot led to find curious differences that define him as unnatural and inhuman. Eliot moved to Oxford to study after WWI broke out in Europe, and there he spent most of the rest of his life – including “dying” in London in 1965. The uneducated may not realize the significance here: Americans do not move to England and become British citizens; isn’t that counter to the whole idea of the Revolutionary War? This is profound proof that Eliot could not possibly be an American – this is because he was not born in America, or on Earth, in fact – and is a chink in the armor he might call his “civilian disguise”; brought about by a lack of understanding of Earth culture and history.

The next important mistake Eliot made in his cover was his choice of profession: Eliot chose to be a banker. There are two important discrepancies here, the first of which would be that writers are poor. Who would ever trust them to be with, near, or even see real money? The very idea is absurd and if perpetuated might well be the thread that unravels our alien-constructed society. Surely, this is irresponsibility at its highest on the part of our visitors from beyond, and Eliot in particular.

The other point to note is that writers are naturally inhibited mathematicians. In other words, a writer could spell “abacus”, but would be more likely to try to eat the beads or beans that one uses in order to get a decent meal. On the other hand, a banker would hire a writer to spell “abacus” for them, and then foreclose on their pen.

If these facts were not enough to convince someone, one might begin to suspect that they are part of the alien incursion force as well – some need it spelled out for them, though, and one can see that if they take a look at Eliot’s work.

In “The Waste Land”, Eliot immediately outlines the aliens’ plans for Earth – to turn it into a scorched, inhabitable desert. He even says the month the attack will begin in the first line, “April is the cruelest month.”

In line 20, Eliot uses the words, “Son of man,” as though he were addressing the human race but not counting himself among it. A common theme throughout Sci-fi, when aliens don’t want to be redundant and call people Earthlings over and over, they in fact call them “Son of man,” – given this poem, there might be some factual basis.

“There is shadow under this red rock,” in line 26 might indeed be a ploy throw the ultra-perceptive off the trail to Eliot’s home planet. As discussed before, until recently, people believed Mars – the red planet – to be the source of alien life. “I will show you fear in a handful of dust,” the narrator says. What is the weapon of choice for aliens? Disintegration rays. This is a direct threat by Eliot. One can imagine him writing this poem, grinning evilly because he knew the dark truth behind it.

In line 138, the narrator gives a description of his race; “Pressing lidless eyes and waiting for a knock upon the door.” Think of the common depictions of aliens given by those who have been captured by them – they have large heads and big, lidless eyes.

The next poem that bares analysis would be “The Hollow Men” – one can begin to see the whole new meaning that “The Hollow Men” takes on. “We” are indeed “hollow men”, “stuffed men” – the aliens are wearing human suits.

In line 12, the words “Paralyzed force, gesture without motion” also carry new context. In some reports of alien encounters, when the human would try to approach the alien craft, they would become paralyzed – in some, they claim that the aliens actually spoke to them telepathically; talking directly to their minds. The narrator refers to this strange power in “The Hollow Men.”

It may be possible that Eliot and his compatriots miss home, though. In this poem, the narrator makes repeated references to stars, and that the stars seem to be fading away. It could be that the alien invasion was called off by some cataclysmic event like the invention of “American Idol” on the alien home world, which caused the alien people to give up war entirely, leaving Eliot, Chaplin, and the others trapped on Earth.

The final lines might lead credence to this: “This is the way the world ends / Not with a bang but a whimper.” Maybe now instead of being blown up by some alien doomsday device, the world will be allowed to continue its natural spiral into destruction. This poem could be considered a resignation from Eliot and his plans for ultimate domination.

Hall points out that in 1965, the year that Eliot “passed away”, marked an upswing in UFO sightings, including a sighting that occurred in France around the time Eliot departed this world – quite literally. (UFO) It is most likely that Eliot’s friends from back home finally showed up to pick him up; it was clear that his human suit was failing and beginning to deform, unlike Chaplin, who remained looking quite young until many years later.

One final major event happened that is another piece to the puzzle: Cats. Written by Andrew Lloyd Weber, the musical is based on Eliot’s “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats”. The nightmarish costumes may well be inspired by Eliot’s true appearance, as aliens are often described as having “clawed hands.”

Ultimately, we may never know the truth – Eliot left clues, and the aliens made mistakes, but they are smart enough to cover up their tracks. What we do know, though, may allow us to change the course of history – the fate imposed on us by the aliens that live amongst us as Eliot did, and who attempted to warp the very fabric of our culture and our humanity into one that served the aliens’ twisted goals.

Works Cited

Eliot, T.S. “The Wasteland.” . May 10, 2007.

Eliot, T.S. “The Hollow Men.” . May 10,

2007.

Hall, Richard. “UFO Occupant Sightings.” .

May 10, 2007.