Poems (1920) - The Hippopotamus Summary

T.S. Eliot talks of humankind striving through the centuries in its pursuit of material gains, while true riches are in being at one with God. He further talks of humankind's sin and the Blood of the Lamb—Jesus Christ's Blood— redeeming humankind. He ends the poem saying the True Church will never die.

Poems (1920) - The Hippopotamus Analysis

The theme of this poem is forgiveness, redemption, and the True Christian Church's never-ending existence. Eliot's thoughts on God, Jesus and the Church are apparent here. The reader can see, with the reading of each poem that Eliot does not deal with trivialities in his works. He always attacks life's big questions head on and does not shy away from espousing his beliefs in a Church that will never die. The reader senses a battle between...