11. What does T. S. Eliot mean by the following quote? "No poet, no artist of any art, has complete meaning alone. His significance, his appreciation, is the
appreciation of his relation to the dead poets and artists. You cannot value him alone; you must set him, for
contrast and comparison, among the dead."
-- T. S. Eliot, from "Tradition and the Individual Talent"

What T.S. Eliot basically means in this quote is that No Poet is an Island of knowledge. Whatever knowledge they put forward is due to the lessons that they learned from poets who may not be alive today.

In this quote, Eliot shows that even though many poets claim to be original, most of their works are modeled after their predecessors.

They learned from others, therefore, the people before them deserve acknowledgment because they provided the framework on which they built their work.

Therefore, the point that can be deduced is that the knowledge of all poets stems from their predecessors.

Learn more about T.S. Eliot here:

link

I think it can mean two things. Number 1 all writing and art can have different meanings because everyone sees it through their own eyes. All people have a different feeling about it, depending on their characteristics and circumstances. Number 2 a artist or poet didn't just whip out an painting or a poem. They learned from others even if they are unique. Someone would have seen what Shakespeare would have done and learned from him. Even so many years later like nowadays someone would learn from Shakespeare. Additionally someone writes or paints what they know so learning from their ancestors and parents who taught them is additional appreciation.

Explanation:

Hope that helps

lol thats so corny but its funny