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The poem "The Hollow Men" by T.S Eliot is a literary work that uses several devices to portray man's listlessness and how life without a purpose proves to be a waste when the world's final hours are near. The poem also refers to man's desire to put faith in material things that eventually will fade away. Eliot is able to skillfully tie these concepts together with the use of literary devices.

One of the first things the reader will notice about the poem is its allusion to biblical works. Eliot uses the word kingdom throughout the poem but really solidifies his allusion to the Bible when he uses phrases that refer to a valley of shadows and repeats "for thine is the kingdom", an excerpt from the Christian Affirmation of Faith. References to eyes that watch and do not watch in this valley of shadows leads the reader to conclude that Eliot is comparing the eyes of God to that hopeless men. In his valley the eyes no longer watch perhaps because men no longer seek direction because they have given up one of God's most precious gifts-hope.

Another device in the poem is Eliot's diction. He uses vernacular so that the every day, or average, man can understand but does not use slang that would in a sense debase the poem. Use of slang can tend to cater to specific groups, thereby creating a smaller audience that can identify with the work. Eliot masters his word choice to portray a sense of despair without being effusive. The poem's tone is one of sadness but not pity. There is a fine line between voicing his plight and someone seeking pity, and the poem's message does not overstep that boundary. The hollow men want to be remembered not as lost souls but as exactly what they are- men who are hollow only because they are filled with the wrong ideas and choices.

The use of similes and extended metaphors are the threads that weave and hold the poem together. The use of metaphors particularly helps the reader to see Eliot's perspective on the ways of men. He says the hollow men's whispers are as meaningless as "rats' feet on broken glass" and "wind in dry grass". These two images allow the reader to visualize in his mind's eye a picture that does not evoke sentiment.

Imagery plays a major role in the poem. The stone images referred to in the poem symbolize the men's tangible desires. Those stone images are placed under a twinkling star. That image shows the reader that the men's useless worship of material things is under the distant but ever present watch of God. As long as they continue to worship these stone idols the hope of attaining eternity will be just beyond their reach.

The conclusion of the poem tells of the world ending in a quiet whisper instead of a tumultuous bang. Eliot not only says this but uses repetition to verbally (when the reader is reciting) show how the end is soft instead of the poem ending abruptly. Besides repetition T. S Eliot uses several literary devices that include diction, metaphor, imagery, and tone to effectively invite the reader to his perspective. The poem portrays the hollow man's plight which involves investment in fading things and a sense of hopelessness.

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