In T.S. Eliot’s essay “Tradition and the Individual Talent,” he argues that great poetry results from an impersonal process, where the poet’s personal emotions and personality are not the main driving forces. To explain this idea, he uses the analogy of a chemical catalyst—specifically, a filament of platinum—illustrating the role of the poet’s mind in creating poetry.
Here’s how the analogy works:
In a chemical reaction, the platinum filament facilitates a reaction between sulfur dioxide and oxygen to form sulfur trioxide, but the platinum itself remains unchanged and does not participate in the final product.
Similarly, in the creation of poetry, the poet’s mind brings together disparate emotions, experiences, and ideas. However, the mind of the poet remains impersonal—it only facilitates the fusion of these elements into the poem, without leaving a personal trace.
Thus, the mind of the poet plays the same role as the platinum filament: it acts as a catalyst for the poetic process without being directly evident in the final product.
This supports the correct answer: 2. the mind of the poet.
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