American Literature / Unit 15 AML 1409 short lesson, about 20 seconds
The Eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg
Captions available
The idea
Above the valley of ashes an old oculist's billboard shows enormous blue eyes behind yellow spectacles, faded and unrepaired. A grieving character takes them for the eyes of God. The board's sample question describes them as sightless eyes suggesting the vacancy of old orders of belief.
In practice
A billboard, mistaken for God.
Where people slip
The eyes belong to an advertisement nobody maintains.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
Something wrong in this lesson? Flag it