In his poem “The Hippopotamus”, TS Eliot expresses doubts about the institution of the Church and its apparent corruption resulting from its foundation in a corrupt world. TS Eliot composed many works on the depressed state of theology and faith, but due to his "life of contradictory attitudes" (Bush 32), "The Hippopotamus" remained obscure and somewhat insignificant by relation to his heritage. Written before his conversion to Christianity, Eliot uses his knowledge of religion from his family's Unitarian background (Bush 6 and 12) to question the position of the Church and its accredited spirituality. He proposes the hypothesis that although the Church is blessed and receives support, funds and praise from its spiritual patrons and volunteers, a man indifferent to matters of faith struggles unrewarded in life before the same God . Implementing the literary devices of symbolic imagery, allusion, and paradox in his theological ode, Eliot states that the corrupt institution will remain trapped in a sin-filled material world while a man faced with redemption will rise from the insignificant tribulations of life to a material world. kingdom in heaven. What stands out above all in "The Hippopotamus" is the rich array of symbolic imagery used to sarcastically imply doubt and apprehensions in the Church at the beginning of the work and later to glorify and illuminate the hippopotamus as he ascends into the beyond. Eliot states: “Flesh and blood are weak and fragile / Susceptible to nervous shocks / While the true Church can never fail / For it is based on a rock” (5-8). The lines present a visual state in which the institution is solid and infallible because it is founded on stone or firm ground, while the hippopotamus is exposed...... middle of paper ......aith as well as a circumstance for followers of the Church. Addressing multiple audiences simultaneously with singular messages, TS Eliot alerts a diverse community to the charade presented by the corrupt institution and the result of a lifestyle not associated with such impurity. Truly, “Eliot remains one of the major poets of the twentieth century” (Bush 132). Works Cited Bush, Ronald. “The Life and Career of TS Eliot.” Welcome to English “Department of English, College of LAS, University of Illinois. Internet. March 10, 2011. “The Hippopotamus, by TS Eliot.” Poetry Archives | Poems. Internet. March 10, 2011. .Western Connecticut State University. “Better Look Twice: Eliot’s Hippopotamus in a Poetic Parade.” Beyond the margins. Department of English. Internet.