In the first two lines of the present essay the writer introduced his thesis: the English language is the richest for writing poetry.

Going on from line 3 to 10 he qualifies the previous statement. To tell the truth he does not mean that England has produced the greatest poets or amount of poetry. rather T. S. Elliot wants to clarify his thesis (lines 11-14) and namely English is the richest language for poetry because it has the largest vocabulary.

In the following lines the writer supports his statement providing the reader with examples (lines 14-29). The richness of the English language is due to the variety of its elements :

1.  Germanic foundation
2.  Scandinavian elements (Danish conquest)
3. Norman French elements (Norman conquest)
4. French influences
5. Latin
6. Celtic

The writes adds further clarifications in order to convince the reader of his point  (lines 29-40).

The English language is also rich in its rhythmic variety. The elements of its rythm are

1. Rhythm of early Saxon verse
2. Rhythm of the Norman French
3.  Rhythm of the Welsh
4. Study of Latin poetry
5. Study of Greek poetry

To support the idea right from the 29^th line T.S.Eliot repeats his first statement: English is a good language for poetry because it is derived from so many linguistic sources.

Later in the essay  he focuses the reader's attention on the second statement which he repeats  (lines 44-48). England has not necessarily produced the greatest poets.

In the following lines the writer provides the intelligent reader some examples to justify the idea. He states that it is generally thought that the greatest peoples excel in one art. As examples he reesorts to:

Italy and French in painting

Germany in music

England in poetry

From line 52 to 68 T.S. Eliot rejects the previous statement and analyses the most important elements giving his  reader a concrete example. No art has ever been the exclusive possession of any one country of Europe. He maintains there had been periods in which some other country than England took the lead in poetry.

For instance, in the final years of the 18^th century and the first quarter of the 19^th, the Romantic Movement in English poetry certainly dominated. But in the second half of the 19^th century the greatest contribution to English poetry was Along the essay, T.S.Eliot provides the reader a further refutation and a closely connected example. He says that a  nation which leads in a particular art from in a particular period does not necessarily produce the greatest artists. As example the greatness of Goethe.

From line 77 to 86 he analyses one more statement: no European nation would have accomplished what it has, as far as culture is concerned, if other countries had not developed the same art forms.

To conclude the writer focuses the reader's attention on the ability of European literature to renew itself.

This, according to him, depends on two factors:

•·      1. The  Ability to receive and assimilate influences from abroad

•·        2. The  Ability to go back and learn from its own sources.