The Waste Land

I thought this poem was very hard to understand and to read; However, when listening to T.S. Eliot read it, many things became a lot more clear.  For example, in the beginning I was kind of confused when reading lines 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6. In all of these lines there is an enjambed word at the end, and that confused me about which line that word belonged to. 

APRIL is the cruellest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing

Here I didn't know whether breeding was part of the first or second line. Fortunately, after listening to Eliot reading it I knew it was part of the second line. In the beginning of the poem (as shown in the quote above), The Waste Land talks about seasons. April being the worst month, and December being the best (winter).

The Burial of the Dead was a great introduction to the rest of the poem. I believe The Waste Land is based on death. At least this is the theme that excels the most, and surpasses all other, smaller themes. The first part, titled The Burial of the Dead talks mainly about the changing of nature. I believe Eliot expresses natures changes as part of life, something inevitable. This can also be applied to death, because death is a part of nature, which we can't change. This can be linked to Slaughterhouse - Five because Billy Pilgrim eventually accepts death due to the lessons taught to him by the Trafalmadorians.

Another interesting point in this poem is the fact that the author includes some parts in German. I wonder whether this is important to the overall meaning? Does this, in any way, link T.S. Eliot to Kurt Vonnegut for the fact Vonnegut also includes some interesting parts involving Germans in World War II?