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The love song of j alfred prufrock analysis
Summary of the love song of j alfred prufrock
Summary of the love song of j alfred prufrock
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The main argument of the article, Prufrock’s Waltz, is that “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T.S. Elliot is not truly meant to be a love song, but rather an expression of Prufrock’s social insecurity and internal isolation. David McKay Powell, the author of this article, strives to prove that T.S. Elliot uses various aspects of music as well as Prufrock’s “desire to sing” as a way of highlighting the speaker’s loneliness. Furthermore, an idea introduced by Powell, that supports the central argument is that Prufrock believes primarily in experiential over verbalized knowledge.
Powell argues that Prufrock trusts knowledge gained through experience more than that gained through discussion. An example used from the poem is, “[t]o lead you to an overwhelming question ... /Oh, do not ask, “What is it?”/Let us go
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The waltz is a dance requiring a partner. The speaker says “the voices dying with a dying fall” and then continues to mention that they can hear the music. Powell asserts that the voices are dying because the people who are participating in this social dance are communicating through their body language; no discussion is required. As a result of Prufrock’s insecurity he does not engage, he merely listens from a “farther room.”
The central argument of this article proclaims that T.S. Eliot uses “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” as an expression of the speaker’s isolation. The ideas that Powell presents were similar to mine as I read this poem. Other readings of this poem argued that Prufrock expresses narcissism over insecurity, however, Powell and myself believe otherwise. An example of our beliefs is present in the first stanza, “Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets, /Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels/And sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells” Prufrock uses the words “half-deserted”, “cheap” and “sawdust.” The utilization of these words signify his low self-esteem as he deems these as the standards of places
"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" is about a timid and downcast man in search of meaning, of love, and in search of something to break from the dullness and superficiality which he feels his life to be. Eliot lets us into Prufrock's world for an evening, and traces his progression of emotion from timidity, and, ultimately, to despair of life. He searches for meaning and acceptance by the love of a woman, but falls miserably because of his lack of self-assurance. Prufrock is a man for whom, it seems, everything goes wrong, and for whom there are no happy allowances. The emptiness and shallowness of Prufrock's "universe" and of Prufrock himself are evident from the very beginning of the poem. He cannot find it in himself to tell the woman what he really feels, and when he tries to tell her, it comes out in a mess. At the end of the poem, he realizes that he has no big role in life.
In his poem Eliot paints the picture of an insecure man looking for his niche in society. Prufrock has fallen in with the times, and places a lot of weight on social status and class to determine his identity. He is ashamed of his personal appearance and looks towards social advancement as a way to assure himself and those around him of his worth and establish who he is. Throughout the poem the reader comes to realize that Prufrock has actually all but given up on himself and now sees his balding head and realizes that he has wasted his life striving for an unattainable goal.
The Love song of J. Alfred Prufrock is a poem that was written by T. S Eliot. The poem introduces the character, Prufrock, as a man who is very pessimistic about everything and is incapable of change. Prufrock sees the society he lives in as a place that is full of people who think alike, and he thinks he is different from them. Though Prufrock, realizes that the society he is associated with needs a change and have more people who think differently, but the fact that he is very concerned about what people would think of him if he tries to speak up to make a change or that he would be ignored or be misunderstood for whatever he says hindered him from expressing himself the way he would like to. Prufrock then decides not to express himself in order to avoid any type of rejection. In the poem, Prufrock made use of several imagery and metaphor to illustrate how he feels about himself and the society he is involved in. Prufrock use of imageries and
By a correct reading of "Prufrock," I mean a reading consistent with the central theme of the poet's belief made mute because the poet lives in a culture of unbelief--that is, the "silence" of the poetic vision in modernity. Prufrock renounces his inherited, romantic role as "poet as prophet" and renounces poetry's role as a successor to religion. The future of poetry may have once been immense, but that future no longer exists for Prufrock, who is faced not only with the certainty of the rejection of his poetic vision but also with a situation in which there are no grounds for rhetoric: "That is not what I meant at all. / That is not it, at all." Fear of rejection leads Prufrock to the ultimate silencing of the prophet and hero within himself, to being "a pair of ragged claws." He cannot share his poetic vision of life: to do so would threaten the very existence of that life. Paradoxically, not to share his light, his "words among mankind," threatens the loss ...
Eliot, T.S.. "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock." The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Ed. M.H. Abrams. New York: Norton, 1996. 2459-2463.
Prufrocks next thoughts tell of his old age and his lack of will to say what is on his mind. He mentions his bald spot in his hair and his thin arms and legs. This suggests that he knows he is growing old, and therefore contradicts what he had mentioned earlier in the poem about having plenty of time. Throughout the poem he is indecisive and somewhat aloof from the self-involved group of women. One part of him would like to startle them out of their frustratingly polite conversations and express his love for her, but to accomplish this he would have to risk disturbing their ?universe? and being rejected. He also mentions ?sprawling on a pin?, as though he pictures himself being pinned in place and viciously analyzed like that of an insect being literally pinned in place. The latter part of the poem captures his sense of overwhelming lack of willpower for failing to act daringly, not only at that tea party, but throughout his life.
T.S. Eliot, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 6th ed. Vol. 2. ed. M. H. Abrams New York, London: Norton, 1993.
For example in the poem he says, “…Time to turn back and descend the stair, With a bald spot in the middle of my hair- [They will say: “How his hair is growing so thin!] My morning coat, my collar mounting firmly to the chin, My necklace rich and modest, but asserted by a simple pin- [They will say:” But how his arms and legs are so thin!”]…” This quotation is an example of Prufrock overthinks situations. He wants to go to the party and ask a question but cannot stop thinking about if he will be judged by the people at the party because of his hair balding and thin body. But a typical person today would acknowledge the fact that the people who will attend the party will be concerned with the party they are attending rather than minor details on him. This is another instance where Prufrock is not typical of people today. People today do tend to over think things but Prufrock takes it to another level with overthinking about things normal people wouldn’t and allows it to affect each choice he makes even the simplest ones in his
In conclusion, after exploring the theme of this poem and reading it for myself, Eliot has created this persona, in industrialised England or somewhere else. A man of low self-esteem, you embark his journey as he struggles with a rational fear of being rejected by a woman. Which gives the reader sympathy to Prufrock, as he lives within his own personal
Alfred Prufrock" was written in 1920. The author of this poem describes a person whose name is Prufrock, and he is a psychic person. Prufrock has no capability to make a decision, emotionally stilted, lack of self-confidence and always thought that how people judge him by his appearance. The author of the poem depicts the barriers that Prufrock face. T.S Eliot in his poem, "The love song of J. Alfred Prufrock" writes, "And indeed there will be time, to wonder, ‘Do I dare?’ and, “Do I dare?’"(37-38), show that Prufrock is inadequate to make his decisions. These quotes delineate that Prufrock has not enough confidence to pose a question to his beloved because he is always worried about what she thinks. Moreover, he makes an excuse at the end and says he has still a lot of time to
Throughout the poem, Prufrock spends the entire poem wondering if he should "disturb the universe" by asking an "overwhelming question" to a woman; he lets the question float around in his mind along with his fear and uncertainty. He wonders if it "would have been worth it, after all," to have asked the question just to have her respond, "That is not what I meant at all. That is not it, at all.” Prufrock states “No! I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be;Am an attendant lord.”(Love Song.111-12) meaning, he is not a royal, or brave, like Hamlet was. Instead, he says that he was "deferential, cautious, a bit obtuse, almost ridiculous, a fool."(Love Song.115-19) Alluding to Hamlet helps one understand that he feels enormous stress.
T.S. Eliot has been one of the most daring innovators of twentieth-century poetry. His poem“The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”, is different and unusual. He rejects the logic connection, thus, his poems lack logic interpretation. He himself justifies himself by saying: he wrote it to want it to be difficult. The dissociation of sensibility, on the contrary, arouses the emotion of readers immediately. This poem contains Prufrock’ s love affairs. But it is more than that. It is actually only the narration of Prufrock, a middle-aged man, and a romantic aesthete , who is bored with his meaningless life and driven to despair because he wished but
T.S. Eliot is often considered one of the greatest and most influential poets of the 20th Century. Not only were his highly regarded poems such as “The Wasteland” and “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” influential to the literary style of his time, but his work as a publisher highlighted the work of many talented poets. Analyzing his poem, “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” with psychoanalytic criticism reveals several core issues in the speaker of the poem, and may reflect Eliot himself.
The title T. S. Eliot chose for his poem "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" is ironic. Mr. Prufrock does not love anyone, nor does he believe he is loved. He has disdain for the society of which he wishes he were a part, and he believes society views him no differently. The imagery of Mr. Prufrock's thoughts provide the audience a more detailed insight into his character than had Mr. Eliot simply listed Mr. Prufrock's virtues and flaws. Mr. Prufrock is seen as an exaggeration or extreme for the sake of literary commentary, but the world has many Prufrocks in many differing degrees, and T. S. Eliot has made them a little easier to understand.
Prufrock, the narrator of the poem, is a middle-aged man who is living a life void of meaning and purpose. His thoughts are depressing as he mulls over his dull, uneventful life. One of his most crippling traits is cowardice. He's v...