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Analysis of T.S. Eliot's The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock 'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock' demonstrates the effects of social and economic pressure in the life of a Victorian man. T.S. Eliot shows us, in an ironic monologue, how the reality of age and social position paralyzes his character with fear. The poem opens with six lines from Dante?s ?Infernio?. This particular stanza explains that the speaker is in hell and the message can only be told to someone else in hell. The speaker tells us that it is OK for the listener to hear the message, since in order to hear you must already be in hell and no one ever returns from there. So the message will never leave. I believe Eliot uses this message to infer that only a reader who understands the loneliness and desperation of Prufrock can truly understand the poem. However, in my research, I have found as many different interpretations of the poem as I have found readers. Most agree; however, that Prufrock is speaking to the reader when he says ?you and I?(Line 1). Many readers also agree that Prufrock is a lonely man, but what type of company he desires seems to vary greatly. Interpretations include sex, social company, long term love, and even death. I believe Prufrock yearns for the sense of belonging, both with a female and with his society. He struggles with issues of sex, age and social change. The beginning lines of the poem(1-25) paint for a very descriptive picture of the street where Prufrock is walking. It also alerts the reader of Prufrock?s distaste for this area and this society. He describes it as ?have deserted?,?muttering?.?one-night cheap hotels? and ?sawdust restaurants?.(5-7) He contrasts that with his destination of a ?room where women come and go/Talking of Michelangelo?(13&14). Prufrock doesn?t give the reader much insight into his thoughts until line 26. From this line forward, we get a glimpse of what it must be like to be Prufrock. He tells us ?There will be time, there will be time/ To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet?(27-28), indicating repression. He must ?prepare? himself mentally to be able to put on the correct social image before he makes his ?visit?(12). The rest of the poem simply reinforces his struggle between the way he would like to be and the reality of his life. He begins to ponder the ?overwhelming question?(11) ... ... middle of paper ... ...e is ?almost ridiculous--/ Almost, at times, the Fool.?(118-119) Although many of the comments and interpretations of ?The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock? that I have read seem to believe that the last 4 stanzas are a sign that he may break out of his shell. I believe it is the surrender of all hope and the recognition of the inconceivability of his desires. I think lines 120-130 are Prufrock?s way of telling us of the dream of youth that he will leave behind. He will not ?wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled?(121) nor ?wear flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach.? These are the customs and actions of young passionate men. Men whose physical appearance and less stuffy lifestyle will attract the ?mermaids?(124). He concedes ?I do not think that they will sing to me.?(125) Prufrock leaves us with the thought of how life and society can force us from our dreams and sink us with reality. ?We have lingered in the chambers of the sea/ By sea-girls wreathed with seeweed red and brown/ Till human voices wake us, and we drown.?(129-131) Works Cited: Eliot, T. S. ?The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.? Collected Poems 1909-1962 . New York: Harcourt Brace, 1963.
The informal language and intimacy of the poem are two techniques the poet uses to convey his message to his audience. He speaks openly and simply, as if he is talking to a close friend. The language is full of slang, two-word sentences, and rambling thoughts; all of which are aspects of conversations between two people who know each other well. The fact that none of the lines ryhme adds to the idea of an ordinary conversation, because most people do not speak in verse. The tone of the poem is rambling and gives the impression that the speaker is thinking and jumping from one thought to the next very quickly. His outside actions of touching the wall and looking at all the names are causing him to react internally. He is remembering the past and is attempting to suppress the emotions that are rising within him.
This message accurately describes how those souls will experience contrapasso in Hell. They will never be released and will experience suffering for eternity. The first line speaks of a...
T.S. Eliot would later remark, “I’m afraid that J. Alfred Prufrock didn’t have much of a love life” (Southam 47). That is what makes this “love song” so brutal and caustic. For even when change doesn’t matter (FINISH quite atypical of standard romance. a man caught in stasis when (???). ). Even in his fantasies, Prufrock is Prufrock. (LEAD UP TO PINNED TO THE WALL) “, then how should I begin?” (line). The answer is that he can begin in any way he chooses—but it will not matter in the end. No matter his speech and no matter his wardrobe, he will forever be J. Alfred Prufrock—with a love song yet unsung that he believes the world would never want to hear.
In the end Prufrock realizes that the life he dreams of is out of his reach. He still imagines attaining his desired position but realizes that he isn't recognized in that world. "I do not think that they will sing to me." (125) He is in effect a man with no place in society and no identity. His "overwhelming question" remains unanswered and he can only dream about being part of that society he idolizes, "Till human voices wake us, and we drown." (131)
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
All of these descriptions bring us closer to Prufrock. They show us the world through his eyes. The wonder and the fear of the yellow fog. The vastness and limits of time. His vision of himself as crab. The generic nature of the women as mermaids. And his feeling of loneliness in the huge sea. He doesn’t discuss other people’s opinions because all that matters is Prufrock’s opinions.
A successful writer is he who is able to transmit ideas, emotions, and wisdom on to his readers. He is cable of stirring emotions and capturing the reader's attention with vivid descriptions and clever dialogues. The writer can even play with the meanings of words and fuse reality with fiction to achieve his goal of taking the reader on a wonderful journey. His tools are but words, yet the art of writing is found in the use of the language to create though-provoking pieces that defy the changing times. Between the lines, voices and images emerge. Not everyone can write effectively and invoke these voices. It is those few who can create certain psychological effects on the reader who can seize him (or her) with inspiring teachings, frightening thoughts, and playful games with the language. These people are true writers…
Who is J. Alfred Prufrock? The answer is not stated in the poem. You will have to make an argument and defend it.
The first stanza introduces Prufrock’s isolation, as epitomized metaphorically by “half-deserted streets” (4): while empty streets imply solitude, Eliot’s diction emphasize Prufrock having been abandoned by the other “half” needed for a relationship or an “argument” (8). Hoping for a companion, Prufrock speaks to the reader when saying, “Let us go then, you and I” (1), as he needs to address his lament to an audience; conscious of the reader’s curiosity regarding the “overwhelming question,” (10) Prufrock answers, “Oh, do not ask, ‘What is it?’” (11). (The likely explanation for Eliot’s inconsistent use of you in this stanza is Prufrock probably meaning you as “To lead one,” as he refers to himself and not the reader in line 10.) Eliot continues the metaphor of Prufrock’s lonesomeness by anthropomorphizing the “yellow fog” and “smoke” (15, 16) to signify Prufrock, who interacts not with people, but only the environment in the third, fourth, and fifth stanzas. Clearly it is Prufrock who “rubs [his] muzzle on the window-panes” (15, 16), passively lets “fall upon [his] back the soot that falls from chimneys” (19), “slides along the street” (24), and performs the actions also described; also, the opacity of “fog” and “smoke” symbolizes the difficulty with which readers perceive Prufrock’s true character, further separating ...
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
‘The streets lead to an "overwhelming question" that Prufrock refuses to answer. Prufrock refuses to divulge the question because he fears his potential lover will respond negatively. If he received a rejection from her, Prufrock would undoubtedly be distraught and on the brink of full-blown depression. At least Prufrock knows himself well enough to refrain from doing this, thereby preventing his emotional
In the poem "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T.S. Elliot, Prufrock is a man that is pessimistic, has low self-esteem, and has much internal conflict. He believes that he isn't good enough for the women of his desire; this theme also becomes a motif.
...emonstrative of Prufrock’s longing for the women; even though he is on the inside with them, he still lingers hesitantly like the fog. This is later reinforced by Prufrock stating that he has “gone at dusk…and watched the smoke that rises from the pipes / Of lonely men in shirt-sleeves, leaning out of windows” (ll.70-73). Both Prufrock and Samsa long for things they cannot have, because they are afraid to take a chance.
“The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” is a reflection of Eliot’s life in almost everyway. Everything that Eliot was going through, such as a bad marriage, anxiety and depression, and his observations of city life, have been echoed in his poem “Prufrock.” Therefore, I believe that it is Eliot who walks in the streets of “Prufrock,” and not Prufrock himself.
In this passage, it's clear that Prufrock desires a woman's attention but doesn't think he will ever have it. This pessimistic outlook gives no hope at all and is just depressing.