Eliot begins the poem with the original Italian text of Dante’s epic, “The Divine Comedy.” It contains six lines borrowed from “Inferno” that are verbal quotes from a character in the eighth circle of hell, stating he will confide in Dante on the basis that Dante should not be able to escape hell, and therefore cannot divulge his secrets to the people still living (Alighieri, 61-66). This reflects J. Alfred’s willingness to lament to the reader since the reader has no means to share his secrets with those in his world. With the reader being Dante in this analogy, it puts Prufrock in the position of Guido da Montefeltro, the damned soul speaking to Dante. While Guido is not alive, his soul is technically still living, having to endure torture for his mortal misdeeds. Similar to how Prufrock is a searing soul inside a decaying body, evidenced by the lines “With a bald spot in the middle of my hair” (Eliot, 40) and “(They will say: “But how his arms and legs are thin!”)” (Eliot, 44).
This contributes to the tone of the poem because of the depressed reaction he makes the readers feel. The repetition shows the true devastation of his words. The "saddest lines" seems to have a strong impact because it seems he has never been as sad as he is now. Neruda also repeats the lines "through night... ... middle of paper ... ...'s certain, but maybe I love her. / Love is so short, forgetting is so long."
With this line he 's able to capture the loneliness that could be the result of war. The men of this time had been places and seen things that few could relate to, and Eliot described these experiences with lines like, "And I have seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker, And in short, I was afraid" (85). This allow readers to gain a small amount of perspective from those who felt they were near death from fighting in a grueling conflict. Eliot 's skill was on full display in this poem and gives readers a sense of post war life in the modern
T.S. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" is a poem which enters the dynamic consciousness of its title character, whose feelings, thoughts and emotions are displayed in a motley but organized sequence, as they ride the man's wavering mood. His is a mood wavering more often towards haplessness than fulfillment, because Prufrock is a man caught in a vicious cycle of introspection, journey, and retreat. More specifically, J. Alfred Prufrock, as developed by Eliot, is a man experiencing a mid life crisis, brought about by society, and sustained by his own fear and reluctance. Throughout his "song," Prufrock questions himself.
It also encouraged many artists and writers to try to find an understanding of the dark regions of the human psyche. T. S. Eliot captures the idea of inward thought in his poem The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. The entire poem is about Prufrock's inner dialogue as he struggles against his own inner psyche. He spends the whole night trapped in his own thoughts, unable to overcome his own fear or anxiety of disrupting the status quo. In Conrad's The Heart of Darkness, Marlow presents his thoughts abut the adventure that he Smith 2 went on in the past.
He constantly self-introspects throughout the poem:” Do I dare?”(38), “So how should I presume?”(54) “Then how should I begin” (59) and the questions further drown him in his depths of isolation. Prufrock agonizes over his social actions, worrying over how others will see him. He thinks about women's arms and perfume, but does not know how to act. The day passes at a social engagement but he cannot gather the strength to act, and he admits that he is afraid. With further self torture through the poem, Elliot at the end gives us readers a caution to not see life go by without taking the risk of asking and approaching the challenges that will eventually place our significance in society.
“To lead you to an overwhelming question,” the main question on who the character is, in the poem “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” by T.S. Eliot who explains this in a dramatic monologue on a man that struggles to make decisions and lacks confidence of himself trying to while attempting his goals or dreams. After reading this poem, readers would look back and ask themselves what was his question that he dares us not to ask? This poem fascinates readers of Prufrock’s character of a man that fails achieving his own dreams because of his paranoid thoughts throughout his life; a man whose goals and aspirations that he alluded. At the very beginning there is a passage an epigraph from “Dante’s Inferno,” which tells a part in that story where a soul in Hell tells Dante the secrets of the underworld.
The use of these very personal experiences is what contributes to the intrigue that most readers feel when reading his poems. The imagery of these characters' problems and the traditional form which feels like poetry to the average reader, is what creates Robinson's style. In addition, even though most of his poems are about country men or women who are limited in terms of education and world knowledge, they are representative of the human experience. This helps to prevent Robinson, who is from New England, from being pegged as a regionalist writer. The theme of this poem is very much in keeping with Robinson's style of writing.
T.S. Eliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” tells the speaker’s story through several literary devices, allowing the reader to analyze the poem through symbolism, character qualities, and allusions that the work displays. In this way, the reader clearly sees the hopelessness and apathy that the speaker has towards his future. John Steven Childs sums it up well in saying Prufrock’s “chronic indecision blocks him from some important action” (Childs). Each literary device- symbolism, character, and allusion- supports this description.
Reading each poem is a gateway into the author’s mind, letting us see their own thoughts and feelings on the subject. Sir Thomas Wyatt seems to feel almost depressed and hopeless while understanding the rarity of finding true love. Where as Shakespeare is confident and realistic but also takes love for granted and doesn’t open up emotionally. Because love isn’t as simple and straightforward as most poets suggest, these two sonnets are great examples on how this universal and worldwide topic can be expressed in many different way.