J Alfred Prufrock Allusions

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The poem The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock is written in the form of a dramatic dialogue. This dialogue sets in motion the tone of the poem, which seems to be the complete opposite of what the title supposedly means. T.S. Eliot introduces J. Alfred Prufrock as the speaker of the poem. Prufrock is a dynamic character with an overwhelming personality that leads the reader to question what is the true meaning of this poem.
As one begins to read the poem an epigraph is seen, this quote is from Dante Alighieri’s book Inferno, which T. S. Eliot uses it to set a precedent for what the poem might represent. The epigraph quotes Guido da Montefeltro, a character from Inferno, who is trapped in one of the nine circles of Hell. Montefeltro expresses to Dante, a human, that he will say his sins to him since no human has ever made it out of Hell. This quote can be used to explain why Prufrock is speaking about his life after he has “died”. It seems to show that Prufrock’s life symbolizes …show more content…

He begins talking about the streets which seem to lead nowhere and are confusing at times. This example is very ironic since Prufrock goes about his life with no sense of direction and no real purpose. He starts describing people as the body parts that judge his every move. In lines 27-29 and 55-58 he talks about the face he prepares to meet other faces and later on, he talks about the eyes that seem to criticize him. These examples show Prufrock’s way of seeing others by focusing only on the parts that judge him rather than seeing the person as a whole. He describes his clothing, which seem to be one of a middle class person, as a sort of deflection from his body insecurities, such as his arms, bald spot, and thin legs. This aspect of Prufrock seem to contradict what he shows the world. In society he appears to maintain a status quo but his personal reality is one of a coward

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