In his timeless poem “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” Thomas Stearns Eliot sheds light on Europe’s devastatingly morbid backdrop after the First World War by juxtaposing the parallel concepts of loneliness and depression through the utilization of a fragmented stream of consciousness as his primary narrative mode. In view of that, T. S. Eliot accordingly employs the persona of J. Alfred Prufrock, an intensely indecisive middle-aged man who ponders an “overwhelming question” in the context of his desire to spark up a conversation with a woman. Through his self-mockery, Prufrock recognizes that he is no majestic tragic hero, no Hamlet, no John the Baptist, but rather a petty and lugubriously talkative fool trapped in a dull world of taking tea, yellow fog, and repetitive conversations; contemplating an expression of pointlessness and impotence over and over, wondering whether his life “would [be] worth it, after all” (Lines 87 and 99). Respectively, Eliot constructs a remorseful and bitter, yet romantic and pensive tone throughout the poem that explores the disillusionment of the modern …show more content…
Prufrock, in his solitude, presents two different people: a romantic dreamer that remains in a trance-like state during short-lived moments of an idealistic reality, moments of reminiscence and recollections; and a foolish panic-struck, and timid self that shies away from human contact in fear of consequences. Prufrock’s two selves, however, are both powerless in escaping reality for “[they] have heard the mermaids singing, each to each. [Though they] do not think that they will sing to [him]" (Lines 124-125). Hence Prufrock will drown whilst indulging his dreams, or he will be awoken from his bliss, only to be drowned by human
"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.
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.
If other consciousnesses exist only as opaque objects for Prufrock, he has an equally unhappy relation to time and space. One of the puzzles of the poem is the question as to whether Prufrock ever leaves his room. It appears that he does not, so infirm is his will, so ready "for a hundred indecisions,/And for a hundred visions and revisions,/Before the taking of a toast and tea" (CP, 4). In another sense Prufrock would be unable to go anywhere, however hard he tried. If all space has been assimilated into his mind, then spatial movement would really be movement in the same place, like a man running in a dream. There is no way to distinguish between actual movement and imaginary movement. However far Prufrock goes, he remains imprisoned in his own subjective space, and all his experience is imaginary. It seems to be some perception of this which keeps him in his room, content to imagine himself going through the streets, ascending the lady's stair, and telling her "all," like Lazarus back from the dead. There is no resurrection from the death which has undone him, and this is one meaning of the epigraph from Dante.
T. S. Eliot was the dominant force in twentieth-century British and American poetry. With poems such as The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, he introduced an edgy, disenchanted, utterly contemporary version of French Symbolism to the English-speaking world. Most poets recognize that in producing a sensational poetic work, many concerns arise with the use of various literary tools to convey ideas, opinions or simply an observation. Through vivid imagery and metaphors, TS Elliot in his “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” delivered readers the thoughts and emotions of a tormented character J. Alfred Prufrock and also reflected self-debasing nature of a passive lover’s effort that kept deteriorating till it finds hellish discomfort in isolation.
Eliot’s experiences help him to be able to write, “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, in which he infers personal feelings into his disturbed shadow known as Prufrock. The relation to the epigraph in the poem is not only suitable, but it elaborates on how an uneasy and hesitant character such as Prufrock is able to relate what he is trying to articulate in a poem without being present in the scenery. This gives Eliot the advantage of writing in first person. This in addition with his unusual, subtle, and impelling method, he is able to hold the attention of his readers.
“The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T.S. Eliot is a widely studied and analyzed modernist poem. This poem is one that many high school students are subjected to, leading to an overall displeasure for “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.” However, those that revisit the poem are more inclined to enjoy and analyze the poem, finding an interest in the character of J. Alfred Prufrock. Charles C. Walcutt is one of the many individuals fueled to provide a deeper analysis of this text and in his contribution to the November edition of College English, an essay entitled “Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,"” he addresses his impression that the “Love Song” portion of “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” has been neglected and what that could mean to the context of the poem.
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. Ultimately, the premise of the poem is Prufrock second guessing himself to no end over talking to a woman, but this issue represents all forms of insecurity and inactivity.
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’s modernist poem The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock consists of literary devices and references that present a dramatic monologue of an inconclusive character who pulls readers into his world. The title of this poem indicates a romantic love situation, but the poem takes a rather anti-romantic approach. The title also introduces the speaker, whose name “J. Alfred Prufrock” lacks poetic beauty. At the beginning of his poem, Eliot includes an epigraph to reveal the inner conflict of the speaker.
T.S. Eliot’s The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock tells a story through the perspective of an ordinary man in a way that reveals both the beauty and complexities of love, time, and life. Through his emphasis on the mundane things of ordinary everyday progression, Eliot exposes a skewed perception of these elements of life. Mr. Prufrock, who is perceived as a very simple man, takes readers on a journey through a day like every other, pointing out various simplicities in a way that slowly reveal more of his own character. His character, therefore, acts as a symbol of humanity itself and Eliot’s use of different literary elements further elevate his main idea. Throughout The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, T.S. Eliot utilizes a number of metaphors and similes in a way that give insight into Prufrock’s fragmented view of love, time, and life itself.
T.S Eliot poem “The love song of J. Alfred Prufrock” explores the idea of time and insecurities. Eliot illustrates Prufrock as a man who is trying to cope with the sordid reality of life but it is too much spiritually drained to act in a modernistic world. The author’s purpose is to point out the difference between imagination and reality in order to emphasizes that times is unparalleled. The author writes in a ironic tone of what the title of the poem is merely an ironic aspect in which Eliot weakens the expectations of the poem. Can this lead us to broken dream because of time or in reality is there not much time to waste.
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.