Analysis of "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" Essay

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

In “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” the reader can clearly understand that T.S Eliot is straightforward as one can get within a poem. In the beginning of the poem, one can infer that Prufrock is being used as a facade to convey Eliot’s inner self who is an introvert that doesn’t quite fit in with the modern day society. “Prufrock” sees his personal life as a burden that he cannot mend while he tries to conform into the middle class society that everyone views as pristine. Meanwhile, being scrutinized by others he has also deemed himself as weak and unworthy of life. We are choosing to shed light on Eliot 's inadequate personal life and on how others perceive him as well as how he perceives himself, within

T. S. Eliot is showing us just how pathetic J. Alfred Prufrock actually is. It seems that Prufrock’s insecurities stem from his aging appearance. An aging reader may find that they identify will J. Alfred Prufrock and, understandably, not be too pleased about that fact.

The concept of identity is evoked through the complexity of human suffering evoked by Prufrock’s character. It parallels to Jeanette statements of Eliot having ‘a sensitive soul that he was easily overwhelmed by impressions, by situations, by events, by people’. This notion is apparent in the repetition of ‘Do I dare? repetitively questioning himself and his confidence on approaching women. The use of repetition ultimately represents Prufrock’s confidentiality which portrays his insignificance and loneliness. Despite this, Prufrock questions himself through the whole poem questions his identity thus creating an empathetic feeling towards his character due to his emotional suffering as he tries to find himsef. ‘I am no prophet / I have seen the moment of my greatness flicker … in short, i was afraid’, the biblical allusion to prophet reveals the idea that Prufrock cannot foreshadows his future revealing the notion that he had no ambition due to the rejection he had suffered. Therefore, lost of identity is exploited through the complex nature of human suffer as the persona loses her desire in the urban world. Eliot summarises Prufrock’s struggle with ‘I was afraid’, this creates an empathetic feeling towards the persona as Prufrock establishes the isolation she had suffered. Moreover, the

In T.S. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," the author is establishing the trouble the narrator is having dealing with middle age. Prufrock(the narrator) believes that age is a burden and is deeply troubled by it.. His love of some women cannot be because he feels the prime of his life is over. His preoccupation with the passing of time characterizes the fear of aging he has. The poem deals with the aging and fears associated with it of the narrator. The themes of insecurity and time are concentrated on. This insecurity is definitely a hindrance for him. It holds him back from doing the things he wishes to do. This is the sort of characteristic that makes Alfred into a tragic,

In T.S. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," the author is establishing the trouble the narrator is having dealing with middle age. Prufrock(the narrator) believes that age is a burden and is deeply troubled by it.. His love of some women cannot be because he feels the prime of his life is over. His preoccupation with the passing of time characterizes the fear of aging he has. The poem deals with the aging and fears associated with it of the narrator. The themes of insecurity and time are concentrated on. This insecurity is definitely a hindrance for him. It holds him back from doing the things he wishes to do. This is the sort of characteristic that makes

The title is actually the only place where Prufrock’s name is mentioned – in the poem he talks about himself in the first person. Eliot is clearly poking fun of himself with this title – as a young man he signed

Prufrock is a character who is stuck inside his own mind and feels as if he is unable to get anyone. He appears to hang in shady areas, shown in the opening stanza, “Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets,/ The muttering retreats/ Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels” (4-6) as he watch artsy women mingle that area. He is in this battle of desire and the lack of confidence. The lack of confidence is all in his mind as he is worried women will view him as unattractive based on physical appearance. As he watch women he says,“(They will say: “How his hair is growing thin!”) (41), which is entirely in his head. He beats himself up because he is blind to the reality. He has no courage to pursue anything and anyone, therefore, he rather stay stuck single and lonely. He continues to be hard on himself, “No! I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be” (111). This type of treatment toward himself continues throughout the poem. He is in this world that is pure fantasy. He refuses to leave and pursue any sort of truth. Eliot is a dreamer because there is no cling to truth, but the only truth that this poem shows is the fact that there are major

Prufrock begins his “Love” song with a peculiar quote from Dante’s Divine Comedy. It reads: “If I believed that my answer were to a person who could ever return to the world, this flame would no longer quiver. But because no one ever returned from this depth, if what I hear is true, without fear of infamy, I answer you.” In the Divine Comedy these lines are spoken by a damned soul who had sought absolution before committing a crime. I think that Eliot chose this quote to show that Prufrock is also looking for absolution, but for what he is unsure.

Prufrock later mentions, “I have seen the moment of my greatness flicker,”(106.84). These words resemble to the saying “I saw my life flash before my eyes” and it begins to define time again. That life goes by fast and we may not always have time by our side. Soon after he points out the truth of being afraid. Eliot seems to be pointing out that we as people can be afraid of things we want to do or achieve in life. Although Eliot uses Prufrock, a man who is moaning of his life and decisions that could be to a lost love, he is also using his words to express the words and thoughts of people and theme of time.

To many, the allure of poetry lies in the chance to draw our own understandings and conclusions. In this paper, I will be discussing T.S Eliot 's "The love Song of Alfred Prufrock” in comparison to Allen Ginsberg 's "A Supermarket in California." The first poem, "The Love song of Alfred Prufrock" by T.S Elliot, talks about a man who is quite doubtful and insecure about himself who kept questioning whether or not breaking out of his comfort zone was worth it. The second poem, "A Super market in California" by Allen Ginsberg follows a trip to a supermarket in California that the author takes while addressing his friend with questions. This paper will include an extensive analysis of my own interpretation of these two poems as well as the

By him questioning his involvement in changing the status quo shows that the world he is a part of is one without the desire for much change. With his world being much different from the other heroes’ worlds, T.S. Eliot used the nature of the world of J. Alfred Prufrock to show how distant that world is from the ones of great literature. Even when Prufrock is describing the world he is strolling through, the choice in description shows how uninteresting and unappealing the world that Prufrock is observing in the poem. Much like the heroes in literature and the ones that are not on the same caliber as those, J. Alfred Prufrock describes a world that is far from the likes of any of the heroes that he wishes he

In T.S Eliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” Prufrock is a man who is going through a midlife crisis and the thoughts that he has ultimately lead up to his death. This is evident because as he tells this dramatic monologue, he reflects on his whole life and questions how he has lived. He is realizing that he is getting older and the thought of this frightens him. This feeling of being frightened is why he is questioning his whole life and how people perceive him. Prufrock is starting to question every decision he has made because now he believes that he is running out of time. Therefore, Prufrocks midlife crisis can be connected to the following three symbols: time, the streets, and water.

In “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”, T. S. Eliot was sure to represent the Modernism Era. A key characteristic of the Era was having a pessimistic attitude. “Prufrock experienced the feelings of loneliness that the poem examined,…” (“The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”). Why is Prufrock so pessimistic? Even though some may think he is optimistic, I think Prufrock is pessimistic because he keeps talking himself out of asking his big question, questions his social acceptance, and by how gives up and accepts his failure.

      In contrast, Alfred J. Prufrock of Eliot's poem, feels no such greatness in himself. He is filled with vast uncertainty so that every small decision is wrought with conflict, and as such, he never does anything. "I have measured out my life with coffee spoons" (51) shows us that his life was characterized by small measures, having done no great work. "I am no prophet" (84) and "Am an attendant lord, one that will do" (112) characterizes his view of himself,