Rhapsody On A Windy Night

J. Alfred Prufrock constantly lived in fear, in fear of life and death. T. S. Eliot divided his classic poem into three equally important sections. Each division provided the reader with insight into the mental structure of J. Alfred Prufrock. In actuality, Prufrock maintained a good heart and a worthy instinct, but he never seemed to truly exist. A false shadow hung over his existence. Prufrock never allowed himself to actually live. He had no ambitions that would drive him to succeed. The poem is a silent cry for help from Prufrock. In each section, T. S. Eliot provided his audience with vague attempts to understand J. Alfred Prufrock. Each individual reader can only interpret these

The turn of the 20th Century marks a substantial evolution for the pursuit of English Literature responding to the larger socio-political developments berthed by the rapid onset of industrialization. The Modern Tradition of English literature, as literary critics refer to the period today, transforms our understanding of english literary mechanics in that both poets and authors examined the repercussions of industrial society on urbanites and rural peoples alike through experimental prose and verse styles, forever changing the English Language. In particular, the poetry of T.S Eliot in his breakout poem, “The LoveSong of J. Alfred Prufrock” written in 1915, and “Not Waving but Drowning” written by poetess Steve Smith in 1953, reflect a particular sentiment spanning an entire generation of both poetic and public society in which the burdens of modern living within a capitalist society complicate man and women’s ability to express their individuality, much less understand their place among the vastness of the cosmos. By reading Steve Smith’s “Not Waving but Drowning” as it relates to themes such as misunderstanding helplessness in the face of doom which T.S Eliot employs in, “The LoveSong of J. Alfred Prufrock”, one finds that Smith’s drowning man compounds our understanding of Prufrock’s suffering; two individuals who fail to discover themselves, nor any meaningful purpose and life; and offers an response to despair through the voice of the drowned man’s friends that

Unlike other forms of literature, poetry can be so complex that everyone who reads it may see something different. Two poets who are world renowned for their ability to transform reader’s perceptions with the mere use of words, are TS Eliot and Walt Whitman. “The love song of J Alfred Prufrock” by TS Eliot, tells the story of a man who is in love and contemplating confessing his emotions, but his debilitating fear of rejection stops him from going through with it. This poem skews the reader’s expectations of a love song and takes a critical perspective of love while showing all the damaging emotions that come with it. “Song of myself”, by Walt Whitman provokes a different emotion, one of joy and self-discovery. This poem focuses more on the soul and how it relates to the body. “Song of myself” and “The love song of J Alfred Prufrock” both explore the common theme of how the different perceptions of the soul and body can affect the way the speaker views themselves, others, and the world around them.

American born poet, T.S. Eliot reflects modernistic ideas of isolation, individual perception and human consciousness in his many poems. His poems express the disillusionment of the post–World War I generation with both literary and social values and traditions. In one of Eliot’s most famous poems, “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” which was published in 1915, a speaker who is very unhappy with his life takes readers on a journey through the hell he is living in. In this journey, Prufrock criticizes the well-dressed, upstanding citizens who love their material pleasures more than they love other people, while explaining he feels ostracized from the society of women. Eliot’s use of isolation, human consciousness and individual perception is quite evident in his dramatic monologue within the story of J. Alfred Prufrock. Prufrock wants to be seen as a normal citizen who can find friends or a lover, but his anxiety-driven isolation forces him to live a life that relates more to Hell than paradise. In over examining every fine detail of his life, Prufrock perceives himself as useless and even a waste of life. By using many poetic devices including repetition, personification, and imagery Eliot drives readers to feel the painful reality of Prufrock’s life. In “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” T.S Eliot uses modernistic ideas and poetic devices to portray how Prufrock’s life relates to Hell while simultaneously criticizing social aspects of the younger post–World War I generation.

In the pome “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prfrock,” by T.S Eliot main theme is about love or expressing love. The speaker of the poem seems lost in the world because he does not know whether to tell her lover that he has feelings. The speaker knows that he might mess up by telling her that she loves this person, but at the same time the speaker is lost is in a sate of loathing with himself. Either way I feel the reason our speaker can get to express his feeling os because he is out of touch with the world.I believe that the lack of human interaction with other folks seems to the issues with his self doubt.

T.S. Eliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” is an ironic depiction of a man’s inability to take decisive action in a modern society that is void of meaningful human connection. The poem reinforces its central idea through the techniques of fragmentation, and through the use of Eliot’s commentary about Prufrock’s social world. Using a series of natural images, Eliot uses fragmentation to show Prufrock’s inability to act, as well as his fear of society. Eliot’s commentary about Prufrock’s social world is also evident throughout. At no point in the poem did Prufrock confess his love, even though it is called “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”, but through this poem, T.S. Eliot voices his social commentary about the world that

Eliot uses the poetic devices of symbols and apostrophe to demonstrate the indecisiveness of the speaker in The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. The speaker expresses his concern about “a bald spot in the middle of [his] hair” (46) and what people might say about him. This symbol represents everything he feels nervous about when he goes to a party, such as his appearance, the manner in which he acts, and what others may dislike about him. He also has his “morning coat, [his] collar mounting firmly to the chin” (48), which represent his wealth and potential in society. The symbol of the morning coat displays wealth, and the collar shows stiffness, while his chin held high means he could obtain a high social position. His inability to come to a conclusion prevents him from reaching this, as he always asks “do I dare / Disturb the universe?” (51-2) to an unknown person. The poet’s use of apostrophe reveals that the speaker feels that even mundane actions have great repercussions and refuses to make a decision and act upon his desires. He believes that if he takes a risk, he will interrupt the flow of the universe. Ultimately, Prufrock’s hesitation hinders him and he cannot advance in society, and he should try to improve his self-esteem. People should make an effort to feel confident but not overly

In “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T.S. Eliot, he examines the many feelings that are hugely related to those of the 20th century. The 20th century was a time of war and disaster throughout our world, but it also brought with it many new ideas. Some of these ideas being new inventions and technologies, but within this essay the evolution in literature and art will be explored. In the 20th century there were many new faces to the world of literature that truly express the way literature has evolved. Within the poem Eliot mentions Prufrock being indecisive, self conscious, and believing his life is already fulfilled which are all huge topics of the 20 century and the way people lived.

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

In T.S Eliots “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”, Eliot establishes a plot that stirs questions and provokes thoughts and feelings throughout this poem. As Eliot takes us on a journey

T.S Eliot explores the struggle of individuals through reconciliation of their perspectives on the world and their place within it by displaying the thoughts and emotions of the personas in which embody him in the poems, ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock’ and ‘The Hollow Men.’ The existentialistic view on things coupled with the experiences and discoveries which the personas have already made identifies the internal struggle and disillusionment with society that an individual has whilst undertaking the journey of self realization in fear of being rejected or unable to live a meaningful existence. In ‘The Love Song,’ Prufrocks’ inability to live a meaningful existence in the modern world stems from his humanity (or lack thereof) as his existentialism

“The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T.S. Eliot illustrates modernism through common modernist themes and his literary devices that he chooses to use. One concept that is found in this poem, as well as many other author’s modern literature, is the industrialization of the world when he describes the setting as a , “half-deserted [street]” with many “muttering retreats/Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels/And sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells” (Eliot 4-7) . His negative diction suggest his unfavorable emotions about a modern city and his perception that many others would have never seen or accepted until reading a modern poem like “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”. He also is “formulated ,sprawling on a pin/When [he is] pinned and wriggling on the wall” he ponders “how should [he] begin/To spit out all the butt-ends of [his] days and

Participation in life is an important part of enjoying it. Lack of self-confidence can cause a person to stay on the sidelines and miss out on the many joyful moments of life. In the poem “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T.S. Eliot, the main character is an intelligent middle aged man who realizes too late that he is missing his chance at happiness because he is afraid. The Modernism in the poem is also apparent because of this alienation. The bleak and insecure persona of Prufrock along with the use of imagery helps to create a theme of time and lost opportunity in the poem.

In the poems “The Love Song by J. Alfred Prufrock,” written in 1910, published in 1915, and “Rhapsody on a Windy Night,” written in 1917, both of which were written by poet and literary-critic T. S. Eliot, the symbolism and imagery of the women represented in mythological means, the locations and landscapes that both protagonists wander through or plan on going to, and the nature that is used in both poems are very similar, yet uniquely different. “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” is about a man with low self-confidence worrying about going to a party in the evening where he is sure that the women there with reject and ridicule him; “Rhapsody on a Windy Night” is about a man wandering his way back in the early hours of the morning

All words, phrases and sentences (or just simply images) which make up this poem seem to, in Levi-Strauss’ words, “be a valeur symbolique zero [and the signifier] can take on any value required ”, meaning that the images Eliot uses do not have one fixed signification and consequently conjure up thought-provoking ideas that need to be studied (qtd. in