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 …show more content…
The city is fragmented in itself, with a population that is lost and alone, a scattered collection of "Streets that follow like a tedious argument" (8) above which "lonely men in shirt-sleeves" (72) lean out of their isolated windows. Eliot achieves fragmentation through the use of imagery, in both specific as well as symbolic.
Images and allusions aren’t Prufrock’s only fragmented features though; Eliot also uses the rhythm, and the rhyme is irregular throughout this poem. Throughout the poem, the rhyming schemes differ and constantly changed and evolved. There are instances when it is an unrhymed free verse, and instances where it would go for a longer period of time, then to shorter periods. The rhyme scheme creates a chaotic feeling, as well as feelings of disorganization and confusion, just as the world Prufrock resides in, and it does a good job portraying the anxiety that is rooted in the social world. He is afraid to confront those talking pointlessly about Michelangelo as well as he is intimidated by the thought of engaging in a gathering, believing that “there will be time” (23), and that he has "time yet for a hundred indecisions, And for a hundred visions and revisions", indicating that his life and his social life is a bore, with repetitive routines that remains the same. Prufrock’s constant worrying is also shown in not merely the
“The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T.S. Eliot is not a love song at all—but an insight into the mind of an extremely self-conscious, middle-aged man. Prufrock struggles in coping with the world he is living in—a world where his differences make him feel lonely and alienated. Eliot uses allusions and imagery, characterization, and the society Prufrock lives in to present how Prufrock partly contributes to his own alienation. Our ability of self-awareness separates us from other species, making humans more intelligent and giving people the upper hand in social settings, but, like Prufrock, it can sometimes cause us to feel alienated.
The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock and Preludes expresses Eliot’s Modernist concerns about the lack of morals and values in modern society through the use of personas within the urban landscape and the urban society. Modern man’s lifestyle of repetition of trivial tasks and the lack of meaningful things in life is represented and emphasised through the use of alliteration, metaphor, fragmentation and word choice.
Eliot’s, “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”, he describes the internal war in the mind of his protagonist, one of loneliness, lust, and social awkwardness. Prufrock’s fear of judgement stops him in his tracks when he considers an attempt to make conversation, especially with women, who he seems impossibly unlucky with. While his peers focus on superficial matters, “In the room the women come and go / Talking of Michelangelo” (Eliot 13-14), Prufrock longs for something more profound and meaningful, but holds his tongue, knowing it would be detrimental to his already low social standing. He asks, “Do I dare / Disturb the universe? / In a minute there is time / For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse” (Eliot 45-46). Eliot begs the question; Is being one's true self worth the risk of not fitting
Abstract Scant critical attention has befor been paid to T.S. Eliot 's ““The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”” in relation to the excised ““Prufrock 's Pervigilium”” section preserved in his ““March Hare”” Notebook and why Eliot might have obliterate it. Reading the ““Pervigilium”” back into ““Prufrock,”” this article reason that ““Prufrock”” sings of its own making and that of its poet 's sensation in the ““Pervigilium”” slice. In this passage, the epigram anticipates Eliot 's
Unlike Oedipus, the character in T.S. Eliot’s “Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” is timid, insecure and indecisive. Throughout the poem, Prufrock is faced with a decision to approach a woman he has developed a liking to, or remain looking out a lonely window drowning his self consciousness in an ocean of self doubt. He wants to ask her the overwhelming question, but instead he purposefully avoids the woman by having personal detour conversations with himself about his self image. The entire poem is laced with Prufrock asking himself questions. He asks “Do I dare disturb the universe?”(Eliot) as if the whole world will come crashing down if he simply talks to her. He wants to wait for the right time, but in the same thought, he knows his years are running out; he mentions his bald spot and thin arms. Prufrock is so consumed with himself and how others might portray or judge him, that it is paralyzing him from social activities and gatherings. He is going through a mid life crisis that he may have brought on himself by leading an unproductive, bland life and his lack of
Firstly, the characterization of the speaker Prufrock shows how his indecisiveness links with his constant unhappiness. Early on in the poem, Prufrock says “And indeed
In The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, the narrative voice is one of a neurotic, pathetic man who manages to be both vain and insecure at the same time. Eliot
T.S. Eliot’s, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, tells the depressing journey of Prufrock’s mental battle to tell a woman how he feels. Prufrock is a man of high class. He is educated, as seen with his literary references to Hamlet. In addition, his “morning coat” (43) implies that he is wealthy, as he is able to afford an elite jacket. Prufrock is surrounded by women of high class, as he observes “the women [that] come and go Talking of Michelangelo” (35-36). Discussing the art of Michelangelo pertains to a noble crowd, which emphasizes the wealth of the women. Although Prufrock claims he has a great deal of experience with women, he struggles to gather the courage to ask a girl out. Prufrock’s fear of rejection, which stems from his lack of confidence, hinders his ability to say how he feels.
In T.S.Eliot’s poem The Love song of J. Alfred Prufrock, he describes the evening, Prufrock’s surroundings, and the thoughts flowing through his head. Through personification, allusions, and imagery, he supports a message that you must use your time wisely in order to accomplish a desired goal. Overall, the tone/mood of the poem is lonely and depressing.
The poem “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” written by T.S. Eliot, uses many literary sound devices, sensory references, and other literary techniques in order to convey the meaning of the poem. Eliot conveys such meaning throughout the poem in many ways, such as the timeframe, the speaker’s speech, and other imagery are used to convey the poem’s meaning of social isolation and indecisiveness. In the poem “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”, Eliot uses multiple references of imagery to define the feeling of social isolation and indecisiveness of the character. For example, the main speaker describes many scenes of being incomplete, “Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets” (Eliot, 4) and “Streets that follow like a tedious argument”
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
It is obvious that the excessive and obsessive reflection of self that Prufrock undergoes in the poem, "The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock" written by T.S. Eliot, prevents him from living to his true potential, and this is shown through the poet?s language and his use of poetic devices.
“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
The famous modernist poet, T.S. Eliot, had a unique style of writing that described the societal changes of his time period. Eliot’s first published poem was titled “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.” The poem is about a middle-aged insecure man name Prufrock who, because of his attitude, accomplishes nothing in his life. T.S. Eliot uses the character of Prufrock to demonstrate how important it is to live life to the fullest and find a purpose in life.
In numerous works of art and literature regarding romance, the protagonist struggles in expressing his or her feelings, as a result of a lack of self-esteem. Within the poem, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, the speaker T.S. Eliot reveals the inner thoughts and feelings of the poems subject, Prufrock, through various literary techniques. Prufrock struggles in articulating his feelings to a woman he admires and illustrates his insecurity as he continuously concerns insignificant details that impede him from speaking to the woman. By describing the inner obstacles Prufrock endures, Eliot ultimately demonstrates to the reader that one should be true to their feelings or it will only result in his or her downfall.