How does The Love Song of J.Alfred Prufrock reflect T.S.Eliot's concerns about the modern world?
How does The Love Song of J.Alfred Prufrock reflect T.S.Eliot's concerns about the modern world?
T.S.Eliot's poem, The Love Song of J.Alfred Prufrock, is written in a modernist style. This becomes apparent from the very first stanza, when he describes a sunset. In Georgian poetry, a sunset is usually described in a beautiful sense, whereas Eliot has compared it to a 'patient etherised upon a table'. The language Eliot has used is one of a scientific and sterile nature. He may be trying to raise questions as to what we perceive as beautiful in our modern world, as people used to believe nature was the most beautiful sight on earth, whereas now people may perceive modern buildings or sports cars to be beautiful objects. Therefore, it would be reasonable to assume Eliot wants to return to the past, as he misses the tradition and respect for nature. The fact that this is a modernist poem demonstrates Eliot's belief that the modern world offers no benefit to humanity, as the modern world is highly linked with the degradation of nature and traditional values.
T.S.Eliot also uses many writing techniques which are typical of modernism, such as an irregular rhyming scheme, and irregular structure in his stanzas and writes a stream of conscious thought. There is a great effect on the reader in having an irregular rhyming scheme and structure, as it makes the poem awkward to read and makes the poem seem disjointed, which is a good reflection on the modern world, as Eliot believed people were disconnected from each other in the cities. Through this poem's structure, Eliot is raising questions as to how people are perfectly accepting to see dozens of hundreds of faces pass them by in their daily business, but not know a single one of them, leading one to the idea that the city, despite being a heavily populated area, can be incredibly lonely for someone to live in. This is shown later on in the poem, when Prufrock believes he should have been 'scuttling across the floors
T.S.Eliot's poem, The Love Song of J.Alfred Prufrock, is written in a modernist style. This becomes apparent from the very first stanza, when he describes a sunset. In Georgian poetry, a sunset is usually described in a beautiful sense, whereas Eliot has compared it to a 'patient etherised upon a table'. The language Eliot has used is one of a scientific and sterile nature. He may be trying to raise questions as to what we perceive as beautiful in our modern world, as people used to believe nature was the most beautiful sight on earth, whereas now people may perceive modern buildings or sports cars to be beautiful objects. Therefore, it would be reasonable to assume Eliot wants to return to the past, as he misses the tradition and respect for nature. The fact that this is a modernist poem demonstrates Eliot's belief that the modern world offers no benefit to humanity, as the modern world is highly linked with the degradation of nature and traditional values.
T.S.Eliot also uses many writing techniques which are typical of modernism, such as an irregular rhyming scheme, and irregular structure in his stanzas and writes a stream of conscious thought. There is a great effect on the reader in having an irregular rhyming scheme and structure, as it makes the poem awkward to read and makes the poem seem disjointed, which is a good reflection on the modern world, as Eliot believed people were disconnected from each other in the cities. Through this poem's structure, Eliot is raising questions as to how people are perfectly accepting to see dozens of hundreds of faces pass them by in their daily business, but not know a single one of them, leading one to the idea that the city, despite being a heavily populated area, can be incredibly lonely for someone to live in. This is shown later on in the poem, when Prufrock believes he should have been 'scuttling across the floors