Prufrock, throughout lines 26-30, not only delineates his insecurity but also his indecisiveness and fear of rejection. These few lines give readers a snapshot of what the poem consists of: Prufrock’s constant self-doubt, ambivalence and passivity. Furthermore, it reveals that he overanalyzes situations to the point where it is unhealthy. As a result of his negativity and lack of initiative, Prufrock sends the message that he is an unhappy and lonely man who yearns for love but cannot even bring himself to open up to a woman, let alone ask her this “overwhelming question”.…
The human condition is a term which references our complicated existence by highlighting our ongoing ability to adapt and change both our perceptions and values. Through our mental capabilities of both creativity and imagination, humanity is able to achieve a sense of both self-actualisation and liberation, resulting in them acting as the core of our existence where, without them we would become susceptible to the overwhelming flaws of the human condition. Evidencing this are the three texts, ‘Dejection: an Ode’, ‘This Lime Tree Bower my Prison’ and ‘Focus’, which…
TS Eliot’s 20th Century poem ‘The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock’ is widely seen as a modernist work that Eliot employs to make the reader of the poem actually create their own opinion of what is actually meant by the poem. The modernist movement happened mainly in the late 19th to early 20th Century and started with the French poet, Jules Laforgue. It is easy to draw similarities between Eliot’s Lovesong and all of Laforgue’s works as they both employ symbolist and modernist aspects in the way they describe everything through metaphor. Throughout the poem, Eliot uses many metaphors to describe what Prufrock is seeing, ‘through [those] certain half-deserted streets.’ What Prufrock is seeing is often shown through his fragile mindset. The use of metaphor is an interesting one as, despite promoting a great sense of uncertainty with the actual events that Prufrock is experiencing, it gives the reader a very clear idea of Prufrock’s character. It is undeniable that Prufrock is presented as ‘awkward and emasculated’ as his social and sexual insecurities are portrayed by Eliot throughout.…
Every day we are given a fresh start; another chance to move forward in our lives and accomplish the things we thrive to achieve day to day. A new day can also liberate us from our past mistakes and provide us with a chance to change our ways. We are all faced with misery and misfortune at points in our lives, some more than others. We must recognize that it is not the burden in itself that shapes who we are, but how well or how poorly we deal with the difficulties. Sometimes misfortunes can be seen in a negative light; because it seems unjust, therefore we response in a negative matter, and become negligent to change. Overcoming tragic events is what truly counts, for we are meant to live happily and in acceptance that there are things that we cannot change. In many cases, individuals seem to feel as though they’ve lost an amount so great that they are unable to free themselves of the pain. This perspective often leads to further suffering. A Temporary Matter by Jhumpa Lahou and Kiss Me by Andrew Pyper demonstrate a loss of identity, negligence towards communication, and eventually leading to the destruction of a relationship.…
2. We can assume that the speaker of the poem is Prufrock, a character Eliot creates through the use of dramatic monologue—a technique in which a speaker addresses a silent listener, often revealing qualities he or she might wish to keep hidden. What kind of person is Prufrock? What does he unknowingly reveal?…
Eliot, T.S. “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.” The Norton Introduction to Literature: Shorter Tenth Edition. Eds. Allison Booth and Kelly J. Mays. New York: Norton, 2010. 1015-1019. Print.…
Insecurities are an inevitable part of life, everyone posses their own. Similarly, in the poem "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T.S Eliot, the narrator dwells on his own insecurities when trying to find his place in life. Prufrock gives any excuse so he does not have fit in with high society. Eliot's poem utilizes many repeated refrains, including: "there will be time", "for I have known" and "do I dare”, highlighting the narrator’s lack of self-confidence.…
The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock (Response) When thinking of a typical love story a reader expects compassion and romance, but in T. S. Eliot “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, romance is not the topic of discussion. The backdrop of the poem is a typical London, England day with numerous travels through the seamless foggy streets early 1900’s London. The mystery or puzzle through the poem tend to transpire with cleverly diverted unanswered question from the narrator that somehow get overlooked and never finish.…
In the composition of Prufrock TS Eliot utilized a form of symbolism ostensibly very similar to that outlined by the Imagist movement in the Imagists Manifesto (Imagists, 1915, pg. 269). Instead of simply telling the reader Prufrock’s emotions, Eliot relied on the ‘objects’ within the poem to convey Prufrock’s thoughts and feelings. The most vivid example of imagist inspired symbolism within The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock is the image of the yellow smoke which occurs several times throughout the poem:…
Freud’s theory of ‘The Uncanny’ reveals much about his understanding of human beings who take form of either repressed beliefs or desires brought up from the unconscious into the conscious mind. Thus is very much related to the poem written by T.S.Eliot’s ‘The Love Song of J.Alfred Prufrock’, which highlights a vision on society that represents the familiar and the unfamiliar.…
Psychoanalytic criticism originated in the work of Austrian psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, who pioneered the technique of psychoanalysis. Freud developed a language that described, a model that explained, and a theory that encompassed human psychology. His theories are directly and indirectly concerned with the nature of the unconscious mind.( http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/virtualit/poetry/critical_define/crit_psycho.html)…
The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock is concerned with a fragmented worldview that came to embody Eliot's entire body of work. The poem is written in a stream of consciousness style that was a hallmark of Eliot's work. The title character laments his mental and spiritual problems in a most unusual way. The poem breaks from the tradition of strict form, meter, and coherent thought.…
Eliot must have been quite a character. He scandalized the early 20th century literary establishment with images like this, from the opening of “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock:”…
Eliot's poems deal with the psychological impasse of the sensitive person from whom life has been withheld. Both 'Prufrock' and 'Portrait of a Lady' depict self-conscious, philosophical characters who are unable to act and fear the chance of acting. As portrayed in 'Prufrock' the character is hesitant yet questions actions that are risky and difficult: "Do I dare/ Disturb the universe?" He is unable to act through the limitations of his inner self but is equally limited by the 'social' standards and public views of life.…
There were once the moments that take their breath away, leaving their hearts pounding and throat thickening; there were once the ones whose name they secretly write down on their diaries and whose footsteps they can carefully distinguish from others’. They said that it was love and they got married. However, as time elapses, all the moments are turned into the agonized memory, sealed deep in their hearts, and covered with stain and dusk; all their beloved ones, who they do not bother to make mention of any longer, turn out to be the avatar of antipathy and aversion. They say that their love dies and they get divorced.…