The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock Essays

Alfred Prufrock", also known as "Prufrock", is a very sound and reflective poem written by T.S Eliot. The writer started working on the poem during February 1910 and the poem got published by some very prominent publishers of the era in June 1915 in Chicago (Masters, 2007). The poem basically caters for a dramatic situation; it takes some of its forms from old English literature. It also represents dramatic interior monologue. The poem basically takes an individual down a memory lane, goes through different events of an individual’s past life and through these events tries to make a significant point in relation to the society and its norms at that time.

Intro: Within the poem, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, there are many characteristics of Modernism that make it a true Modernist Poem. Characteristics such as theme, structure, and style are modernistic in the way that they are portrayed in this poem. Modernistic poetry had some very dark themes in its works. Themes such as questioning and alienation are very prominent in modern poetry as well as in T. S. Eliot’s poem.

1. W.E.B. DuBois wrote about racism in the United States. In what ways was he ahead of his time? In what ways is contemporary American Society still dealing with the same problems? W.E.B. DuBois (1868-1963) was very progressive for his time.

After World War I, modernist writers caught a glimpse of the world around them and thought: “It’s all different now.” They noticed that whole nations were wounded. Men returning from war were trying to find their place in the world. Feminism was on the rise, women were earning wages, which took everyone by surprise, including Eliot as reflected in “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”. The themes changed.

The poem “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” takes the reader inside the mind of a very self conscious man. Self conscious which according to the Merriam Webster dictionary is, “uncomfortably conscious of oneself as an object of the observation of others.” Prufrock is surrounded by the elite and this causes him to feel self conscious because he cannot keep up. Prufrock self consciousness effects the way he views himself and the way he thinks other people view him. Prufrock’s self consciousness ultimately leads to negative results.

INTRODUCTION T.S Eliot wrote The Love song of Alfred J. Prufrock while he was still at Harvard at the age of twenty two. While it was published only five years later when he was in Munich, the poem survived the test of time to become highly celebrated, all across the world. What we now know as the modernist era also witnessed the emergence of the new field of psychology alongside major changes in writing. The most influential psychological innovator at this time was without doubt, Sigmund Freud.

In “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T.S. Eliot, the narrator, Mr. Prufrock, seems to talk about his insecurities with women and his life choices. Most of the time, he wonders if he did the right thing on some occasions or if he missed any opportunities in life. Prufrock reasoned that “there will be time” and that there is “time yet for a hundred indecisions” (line 30). This suggests that there is no hurry to do things. Ironically, he has no time and it is only at the end of the poem he realizes that time is passing and he is growing old.

In T.S. Eliot’s poem The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, he describes the hardships that certain people face in their lives. Through imagery, allusions, and repetition, he supports a message of social struggles and hardships. Overall, the tone of the poem is ironic, romantic, helpless, and timid. T.S. Eliot depicts Prufrock’s environment beginning with an evening that was “spread out against the sky” with “half-deserted streets” and the “restless nights in one-night cheap hotels” in order to show that Prufrock’s image of the world is gloomy, unhappy, and low-spirited.

“The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” as a picture of the Modern human condition, portrays humanity as doomed to forever wander around, never really “living,” wandering around in an incessant search of meaning, where none actually exists, having society dehumanize and reduce people to mindless cogs in an oppressive machine. As Meursault portrays, life is, essentially, absurd — a paradox in which humanity endlessly searches for meaning when the universe is inherently meaningless. However, as Meursault also portrays, life does not have to stay meaningless. Life does not have to always be lived passively, always in reaction to life, without making meaning for the individual people actually living out that life. Meursault is able to find meaning in a

Alfred Prufrock is not a very interesting man, and odds are neither is his dating profile. Alfred is a man that just sort of drifts aimlessly from one common task to the next. However, he seems to think that the things he does is important and that he has a life changing question, although we never learn what it is. I get the impression that Prufrock is somewhat of an arrogant person because he always thinks that what he is doing is very important.

The poem “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T.S. Eliot was first published in 1915. This is a modernistic poem that was written about a middle-aged man who is realizing that his life has been extremely uneventful and he continually refers to the fact that he is running out of time in life. He is afraid of taking risks and he is a very lonely man who does not seem to socialize a lot. One major theme in this poem is the indecision of Prufrock. Some literary and modernistic devices that are used to support this theme are allusions and stream of consciousness.

It has been debated through the years whether true love exists on Earth or if it is merely a false creation of the human mind. In “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” poet T.S. Eliot explores the concept of love through the perspective of a self-deprecating man seeking companionship wherever he can find it. Eliot examines Prufrock’s self-loathing psyche, questioning fate and the existence of true love through a stream of consciousness, metaphorical comparisons, and the use of an anticlimax as an ending. The entirety of Eliot’s poem is written from the perspective of Prufrock and outlines all of his thoughts through a constant stream of consciousness.

Allusions play a very important role in enhancing the meaning in the poem The love Song of Alfred J. Prufrock by T.S Eliot. They undoubtedly help the reader understand certain themes and ideas that are present throughout the poem. The poem is about a middle-aged man named Prufrock that is very insecure and lives a very dull uneventful life. He is very educated and intelligent but he cannot work up the courage to approach a woman that he is romantically interested in.

Peyton Williamson Professor Tanya Boler English 223301 March 23, 2015 Analysis of the Modern Connections Present in “The Love Story of J. Alfred Prufrock” T.S. Elliot was one of the most well-read literary composers and seemed to be his own endless book of literary references. His mind could simply make literary connections in a work without his actual conscious consent. There were times when his own literary works were made up almost entirely of allusions to other works of literature.

The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock written by T.S. Elliot, is the despondent poem of a middle-aged man named Prufrock suffering from an acute spiritual malaise due to his monotonous and tentative existence. Eliot beautifully told Prufrock's tale through careful use of literary devices. A device that appeared frequently throughout the poem was an allusion. These allusions were used to easily bring forth the impressions and characteristics conveyed by the sources alluded to, as well as creating flexibility for his readers. Hamlet, To His Coy Mistress, and The Bible are a few notable sources that Eliot alludes to within the poem.

Dear J. Alfred Prufrock, the great Greek philosopher, Socrates, once said, “I know that I am intelligent, because I know that I know nothing”. It is in my opinion that Socrates summarized you life in the one line. Prufrock, your writing is divine genius, but it is clear to see that you are facing the most pure and overwhelming questions concerning the very folds of the universe all at once. Not to discount the valid earthly problems of everyday life. As in betwixt your elegant lines containing the most In the contents of this letter, my hope is that I enclose useful advise which might shed light onto your current quandary expressed in your poem The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock..

Being different from society often leads to exclusion and the over complication of even the smallest things. Due to a constant existing fear of society 's response to what an individual may feel, an individual may maintain a feeling of isolation and would not want to demonstrate their feelings. When someone is different, they question every move they make because of how everyone else might react to the situation. T.S. Eliot’s poem, “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”, is about a well educated and modern man who wants to ask a woman a very significant question. In the poem, it never specifically says what the question is, but it is likely about marriage or about her feelings for Prufrock.

There as been countless interpretations of “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”, it seems as if everyone sees it as something else. How is this possible? T. S. Eliot was a brilliant writer, and he wrote this peom in a way that would be hard to understand and interpret. Eliot wanted the people reading it to come up with their own way of descerning what it ment. Many may argue, that their view of the poem is correct, but Eliot would have to disagree.

Present in a preponderance of literary works, allusions serve as a device to further enhance the emotional and intellectual value of the writing. They are indirect references to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, or literary significance. By including allusions in pieces of writing, readers can make connections between the writing and the reference, allowing them to grasp the context through something familiar. In his poem, T.S. Eliot alludes to three well-known figures: Michelangelo, an artist, Lazarus, a biblical figure, and Hamlet, a Shakespearean character. T.S. Eliot’s use of allusions helps the poem, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, by providing a clearer understanding of the message being conveyed to the reader.

In "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" T.S. Eliot portraits the typical twentieth century transformed modern city, which in the eyes of the protagonist, Alfred Prufrock, is marked by alienation, loneliness, paralysis and repression of society. The poem is written in the form of dramatic monologue accompanied by a recurrent use of metaphoric language and repetition of ideas, which reveal Prufrock’s perception of the city while unveiling his persona. Thereby, Prufrock invites his audience to follow him through his self-examination taking us to a trip through the empty city streets, through his fears and his consciousness. The urban setting of the poem is the object of satire.