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One of the most profound poems in literature, “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” written by T.S. Eliot in 1917, has proved to still be effective in moving its audience. It takes us through the dark and intricate story of the main character J. Alfred Prufrock, in his search to find a connection with society and woman in particular. Eliot used the way the poem was written to reinforce our idea or Prufrock, and what he was in search of in his live. We can tell by reading the poem that it is written in a form of dramatic monologue, it is obvious is he addressing or speaking to another person, which makes it feel more intimate, like Prufrock is letting us into his world and mind. The poem can also be seen as being written in a particular form called free verse, meaning it sounds as though it is conversational, there do seem to be some parts of the poem that are written in another form, but it is hard to distinguish what. After you have read the poem, you notice as far as the rhyme scheme goes, that it is irregular however, it does not seem to be random. Eliot seemed to have paid particular attention to what lines and words would rhyme, although it is hard to tell what the importance of this is. However it was Eliot’s words and images that truly let us look in on Prufrock’s connection with the world in which he lived.
In the opening of the poem, Eliot uses a epigraph written in Italian, basically explaining what he describes as an ideal listener, and is somewhat preparing his audience for what’s to come. In the first stanza we have images of a cityscape, and from we also get the feelings of an empty deserted town. We get the feeling from the line “Streets that follow like a tedious argument… Of insidious intent,” we know that he is determined to make it to a destination somewhere; he is in search of something. At the end of this stanza we also have the feeling of frustration within himself. As Eliot moves on we see a stanza that is repeated within the poem, “In the room the woman come and go… talking of Michelangelo,” this can signify that fact that these woman and being social and interacting a gesture that seems so simple in life, people do it everyday. Prufrock has trouble understanding this though, although we picture a high society group within this stanza, and although Prufrock is in this class of people, he seems to be an outcast among his peers, we get the feeling that as these woman and wondering about talking, Prufrock is watching from the outside, he wants contact and a connection with these people but he cant seem to muster up the nerve to do so. This world that he lives in, they don’t seem to care about anything else except what is going on, they want to be left undone and untouched, this high society wants to be left alone in their own world. In the third stanza he repeats particular words such as “yellow fog,” “yellow smoke” as well as “window panes,” these give is a very foggy image of what perforce is seeing and feeling. When he talks of window pains, it only ore signifies the idea of looking in, and seeing something from the outside, which really reinforces the idea of Prufrocks sense of loneliness and lost connection. Also in this stanza we feel as though he has a false sense of society. Another very important fact about this stanza is the fact that Eliot uses such words as , licked, lingered, let fall, slipped and curled, Eliot had an infatuation with cats, and its seems that he is using these verbs and cat like actions to represent what Prufrock is feeling. Cats are creatures that are always watching and are very sneaky which seems to reinforce what we have already learned about Prufrock. The fourth stanza proves to be very important in different ways, as we read it Prufrock is repeating the idea of time passing, “ indeed there will be time” and “ there will be time, there will be time,” he seems to be reassuring himself that there is enough time, for him to accomplish this difficult task in his life. Also in the line “ To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet,” Prufrocks insecurities seem to be showing through once more, meeting people and being around peers seems as though it to is such a simple task, but for Prufrock, it is a big deal, something he will have to work up courage to do. When he states the line “and time for a hundred indecisions, and for a hundred visions and revisions,” he seems to be agonizing over how others will see him and respond to him. He then goes on to reassure himself he will never be good enough for societies norms, and lets us have the idea that if he can get this message of what life is really like out, and connect with others on an emotional level he will be okay.
As we move on to the sixth stanza, we see somewhat of s shift in Prufrock’s state or mind, when he states, “Do I Dare? And Do I Dare?” we can see he is getting worried, he doesn’t think he can do it, he doesn’t feel like he fits in or that people will even like him. He goes on to state and ridicule his appreances, stating how he is bald his arms and legs are thin, only to let us know that he is very worried about his physical appreance he feels insecure about it and feels like people will shun him. A very important line in this stanza is “My necktie rich ad modest but asserted by a simple pin..” a necktie is considered to be rich and classy in appearance, something high class men would wear, it only makes us believe more that Prufrock is indeed part of this. However he says that this necktie is held up by a “simple pin” meaning that if you were to take the pin out it would come undone. It makes us feel as though Prufrock is disguising himself, and this is not who he truly is. We then get the feeling as though time is passing again from the line, “for decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse,” this makes us feel as though Prufrock I telling himself that there is no turning back. In the next stanza we basically are focused in on the idea of time and this thing he is trying to accomplish, he is losing hope for himself and is fearful that his life will always be the same and that he will never be able to make that change for himself or those around him. He is looking for more in life he knows there is more out there. We get a better glimpse more into Prufrock’s deep anxiety of being scrutinized when we look at stanza 8. He seems to have an intense fear of being the butt of all jokes, as well as comparing himself to a sprawling and tortured specimen or bug, “And when I am formulated, sprawling on a pin, When I am pinned and wriggling on the wall,” this only proves more his fear or being ridiculed and judged for all to see. When we read stanza 9, it seems to become more clear that Prufrock I indeed addressing a woman whom he seems to be secretly admiring. In this stanza Eliot repeats the word “Arms,” this is significance in the sense that arm are a less intimate part of the body, it is easier for Prufrock to relate to something like that then the most intimate part of a woman, their eyes. Prufrock seems to think that woman will totally misunderstand him, and he is fearful making himself vulnerable. We also get a stronger feel for Prufrocks inability to move forward in his life when he goes on to compare himself to a crab, “I should have been a pair of ragged claws, Scuttling across the floor of silent seas.” Crabs are not bold creatures in fact they are quite and hide in their shells; they walk horizontally and never move forward. This is significant because it seems to be exactly what Prufrock is doing and seeing himself as, he is realizing that he is losing time and he cannot seem to push forward in this quest. As we move in this stanza we notice that indeed his time is running thin, and he does not dare force something that is not there. When he states the line “And I have seen the eternal footman hold my coat and snicker, and in short, I was afraid,” these people know he won’t go through with it, they know he is too afraid to follow through.
As we follow into the rest of the stanzas to the end of the poem we see that Prufrock is indeed running short of time, and we also notice that Eliot’s language and imagery gets rather fanaticizing and confusing. Stanza 9 is very significant in finding out what Prufrock is trying to tell these people and what he wants to connect with them. When Prufrock states the line, “ To say: “I am Lazarus, come from the dead, Come back to tell you all, I shall tell you all,” we see that he speaks of Lazarus, who indeed knew what it was like to die but was trying to tell everyone that there is more to life hen what you think. Prufrock although he does not compare himself to Lazarus, explains that he has an equally important message, he knows we are dying and we need to seek more in life, there is much more to fulfill then only what can be seen. Although he has this message because he is so insecure he is willing to take a backseat to others, he doesn’t feel as though he has a leadership position in this. In this stanza we also can see that he most likely will not go through with this quest, however he question what would happen had he went through with it. In stanza 10 we can see that Prufrock is so frustrated with himself for holding back, he is questioning whether it would have all been worthwhile. When we see the line, “But as if a magic lantern threw the nerves in patterns on a screen,” we see that this is significant because Prufrock is pondering the idea of this lantern illuminating all of his fears and emotions for everyone to see, again he does not want to be in this vulnerable position. In the following stanza we see that Prufrock is comparing himself once again to a historical character, Prince hamlet, he know that he cannot be compared to Price Hamlet, however he does say he is an “attendant lord,” meaning he is in the same category but he is a second rate status next to Hamlet, he is the secondary guy who takes a back seat, in life. As we near the end of the poem we finally realize that he is growing to old, he has let to much time pass and he is finally realizing that time is wasting away. He worries about getting older; from the line “I shall wear the bottom of my trousers rolled” he knows the state of his body and mind. At the end of the poem we notice that he has moved on from cityscape images to more avouching to ocean like images, which helps convey the idea that Prufrock is dealing with an emotional distance from the world. In stanza 15 we imagine Prufrock walking along the beach just wondering “what if?” He is too old now, he cannot fulfill the promises that he had made to himself, he will never be intimidate with a woman or an admirer, he doesn’t think that it will ever be possible. When Prufrock talks of mermaids, “I have heard the mermaids singing each to each, I do not think that they will sing to me,” and he knows that mermaids will ignore him like most woman. Mermaids are significant because they are crazy for love they are creatures who seduce, and we know that they will not do this to Prufrock, and he has accepted this. The last and final stanza is the most impacted, we learn that Prufrock is plunging into his own agony and is dying unhappy and unloved, he is paralyzed by all people who reject him and he finally gives up.
The “Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” is one that is moving and touching to those who read it. It is obvious what Prufrock wanted to fulfill in his life, and what he was in search for, however he just had this huge fear holding him back that he was not able to follow through. Many people would be able to relate to Prufrock, many of us today fear such things as rejection and ridicule, and this was the number one thing that Prufrock was afraid of, he couldn’t let himself be vulnerable and see an outcome. As much as he wanted to fit in with these people, he knew there was so much more out there to live for and as badly as he wanted to tell it, he would never work up enough courage. Eliot’s writing style and careful language and style makes “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” a poem that is memorable and eloquent.
In the opening of the poem, Eliot uses a epigraph written in Italian, basically explaining what he describes as an ideal listener, and is somewhat preparing his audience for what’s to come. In the first stanza we have images of a cityscape, and from we also get the feelings of an empty deserted town. We get the feeling from the line “Streets that follow like a tedious argument… Of insidious intent,” we know that he is determined to make it to a destination somewhere; he is in search of something. At the end of this stanza we also have the feeling of frustration within himself. As Eliot moves on we see a stanza that is repeated within the poem, “In the room the woman come and go… talking of Michelangelo,” this can signify that fact that these woman and being social and interacting a gesture that seems so simple in life, people do it everyday. Prufrock has trouble understanding this though, although we picture a high society group within this stanza, and although Prufrock is in this class of people, he seems to be an outcast among his peers, we get the feeling that as these woman and wondering about talking, Prufrock is watching from the outside, he wants contact and a connection with these people but he cant seem to muster up the nerve to do so. This world that he lives in, they don’t seem to care about anything else except what is going on, they want to be left undone and untouched, this high society wants to be left alone in their own world. In the third stanza he repeats particular words such as “yellow fog,” “yellow smoke” as well as “window panes,” these give is a very foggy image of what perforce is seeing and feeling. When he talks of window pains, it only ore signifies the idea of looking in, and seeing something from the outside, which really reinforces the idea of Prufrocks sense of loneliness and lost connection. Also in this stanza we feel as though he has a false sense of society. Another very important fact about this stanza is the fact that Eliot uses such words as , licked, lingered, let fall, slipped and curled, Eliot had an infatuation with cats, and its seems that he is using these verbs and cat like actions to represent what Prufrock is feeling. Cats are creatures that are always watching and are very sneaky which seems to reinforce what we have already learned about Prufrock. The fourth stanza proves to be very important in different ways, as we read it Prufrock is repeating the idea of time passing, “ indeed there will be time” and “ there will be time, there will be time,” he seems to be reassuring himself that there is enough time, for him to accomplish this difficult task in his life. Also in the line “ To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet,” Prufrocks insecurities seem to be showing through once more, meeting people and being around peers seems as though it to is such a simple task, but for Prufrock, it is a big deal, something he will have to work up courage to do. When he states the line “and time for a hundred indecisions, and for a hundred visions and revisions,” he seems to be agonizing over how others will see him and respond to him. He then goes on to reassure himself he will never be good enough for societies norms, and lets us have the idea that if he can get this message of what life is really like out, and connect with others on an emotional level he will be okay.
As we move on to the sixth stanza, we see somewhat of s shift in Prufrock’s state or mind, when he states, “Do I Dare? And Do I Dare?” we can see he is getting worried, he doesn’t think he can do it, he doesn’t feel like he fits in or that people will even like him. He goes on to state and ridicule his appreances, stating how he is bald his arms and legs are thin, only to let us know that he is very worried about his physical appreance he feels insecure about it and feels like people will shun him. A very important line in this stanza is “My necktie rich ad modest but asserted by a simple pin..” a necktie is considered to be rich and classy in appearance, something high class men would wear, it only makes us believe more that Prufrock is indeed part of this. However he says that this necktie is held up by a “simple pin” meaning that if you were to take the pin out it would come undone. It makes us feel as though Prufrock is disguising himself, and this is not who he truly is. We then get the feeling as though time is passing again from the line, “for decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse,” this makes us feel as though Prufrock I telling himself that there is no turning back. In the next stanza we basically are focused in on the idea of time and this thing he is trying to accomplish, he is losing hope for himself and is fearful that his life will always be the same and that he will never be able to make that change for himself or those around him. He is looking for more in life he knows there is more out there. We get a better glimpse more into Prufrock’s deep anxiety of being scrutinized when we look at stanza 8. He seems to have an intense fear of being the butt of all jokes, as well as comparing himself to a sprawling and tortured specimen or bug, “And when I am formulated, sprawling on a pin, When I am pinned and wriggling on the wall,” this only proves more his fear or being ridiculed and judged for all to see. When we read stanza 9, it seems to become more clear that Prufrock I indeed addressing a woman whom he seems to be secretly admiring. In this stanza Eliot repeats the word “Arms,” this is significance in the sense that arm are a less intimate part of the body, it is easier for Prufrock to relate to something like that then the most intimate part of a woman, their eyes. Prufrock seems to think that woman will totally misunderstand him, and he is fearful making himself vulnerable. We also get a stronger feel for Prufrocks inability to move forward in his life when he goes on to compare himself to a crab, “I should have been a pair of ragged claws, Scuttling across the floor of silent seas.” Crabs are not bold creatures in fact they are quite and hide in their shells; they walk horizontally and never move forward. This is significant because it seems to be exactly what Prufrock is doing and seeing himself as, he is realizing that he is losing time and he cannot seem to push forward in this quest. As we move in this stanza we notice that indeed his time is running thin, and he does not dare force something that is not there. When he states the line “And I have seen the eternal footman hold my coat and snicker, and in short, I was afraid,” these people know he won’t go through with it, they know he is too afraid to follow through.
As we follow into the rest of the stanzas to the end of the poem we see that Prufrock is indeed running short of time, and we also notice that Eliot’s language and imagery gets rather fanaticizing and confusing. Stanza 9 is very significant in finding out what Prufrock is trying to tell these people and what he wants to connect with them. When Prufrock states the line, “ To say: “I am Lazarus, come from the dead, Come back to tell you all, I shall tell you all,” we see that he speaks of Lazarus, who indeed knew what it was like to die but was trying to tell everyone that there is more to life hen what you think. Prufrock although he does not compare himself to Lazarus, explains that he has an equally important message, he knows we are dying and we need to seek more in life, there is much more to fulfill then only what can be seen. Although he has this message because he is so insecure he is willing to take a backseat to others, he doesn’t feel as though he has a leadership position in this. In this stanza we also can see that he most likely will not go through with this quest, however he question what would happen had he went through with it. In stanza 10 we can see that Prufrock is so frustrated with himself for holding back, he is questioning whether it would have all been worthwhile. When we see the line, “But as if a magic lantern threw the nerves in patterns on a screen,” we see that this is significant because Prufrock is pondering the idea of this lantern illuminating all of his fears and emotions for everyone to see, again he does not want to be in this vulnerable position. In the following stanza we see that Prufrock is comparing himself once again to a historical character, Prince hamlet, he know that he cannot be compared to Price Hamlet, however he does say he is an “attendant lord,” meaning he is in the same category but he is a second rate status next to Hamlet, he is the secondary guy who takes a back seat, in life. As we near the end of the poem we finally realize that he is growing to old, he has let to much time pass and he is finally realizing that time is wasting away. He worries about getting older; from the line “I shall wear the bottom of my trousers rolled” he knows the state of his body and mind. At the end of the poem we notice that he has moved on from cityscape images to more avouching to ocean like images, which helps convey the idea that Prufrock is dealing with an emotional distance from the world. In stanza 15 we imagine Prufrock walking along the beach just wondering “what if?” He is too old now, he cannot fulfill the promises that he had made to himself, he will never be intimidate with a woman or an admirer, he doesn’t think that it will ever be possible. When Prufrock talks of mermaids, “I have heard the mermaids singing each to each, I do not think that they will sing to me,” and he knows that mermaids will ignore him like most woman. Mermaids are significant because they are crazy for love they are creatures who seduce, and we know that they will not do this to Prufrock, and he has accepted this. The last and final stanza is the most impacted, we learn that Prufrock is plunging into his own agony and is dying unhappy and unloved, he is paralyzed by all people who reject him and he finally gives up.
The “Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” is one that is moving and touching to those who read it. It is obvious what Prufrock wanted to fulfill in his life, and what he was in search for, however he just had this huge fear holding him back that he was not able to follow through. Many people would be able to relate to Prufrock, many of us today fear such things as rejection and ridicule, and this was the number one thing that Prufrock was afraid of, he couldn’t let himself be vulnerable and see an outcome. As much as he wanted to fit in with these people, he knew there was so much more out there to live for and as badly as he wanted to tell it, he would never work up enough courage. Eliot’s writing style and careful language and style makes “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” a poem that is memorable and eloquent.