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. Prufrocks self consciousness effects the way he views himself.
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.
In the poem The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, it is about a man who is insecure. In the story, a man named Mr.Prufrock is debating whether or not he should ask the “overwhelming question”. In the story, he is very self-conscious about him getting old and becoming bald. This poem was written in February 1910. On February 1, 1910, the first British labor exchange opens.
He fears that death mocks him for not being able to approach the woman and believes that he is going to die in this apprehensiveness. Throughout the poem, Eliot alludes to several different works to give the reader a better of understanding of the extremely anxious Prufrock along with society as a whole. First off, not only do the illusions help the reader form an opinion about Prufrock, but it also reveals how Prufrock sees himself. He thinks, “No, I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be” (111). Based off this thought, the reader knows that Prufrock looks down upon himself.
“Everything is viewed as fragmented and broken; they have the attitude of ‘let us eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we may die’” says Mrs. Tanya Boler, an American Lit professor. The Love Song of J. Alfred Prurock by T.S. Eliot is a prime example of modern literature with the modernist author, the poem’s setting, and the poem’s main character Prufrock. T.S. Eliot was born into a well-off family in Massachusetts.
Alfred Prufrock” was and still is a popular poem of T.S. Eliot’s, his most well known work is The Waste Land, which epitomizes the modern era. He uses the poetic elements of fragmentation and allusions to depict an image of the modern world through perspective of a man finding himself hopeless and confused about the condition of the society (Rhee 4). This poem also does not continue in a linear direction; although it may seem disjointed, these elements coherently communicate what modern society ultimately believes. This pattern is easily found in every aspect of the poem.
Not all love songs have a happy ending after all. The poem, “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” by T.S. Eliot showcases diction, imagery, and allusion to express the speaker’s complex attitude towards his life. In this poem Prufrock is portrayed as a sad and tormented man that simply doesn’t have the courage to act on his desires. J. Alfred Prufrock is a timid, overcautious middle-aged man that walks through the streets of a shabby part of a city, to get to a social gathering were women “come and go, talking of Michelangelo” (lines 13-14).
The word man in the context of this poem, implies mankind in its entirety. The central meaning of Marvell 's poem revolves around the manipulation of mankind, "With strange perfumes he did the roses taint" (line 11). The aforementioned line represents the capability humans have to create artificial flowers mimicking the same make-up of that of a real rose or taint. Throughout the poem the author refers to he, him, or man as something that is wielding nature in a negative manner. By repeatedly giving examples about the effects of society, the audience can detect that the ongoing theme is relevant to the poet 's
By the example of the main character, Prufrock, Eliot depicts the weaknesses of the society and the personality that is far from ideal. The poem tells about a man who accompanies the reader through the streets of the city to a social meeting, where he would like to take part, but does not dare to accomplish that. All that is shown through his flow of thoughts. Depicting the alienation of an individual and his loneliness in the society, his all-knowing nature, and the fear of getting older, Eliot did not only describe the man of the twentieth century, but was also looking forward to create the image of the man from the twenty-first century. As many of the Eliot’s characters and of the contemporary people, Prufrock feels isolated in the world of superficial relations and lacking the meaning.
In T.S. Eliot’s work “The LoveSong of J. Alfred Prufrock”, he uses diction to give an underlying meaning and tone to his poem in order to express the downfall of a man. The author uses his diction to give this poem Its tone as if he regrets what he did in life. He also shows great tone changes in this work, giving this poem a dramatic, almost tragic outlook. Many of his word choices also give his work an underlying meaning and adds to his theme and messages.