Eliot differs from the conventional love song. It is rather the melancholy mutterings of a displaced, inhibited man. Whether "The Love Son of J. Alfred Prufrock" was meant to be an expression of love or not, I feel the true distinction rests in the importance of action and awareness. His inactive existence has caused this distortion of reality, fear of confrontation, and draws upon the daydream/nightmare he lives in. Prufrock misses his mark by having paralyzing awareness with no action. Having missed his chance at love, he fades into his final dream where he swims with the mermaids out to sea and drowns, passively accepting the death of his long sought triumph by sinking into a somber, dispassionate existence.
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Eliot begins the poem with an epigraph from Dante's Inferno suggesting that Prufrock speaks only because he is sure no one will listen and what has or has not been done will remain in that state. The person whom these confessional thoughts are directed appears to exist in a realm imperforable to Prufrock. The imagery of "a patient etherized upon a table"(3) and "half-deserted streets"(4) paints a somber picture, implying a dark soulless setting, adding to the seclusion set forth by the epigraph. "Streets that follow like a tedious argument/Of insidious intent" (8,9) describes the route chosen by Prufrock and is a dismal reflection of his own existence. Prufrock's awareness of his current state emphasizes his inner turmoil, neurosis and hesitation regarding the "overwhelming question" (10) we are lead to believe will be either answered or revealed along this journey. Contrary to the endless circuitous steps taken by Prufrock in his dialogue, the epigraph from Dante's Inferno is essential for mirroring his descent without ascension. .
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As we continue on their venture, Prufrock finds distractions and forms excuses to avoid his initial intention to reveal this question. They enter a room filled with what seems like a crowd of trivial, yet ostentatious, sophisticated folk bantering back and forth about culture, status, and success.
"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" is an extraordinary masterpiece by T.S. Eliot. Eliot may possibly give us the essence of twenty-first century poetry. Through the "Love Song," Eliot expresses exuberant writing technique via random comments deposited together. Certainly much of what he writes is...
Elliots "The Love Song of Alfred J. ... Eliot's poem "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" Elliot continually writes in the voice of Prufrock, and Prufrock struggles to answer his life's "overwhelming question." (10) With what is J. ... In The Love Song of J. ... As one reads this poem, he or she can not forget that these words are the words of Alfred J. ...
Eliot's poem "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" is an examination of the tortured psyche of a man who is looking for love, indecisive, educated, neurotic, and emotionally stilted. ... Elliot "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" the main character's tortured psyche, while looking for love that shows periods of indecisiveness, being educated, neurotic, and emotionally stilted. Through the entire work he is trying to find something that he cannot possess love. ...
M.H. Abrams once said that there are three things that characterize a dramatic monologue. First, it encompasses the assertions of a "specific individual (other than the poet) at a specific moment in time." Second, the monologue is "specifically directed at a listener or listeners whose presence is...
The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, written by T.S. ... The poem concerns with a character (Prufrock) that can see and understand the values in life – love, joy, companionship, and courageousness – but is unable to act on his longings. ... Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" portrays a man's inability to take decisive action even as he sees what is necessary. ...
Comparison and Contrast of "Miniver Cheevy" and "The Love Song of J. ... Eliot's "The Love Song of J. ... In both "Miniver Cheevy" and "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock", allusions are used throughout the poem. ... Although both authors use allusions, Robinson doesn't use literary allusions like Eliot does in "The Love Song of J. ...
Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock- represents J. Prufrock, a loser who has absolutely no confidence in his self. ... Prufrock obviously has absolutely zero confidence in himself. ... This shows the lack of confidence that Prufrock has in his self. ...
Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," is the interior monlogue of a truly tragic character. ... Alfred Prufrock's self esteem affects his love life greatly. ... Alfred Prufrock. ... In Elliot's masterpiece "The Love Song of J.Alfred Prufrock," as time passes so does the human spirit of the narrator. ...
Eliot's poem "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" he continually writes of Prufrock's struggle to answer his life's "overwhelming question." (10)With what is J. Alfred Prufrock is so desperately struggling? ... In The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, Eliot starts his description at the skyline slowly works his down to a finale in the sea. ...