1. Analysis of The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
In the third stanza of "The Lovely Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," the use of imagery and an extended metaphor, along with other literary devices, paints J. Prufrock as a socially remote character. Preceding the Michelangelo couplet, the stanza is written as follows:.
"The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes, .
The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window-panes.
Licked its tongue into the corners of the evening, .
Lingered upon the pools that stand in drains,.
Let fall upon its back the soot that falls from chimneys,.
Slipped by the terrace, made a sudden leap,.
And seeing that it was a soft October night,.
Curled once again about the house, and fell asleep" (Elliot, 15-22).
The metaphor of a cat is first most apparent when reading these lines. It is later clear when T.S Eliot uses phrases such as "rubs its back"," "rubs its muzzle"," and "curled once about the house."" Imagery also plays a role in this stanza. By nature, cats are not very sociable creatures. In contrast to dogs, who are often referred to as a man's best friend, cats often keep to themselves. Elliot compares Prufrock to a cat because of the difficulty he has to socialize with others (particularly women), and spends the whole poem trying to muster the courage to talk to just one girl. In addition, the word choice that is used influences the description of Prufrock. He refers to "yellow fog"" and "yellow smoke"" to explain the state of his own mind: clouded. He cannot act around people because he is blocked by his own thoughts. Moreover, the color yellow, as used to describe the fog, is often associated with cowardice. By being blocked by his own thoughts, he cannot act around people and thus making him fear what people may think of him and his actions. Furthermore, the word "lingered " further extends the notion of reluctance to act and engagement within social interactions. When reading the story of the cat as a whole, the cat accomplished nothing.