How Did T. S. Eliot Use J. Alfred Prufrock

The first stanza introduces Prufrock’s isolation, as epitomized metaphorically by “half-deserted streets” (4): while empty streets imply solitude, Eliot’s diction emphasize Prufrock having been abandoned by the other “half” needed for a relationship or an “argument” (8). Hoping for a companion, Prufrock speaks to the reader when

T.S Eliot encapsulates a existential isolation and subsequent attentiveness to the world around him, this is expressed through a discipline of words which creates a door into the mind of an infinitely suffering soul. The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock and Preludes are two of Eliot’s poems that heavily represent his understanding and perspective on the world, though his life may seem to be reflected in these poems, they only capture a single moment in his life. These experiences are formed by the intense feeling of isolation and rejection, Eliot’s movement away from society subsequently shifted his focus into a more attentive and detailed realm. The textual integrity of his poems are found through the personal meaning and words, and though

By looking through a critical lens at T Stearns Eliot’s poetry in light of his 20th century, modernist context, much is revealed about his personal and the rapidly evolving societal beliefs of that era. Through his repeating motif of time and fragmentation throughout his poems, Eliot reveals the prevalent feelings of isolation while in society along with the need to hide one’s feelings and emotions in this degrading society. His exploration of the use of ambiguity and stream of consciousness by Eliot, which is a characteristic of modernist artists, allows his work to resound over decades while being interpreted and differently understood by every audience that encounters them.

Poetry can sometimes allow one to explore the unknown. However, in some works of poetry, one can realise that some known ideas or values remain relevant to current society. This is certainly applicable to T.S. Eliot’s poems, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock and Rhapsody on a Windy Night. Eliot’s manipulation of poetic techniques in both these poems allows the responder to realise that some ideas prevail in both modern and post-modern society. These poems explore the unknown phenomena of the obscurity regarding the purpose and meaning of life. This unknown phenomena causes the persona in both texts to resort to a sense of isolation or alienation. Eliot uses poetic techniques such as metaphors and personification to convey his ideas.

T.S. Eliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” is an ironic depiction of a man’s inability to take decisive action in a modern society that is void of meaningful human connection. The poem reinforces its central idea through the techniques of fragmentation, and through the use of Eliot’s commentary about Prufrock’s social world. Using a series of natural images, Eliot uses fragmentation to show Prufrock’s inability to act, as well as his fear of society. Eliot’s commentary about Prufrock’s social world is also evident throughout. At no point in the poem did Prufrock confess his love, even though it is called “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”, but through this poem, T.S. Eliot voices his social commentary about the world that

In his poem Eliot paints the picture of an insecure man looking for his niche in society. Prufrock has fallen in with the times, and places a lot of weight on social status and class to determine his identity. He is ashamed of his personal appearance and looks towards social advancement as a way to assure himself and those around him of his worth and establish who he is. Throughout the poem the reader comes to realize that Prufrock has actually all but given up on himself and now sees his balding head and realizes that he has wasted his life striving for an unattainable goal.

T.S Eliot wrote his poems in the modernist manner and was one of twentieth century major poets. His famous works indicate the distortion of human society and also on the individual level and are critically acclaimed over the world. This essay will discuss the comparison of the theme of human society as a waste land in two of Eliot’s famous works, ‘The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock’ and ‘Preludes’. Although both the poem discusses the theme of human society as a waste land, the way in which Eliot portrays the theme differs in the poems. ‘The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock’ subtly implies the ideas of the aftermath of World War I and uses a single point of view that of Prufrock’s to indicate human society as a waste land. However, in ‘Preludes’

T.S. Eliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufock” may be accurately described as an amalgam of synergistic emotions—among them self-doubt, longing, fear, regret, and indecisiveness—which, through the alchemy of poetry, work in tandem to create and communicate an overwhelming sense of anxiety. These emotions serve as cataracts upon the lens through which the poem’s narrator views both himself and the city streets he travels. Overwhelmed by an “overwhelming question” (10) the narrator—perhaps more terrified by the sheer gravity of the “overwhelming question” (10) than the numerous other fears and self-doubts the narrator presents to the reader—never unequivocally specifies, the poem’s persona makes a journey through both city and mind to

J. Alfred Prufrock constantly lived in fear, in fear of life and death. T. S. Eliot divided his classic poem into three equally important sections. Each division provided the reader with insight into the mental structure of J. Alfred Prufrock. In actuality, Prufrock maintained a good heart and a worthy instinct, but he never seemed to truly exist. A false shadow hung over his existence. Prufrock never allowed himself to actually live. He had no ambitions that would drive him to succeed. The poem is a silent cry for help from Prufrock. In each section, T. S. Eliot provided his audience with vague attempts to understand J. Alfred Prufrock. Each individual reader can only interpret these

T.S. Eliot was one among few poets and authors that dominated the years between the First and Second World Wars. Eliot showed his use of modernism techniques through “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”, creating a powerful reputation around the world, particularly as a member of The Lost Generation in the 1920s. Eliot moved to and settled in London where he worked with famous poets including Ezra Pound, and published his first collection of poems (McMichael 1358). “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” is a famous work that was almost a mockery of the romance-driven main character of the story, as it represented the indecisiveness of a personality and the superiority of an anti-romanticism ideal.

Prufrock exemplifies a man frustrated and dejectedly estranged from his own imagination but still, desperate for visionary redemption. His life is overwhelmed with pointless indications, expected encounters, and torturing unstimulating experiences. Prufrock as a character represents the cultural decadence and moral declination that Eliot associates with the culture of his time. He is an outcome of a world experiencing a deterioration of its past cultural tradition, a non-fulfilling institutional authority, and detrimental focus on singularity. He portrays these past occurrences through the Prufrock character contradicting impersonality.

“The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” is about an indecisive man who cannot tell a woman he has feelings for her. Prufrock is struggling with telling the woman of his feelings because, he is afraid of rejection. With time he begins to struggle with loneliness and feeling empty. Due to the indecisions he degrades himself for balding and having thin arms and legs. By doing this Prufrock comes to the decision that all women will never view him as a possible companion. Also, everywhere he goes he makes the places he describes seem lifeless. The city that Prufrock describes gives the reader insight on where he lives and how empty and uninteresting the city is to him. T. S. Eliot uses imagery in this poem to depict the emptiness of modern life.

The trauma of World War I challenged many notions and shifted culture and society. T. S. Eliot wanted his poetry to capture this shift to a fragile state of humanity, psychologically, in his works with themes and writing styles. He explores the changes that the war brought to the men returning home throughout the themes in “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” and with fragmentation. The aftermath of the war influenced Eliot to write “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” based on the lives of the men returning from the war to a more modern and fast paced society.

T.S. Eliot was an outstanding author and an exemplary representation of the ideas of modernism. "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," despite being one of T.S Eliot's earliest publications, still manages to remain one of the most famous. He uses this poem to not only draw out the psychological aspect of members of modern society, but also to draw out the aspect of the time that he lived in. The speaker of this poem is a modern man who feels alone, isolated, and incapable of making decisive actions for himself. Prufrock desires to speak to a woman about his love for her, but he continuously hesitates while attempting to do so. This poem demonstrates a theme of fragmentation, which is a theme that we can see throughout the entire

Eliot’s poem “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” was published in 1915 in the Chicago Magazine Poetry and it is often called the first Modernist poem. The poem is set in the cultural and historical context of England’s upper-middle class society in London during and after War World I. J. Alfred Prufrock is a typical representative of the modern man, who is lost in a material world. Prufrock’s sense of alienation and loss are influenced by the modern state of the era he lives in. I believe that we can use Prufrock to understand history. By the use of Wilhelm Dilthey’s structural analysis that he develops for lived experience, there can be an understanding of