An Explication of “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” by T.S. Elliot, is a poem about a man’s psychological state of mind as he is walking through town on his way to visit a woman to ask her an important question. Instead of focusing on the woman and what he wants to ask her, he focuses on what others think of him and how he is not good enough for her. Prufrock gets himself all worked up about his physical and mental inadequacies and ends up not meeting the woman to ask her the question. Elliot uses allusion, imagery, and figurative language in this modernistic poem by making connections to past literature, describing elements that the audience can sense, and making comparisons of objects, situations,
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English scholars, Thomas Green and Anne Fernald, state “Eliot uses the same sequence of metaphors to illustrate a man alienated in the city: narrow streets, smoke, alienated populace, and ‘a pair of ragged claws’” (32). The imagery Eliot uses shows the feeling of despair and loneliness and helps the reader better understand how Prufrock feels. Even though he is alone, Prufrock feels smothered on the narrow streets and cannot see his path clearly. Prufrock thinks he is no better than a lobster who is alone at the bottom of the ocean sifting through the world’s debris. Eliot uses simile once at the beginning of the poem. “Let us go then, you and I,/ When the evening is spread out the sky/ like a patient etherized upon a table” (Abcarian, Klotz, & Cohen, 675). Prufrock is comparing himself to an etherized patient because he feels emotionless. Prufrock is in a trance-like state because of his indecisiveness regarding whether to hide away in his social circle or be free from them. Prufrock realizes no one cares about or sees him. He spreads himself out for all to see anyway. Prufrock pretends he does not care how his peers feel because he does not want to feel …show more content…
Alfred Prufrock. Eliot does not create an appealing world for Prufrock because the world is used to describe the feelings of Prufrock. Eliot does this by describing fog, smoke, and a dirty city. Eliot continues the gloomy descriptions and does not make them better because Prufrock decides to stay with his peers instead of being courageous and finding his individuality. The poem ends with Prufrock waking to the lull of the talking crowd of his social circle, forever walking the foggy narrow
English scholars, Thomas Green and Anne Fernald, state “Eliot uses the same sequence of metaphors to illustrate a man alienated in the city: narrow streets, smoke, alienated populace, and ‘a pair of ragged claws’” (32). The imagery Eliot uses shows the feeling of despair and loneliness and helps the reader better understand how Prufrock feels. Even though he is alone, Prufrock feels smothered on the narrow streets and cannot see his path clearly. Prufrock thinks he is no better than a lobster who is alone at the bottom of the ocean sifting through the world’s debris. Eliot uses simile once at the beginning of the poem. “Let us go then, you and I,/ When the evening is spread out the sky/ like a patient etherized upon a table” (Abcarian, Klotz, & Cohen, 675). Prufrock is comparing himself to an etherized patient because he feels emotionless. Prufrock is in a trance-like state because of his indecisiveness regarding whether to hide away in his social circle or be free from them. Prufrock realizes no one cares about or sees him. He spreads himself out for all to see anyway. Prufrock pretends he does not care how his peers feel because he does not want to feel …show more content…
Alfred Prufrock. Eliot does not create an appealing world for Prufrock because the world is used to describe the feelings of Prufrock. Eliot does this by describing fog, smoke, and a dirty city. Eliot continues the gloomy descriptions and does not make them better because Prufrock decides to stay with his peers instead of being courageous and finding his individuality. The poem ends with Prufrock waking to the lull of the talking crowd of his social circle, forever walking the foggy narrow