The poem The Love Song J.Alfred Prufrock, by T.S.That lift and drop a question on your plate To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet Īnd time for all the works and days of hands Slipped by the terrace, made a sudden leap,Īnd seeing that it was a soft October night,Ĭurled once about the house, and fell asleepįor the yellow smoke that slides along the street, Let fall upon its back the soot that falls from chimneys,.Rhythm: every other line seems to rhyme.They include: lines, rhyming couplets, and stanzas Structure: has different structural elements.The author uses “Prufrock” (Proof Rock) because it is meant to stand for anyone or everyone in these confusing times.He’s saying that you don’t go out to meet the face, you go out to meet the entire person.Talks about meeting a person-”to prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet”.Uses the words: “muzzled”, “leap”, “tongue”, and “curl”.Imagery: he tries to compare the streets to a cat, even though he doesn`t mention the cat at all.It also changes when he thinks about his dreams, and postponing events with a women- “ There will be time”.Tone: it does change throughout the poem because at one point, he talks about love for women, then talks about the days his hands did hard work.Alfred Prufrock is speaking the poem (persona) He doesn’t make decisions because he fears that they will turn out wrong.Prufrock is a man whose anxieties have isolated him.Themes: loneliness, indecision, and love.Prufrock spends so much time inside his own head, needling himself and berating himself that he fails to take concrete action. These things hold him back, and prevent him from establishing any sense of intimacy with anyone. Prufrock fears “The eyes that fix you in a formulated phrase,/And when I am formulated, sprawling on a pin, When I am pinned and wriggling on the wall,/ Then how should I begin”(Eliot lns56-59). These perceived deficits combine with a fear of being taken apart word by word, a desperate insecurity about what others will think. Provided with musings on “Arms that are braceleted and white and bare”(Eliot ln63) and a “…head (grown slightly bald)”(Eliot ln82), we understand that Prufrock has body image concerns. Prufrock is afraid, which is an absurdly common and relatable problem to have when considering approaching someone you like. In this passage we are clearly told what the crux of the issue is. He says, “I am no prophet- and here’s no great matter / I have seen the moment of my greatness flicker,/ And I have seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker,/ And in short, I was afraid”(Eliot, lns83-85). This is in keeping with Modernism, as pairing the evening sky with an etherized patient breaks from the Romantic and Victorian ideals and use of imagery. Eliot’s exploration of metaphysical imagism. Opening with this suggests that Prufrock is slightly awkward with courtship, and that he may have different ideas of beauty and reality than the average individual. This does not seem like the most successful manner of romancing someone. However, instead of envisioning the vibrant colors of a sunset, we’re given the image of an etherized patient. A sunset is a commonly romanticized event, considered a charming (and inexpensive) way to spend time with a partner. Eliot opens with, “Let us go then, you and I,/ When the evening is spread out against the sky/ Like a patient etherized upon a table ”(Eliot, ln1-3). The first few lines of the poem demonstrate this. Images that could be romantic are juxtaposed with those that have a more clinical or disturbed tone.
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