The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock Essay Example

The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock Essay Example The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock Essay The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock Essay Essay Topic: poem This poem is set in a big, dirty city, and its speaker is a very unhappy man who Is afraid of living and therefore bored all the time. The epigraph of this poem is a six- line quotation from Canto 27 of the Inferno by the Renaissance Italian poet Dante Alighieri. The Interno tells the story ot how a guy (Dante) who has messed up his lite badly enough to require some help from heaven. In order to scare him away from sin nd other bad things, heaven sends another poet named Vlrgll to give Dante a guided tour through the horrors of Hell (known as Inferno In Italian). Along the way he meets a lot of evil and misguided people. The quote from this epigraph is said by one of the characters in the eighth circle of Hell (which has nine circles), where some of the worst of the worst are stuck for eternity, This persons name is Guido da Montefeltro, and when Dante asks to hear his story, heres what he says: If I thought that my reply would be to someone who would ever return to earth, his flame would remain without further movement; but as no one has ever returned alive from this gulf, if what I hear is true, can answer you with no fear of infamy. What does this quote mean? Dante is really curious to know why Guido ended up so far down In Hell. But Guido Is selfish. Hes afraid that people back on earth will find out about the horrible stuff he did hes concerned about his reputation. On the other hand, Guido knows that no one has ever entered Hell and made It out again, so he figures that Its safe to tell his story because Dante is stuck here. nfortunately for Guido, Dante Is the first human ever to be allowed to pass through Hell and return to earth, so people do eventually find out about Guidos reading the Inferno. One other thing we should mention: Guido doesnt even have a body in Hell † hes not worthy of that so his entire spirit is just a flame that moves when he talks, When he says, this flame would remain without further movement, he means, l would shut up and not talk to you anymore. Why does Eliot choose this epigraph for his poem? Well, It suggests a couple of things. First, that Prufrock might not be a the poem is a kind of hell. Second, it tells us that this fellow Prufrock, who is singing his love song, might be concerned about his reputation like Guido. In other words, Prufrock is going to tell us things because he thinks we wont have a chance to repeat them to other people. Who are you? This is the question Prufrock will not answer, but responds, do not ask, what is it (11-12)? Prufrock is afraid that his true identity will be exposed to the ladies at the tea party he will attend. He is consistent n wondering how-and-why he can begin to talk about his boring life in lines (54, 60, 61, 68, and 69). He desires to present himself as significant, but what can he possibly say if a lady is anticipating him to converse about himself. Whatever Prufrock reveals about himself could induce a state of unexpected rejection. He is confident though the ladies will not care about the butt-ends of my days and ways, fearful of the fact that if he reveals part of himself to one of the ladies, she may find his life uninteresting (60). As Prufrock looks within himself, he is fearful of being disclosed at he tea party. He is afraid that the ladies will mock his thin hair and his thin legs, both symbolizing his unimpressive mind and body. What is so ironic is that Prufrock is self-conscious because he goes unnoticed mostly by the ladies at the tea party. The women come and go/Talking of Michelangelo (13-14; 35-36), and miss out on Prufrocks moment of excellence, which turned out to be only a flicker (84). Eliots intense description of Prufrocks life portrays one of imperfection. As Prufrock recognizes his days and ways are only butt-ends, like wasted cigarettes 60), he admits he has measured out my life with coffee spoons asserting that in his small world, tea parties are his only means of entertainment (53). Even Jesus would find his life a bore as he implies he has seen the eternal Footman hold my coat and snicker (85). Eliot alludes to John the Baptist when Prufrock states that l have seen my head (grown slightly bald) brought in upon a platter/ I am no prophet (82-83). John the Baptist was killed because he was bold enough to tell King Herod that he was living corruptly. He died because he told the truth. For Prufrock, revealing his true identity to others would kill him, so he will not. He is no prophet because he doesnt have the courage (83). He holds no banners of greatness. Prufrock shields himself within a protective shell that seems harmless to the casual reader and himself. His reluctance to answer the overwhelming question at the beginning of the poem is differentiated by the peaceful yellow smoke that acts like a cat in the soft October night, surrounding the house (symbolizing Prufrock) and resting there (21-22). However the smoke is not as harmless as it appears. It eems calm, but is more like a cloud of mustard gas that chokes life. Prufrocks shield hides his flaws and prevents any realization of his emotional needs, especially the need for love. While in this shell, he cannot find love and acceptance at this tea party. In the past, he has unsuccessfully attempted to meet his intimate desires by sexual excursions. He has spent times with prostitutes, for he has known arms already (62). Yet, these experiences have not met his emotional needs. He needs to be able to share himself with someone who will accept him as he is, but is afraid to do so, ecause physical intimacy with a lady at a tea party will not bring emotional intimacy, and wondering if she will, as she is settling a pillow by her head, casually reject him (96). air of ragged claws/ Scuttling across the floors of silent seas (73-74). This imagery shows Prufrock admitting that he should have been a crustacean. Like a crab, he is trapped in a protective shell, and there are at least three sides to our speaker, Prufrock. On one side we have the sneaky trickster, who invites us on a romantic walk only to lead us down windy roads and point out that the evening looks like a patient bout to undergo surgery. He keeps stalling and leading us away from the main subject (his overwhelming question) as if he had something to hide. He constantly confuses the time of day and even the past versus the future. On the other side we have Prufrock the Fool, whose desperate attempts to make us think hes a cool, confident ladies man is comically transparent. Finally, we have the sad, honest man who realizes the Jig is up and cant even convince himself of his own stories. This Prufrock, who only lets his mask drop for a few lines at a time, is the ne who admits that he should have been a pair of ragged claws and that he has seen the moment of [his] greatness flicker (lines 72, 84). Like a Juggler, the poem keeps a delicate balance between these three personalities, so that one never gets an upper hand other the others.