... a hundred indecisions/And for a hundred visions and revisions/Before taking of the toast and tea (31-34)."" This shows Prufrock trying to escape his conviction of asking the question. Prufrock's growing lack of concern towards others reflects his aging weariness. He has catered to the scene of high society for years ... walking along a perfect beach, wearing fine "white flannel trousers (113)."" He has neither lost nor gained anything; his decision has added up to nothing. Prufrock often talks of the party scene, but speaks to no one. Even when the scene unfolds in his mind, he is spee...

• Word Count: 1093
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... 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 ... To say: "I am Lazarus, come from the dead, Come bac...

• Word Count: 943
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• Grade Level: High School

... that revealed something about the speaker, by the 1800's, the art of dramatic monologue had adopted three things that would influence T.S. Eliot and his poem, "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock." They are a "distinctive manner of speech," the unintended revelation of the speaker, and "the poets" changing response to the very immediate circumstances in which, and of which, he is ... stressed emotions, through an erratic form of abstracted conversation. (Classic) Another one of the fundamental aspects of a dramatic monologue is an unintended revelation of the speaker. In the case of Pr...

• Word Count: 1038
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... The consequence of Guidos sin would be eternal damnation. While the question given to Guido is a clear choice, the one given to Prufrock isnt as clear. Prufrock is also faced with a tough decision, but differs from Guido in his failure to decide. He is plagued by a hundred indecisions and ... with a clear choice, between helping Boniface and not helping Boniface, between sin and virtue, and hence damnation and salvation, while the question confronting Prufrock is never spelled out, and its source never clearly identified. The poem, rather, focuses on Prufrocks inability, in the absence ...

• Word Count: 1019
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... awareness. His inactive existence has caused this distortion of reality, fear of confrontation, and draws upon the daydream/nightmare he lives in. Prufrock misses his mark by having paralyzing awareness with no action. Having missed his chance at love, he fades into his final dream ... has or has not been done will remain in that state. The person whom these confessional thoughts are directed appears to exist in a realm imperforable to Prufrock. The imagery of "a patient etherized upon a table"(3) and "half-deserted streets"(4) paints a somber picture, implying a dark soulless setting, a...

• Word Count: 964
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... up the courage to begin a relationship with one. He is afraid of being rejected and ridiculed, so afraid that he cannot take the risk. Unfortunately, Prufrock's hell is escapable, so he still has his dignity to lose. Another allusion found in the poem is a biblical one, which creates a reference to ... wanted in his kingdom. Salome's mother told her to request the head of John the Baptist on a silver platter. Herod complied. Prufrock's situation is similar. The woman Prufrock at the party compels him. He wants to act; he wants to reveal his emotions to this girl but is too afraid. ... . I...

• Word Count: 548
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... of this poem is the speaker's love affair with a woman and his journey of approaching her. It is extremely hard for the speaker Prufrock to get close to or express his feelings to the girl he loves and he has to experience countless mental obstacles to meet his goal. The speaker ... power of the sea. The waves can comb the hair-like white waves and this action is rather tender. The ocean is both powerful and elegant. Prufrock implies that he should be living under the ocean rather than living in the chaotic and misleading society. His thoughts are very inspiring even though it sounds .....

• Word Count: 946
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... represent the life of a very depressed man who feels that he has wasted his whole life with the same routine, while getting nowhere. Eliot insinuates that Prufrock wants to, and pretends to have money. In lines 26 and 27 Eliot says "There will be time, there will be time/to prepare a face ... also implied by the reference to the women discussing Michelangelo, this makes the reader think of more sophisticated people and conversation because it relates to great art. Prufrock obviously has absolutely zero confidence in himself. In lines 40-41 Eliot writes "With a bald spot in the middle of m...

• Word Count: 581
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... red and brown" (129-130). Although both authors use allusions, Robinson doesn't use literary allusions like Eliot does in "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock": "To have bitten off the matter with a smile/To have squeezed the universe into a ball/To roll it towards some overwhelming question" (91-93 ... in these poems use allusions, Miniver Cheevy mainly refers to myth, legend, and history, while J. Alfred Prufrock refers to the Bible and to literary works. The characters Mivier Cheevy, and J. Alfred Prufrock both have similar attitudes when it comes to life. They both have defeatist atti...

• Word Count: 910
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... known. The rhyme scheme of this poem is irregular but not random. While sections of the poem may resemble free verse, in reality, "Prufrock" is a carefully structured amalgamation of poetic forms. The bits and pieces of rhyme become much more apparent when the poem is read aloud ... . One of the most prominent formal characteristics of this work is the use of refrains. Prufrock's continual return to the "women [who] come and go Talking of Michelangelo" (Eliot 695) and his recurrent questionings "how should ... I presume?" and pessimistic appraisals "That is not it, at all." both referenc...

• Word Count: 492
• Approx Pages: 2
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... queer, but it is all emphatically amusing. One cannot pretend to follow the drift of "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," however every aspect woven together reveals the direct message. "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" is a lovely piece of poetry written to describe a young man's attempt to find a common point with his date. ... might not always transpire in a fresh relationship. This could also be an explanation on how not to go about a first date. "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" explained the turmoil around courting in the early twentieth century. As in the day it was wr...

• Word Count: 420
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

The poem "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," by T.S. Eliot, is a depiction of sadness and a disillusioned narrator that seems to have given up hope. At the very beginning of the poem, Eliot uses a quote from Dante's "Inferno"," preparing ... living world. This comparison is both frightening and intriguing, and casts a shadow on the poem and its narrator before it has even begun. It also shows that the narrator, J. Alfred Prufrock, is an anxious, self-conscious, and depressed man. The first half of the poem creates a sense of place; the narrator invites the reader to walk with him as he re...

• Word Count: 963
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

T.S.Eliot: The Love Song of J.Alfred Prufrock Eliot began working on this poem between 1910- 1911 and finally it was published in 1915. The poem appeared in Poetry with the help of Ezra Pound. The poem raises ... are now empty and void. Society, while holding the illusion of life and vivacity, is really an empty illusion. The question that the narrator of "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" has to deal with is whether it is better to live within an illusion and denial, sustaining the fantasy of youth, or embrace truth and knowledge and face the consequences ... ...

• Word Count: 445
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

I feel many mixed emotions when I think of J. Alfred Prufrock. Initially he brings feelings of pity because many people find themselves in this same position. They put the person of their affection so high on a pedestal that they would appear ... ...

• Word Count: 282
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

... to meet the faces that you meet? (L.27), but his neurotic self-absorption and lack of self-worth have prevented him from becoming a significant man. Prufrock's doubts and uncertainty have left him paralyzedlike a patient etherized upon a table? (L.3). As a result, he has become obsessed about what his past indiscretions ... were, his place in society now, and his destiny in the future. Prufrock has led an inconsequential life, which he hasmeasured out with coffee spoons? (L.51). He has personally experienced theinsidious intent? (L.9) of the grimy city streets, and ... hindered him in h...

• Word Count: 1238
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... , more specifically the Inferno. The Inferno is Dante's journey through the rings of Hell in his search for enlightenment. Eliot uses this theme to support Prufrock's feelings that he is stuck in his own personal hell. Another similarity between the two works is the descending theme. In the Inferno, Dante travels ... further and further down through the rings of hell on his way up to the heavens. In The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, Eliot starts his description at the skyline slowly works his down to a finale in the sea. The first ten lines of the poem are the ... 5) "one-night cheap...

• Word Count: 875
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... , known them all" (Eliot 49). The phrase "In the room where the women come and go / Talking of Michelangelo" (Eliot 13,14), describes how Prufrock sees the women as having a bit of intelligence, but lack depth. He also procrastinates because he fears that the partygoers will gossip about him: [They will ... feeling, but he is afraid no one will understand him. Although he wishes he could speak he cannot bring himself to say it aloud. Prufrock makes the decision to delay and conform his behavior and settle for the shallow life. He makes the ultimate decision to procrastinate. He realizes ...

• Word Count: 802
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... aging. This indecisiveness creates a very bleak and semi-morbid image throughout the poem. Eliot's beginning and ending to this poem very strongly convey this, Prufrock's internal battle. The epigraph of the poem is a passage from Dante Aligheri's Divine Comedy, more specifically the Inferno. The Inferno is Dante's ... journey through the rings of Hell in his search for enlightenment. Eliot uses this theme to support Prufrock's feelings that he is stuck in his own personal hell. Another similarity between the two works is the descending theme. In the Inferno, ... one-night cheap hotels"...

• Word Count: 560
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... to him is worth less because of the fact that he has nothing to live for. Prufrock said that he was going to attend some party but had some negative feeling about if he should go or not . Prufrock mentioned that he had a bald spot on his head and that he was very thin ... more about if he should stay at the party or go. When he enters the party he sees a woman in there that he is interested in. Prufrock is afraid to speak to the women because he feels that he will not speak well enough to have them interested in him. He is taken by ... remark that he would have been better as a crab at t...

• Word Count: 393
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... the everyman. As the center of focus, the individual emphasises the vast landscape around him, thus creating a sense of physical isolation. As with Prufrock, the emotional state of the character is turbulent, and is symbolised by the overcast and stormy clouds overhead. In both texts, the composers focus ... an "every person" quality. As with "on the edge" the feeling of isolation is a universal emotion. Both have the desire to be younger. Prufrock is very aware of his "bald scalp" and how his "legs are thin". He contemplates wearing the [bottoms of his trousers rolled] and "parting .....

• Word Count: 781
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... the Eighth Chasm of Hell. Eliot uses the opening with an allusion to "Inferno" to provide a visual. He compares the earth that Prufrock is living in, such as "through half-deserted streets, to the hell that Montefelltro lives in. Prufrock feels lonely and alienated as if everyone treated him like a fly under a magnifying glass. When Montefelltro speaks to Dante, he speaks on ... the assumption that Dante will never make it back to share his story. In the poem, Prufrock is speaking to his listener as if the listener is never going to tell a soul about poor Prufrock's insecurities. During...

• Word Count: 341
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

... in many different films and works of literature. Two prime examples of anti-heroes today are Boris, Woody Allen's character in Love and Death, and J. Alfred Prufrock from the poem, "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,"" by T.S. Eliot. These two characters exhibit distinct personality traits, which classify them as anti-heroes. Boris, in Woody Allen's film Love and Death, is an anti ... which he obtains this title that makes him and anti-hero. Like Boris, Prufrock, from the poem "Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock- by T.S. Eliot, is a great example of an anti-hero. In this poem, Prufrock, ...

• Word Count: 506
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... historical background and personal experience, a poet's family life can influence his work as well, and no other poem demonstrates that point as well as Elliot's The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. The protagonist in this poem was dealing with many problems, but perhaps his most obvious conflict was his lack of relationships with women. In essence ... , Prufrock was afraid of women. When the reader looks at the situation, he may think men are the total opposite of Prufrock. So the question in mind is, how can he give this man such an identity? If the reader looks more ... when he becam...

• Word Count: 1065
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... a particular woman of his love for her. In his dream, he tells his love how he feels and for some reason, she is incapable of understanding what he is saying. Prufrock also starts to rehearse a speech he will tell his lover in line 70, but he gives up almost as soon as he starts. I believe that by his low sense of ... . I think that he is a very sad character and he has let time get away from him even though he states that he has measured out his life in "coffee spoons-. Prufrock is so afraid with being alone and incapable of fitting in with society that it becomes an obsession within it...

• Word Count: 805
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... this poem describes Profrock's ideal listener: one who is as lost as the speaker and will never betray to the world the content of Profrock's present confessions. In the world Prufrock describes, though, no such sympathetic figure exists, and he must, therefore, be content with silent reflection". Profrock believes that sitting back and isolating himself from society is the perfect way ... 't sing to him because he is unattractive. It is the state of mind that allows Profrock to believe this. There is irony in the title "The Love Song Of J. Alfred Prufrock". It is not a love song at all ...

• Word Count: 838
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School