Eliot's Inferiority Exposed in Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock and Sweeney Among the
Nightingales
"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" tells the story of a single
character, a timid, middle-aged man. Prufrock is talking or thinking to
himself. The epigraph, a dramatic speech taken from Dante's "Inferno,"
provides a key to Prufrock's nature. Like Dante's character Prufrock is in
"hell," in this case a hell of his own feelings.
He is both the "you and I" of line one, pacing the city's grimy
streets on his lonely walk. He observes the foggy evening settling down on
him. Growing more and more hesitant he postpones the moment of his
decision by telling himself "And indeed there will be time."
Prufrock is aware of his monotonous routines and is frustrated, "I
have measured out my life with coffee spoons":. He contemplates the
aimless pattern of his divided and solitary self. He is a lover, yet he is
unable to declare his love. Should a middle-aged man even think of making
a proposal of love? "Do I dare/Disturb the universe?" he asks.
Prufrock knows the women in the saloons "known them all" and he
presumes how they classify him and he feels he deserves the classification,
because he has put on a face other than his own. "To prepare a face to meet
the faces that you meet." He has always done what he was socially supposed
to do, instead of yielding to his own natural feelings. He wrestles with
his desires to change his world and with his fear of their rejection. He
imagines how foolish he would feel if he were to make his proposal only to
discover that the woman had never thought of him as a possible lover; he
imagines her brisk, cruel response; "That is not what I meant, at all."
He imagines that she will want his head on a platter and they did
with the prophet John the Baptist. He also fears the ridicule and
snickers of other men when she rejects him.
Prufrock imagines "And would it have been worth it, after all," and
if she did not reject him it would bring him back to life and he could say
one page 11) this indicates that he is a selfish man and cares for his
of which he knows, but he enjoys it being that way. He doesn’t seek the relational
Each literary work portrays something different, leaving a unique impression on all who read that piece of writing. Some poems or stories make one feel happy, while others are more solemn. This has very much to do with what the author is talking about in his or her writing, leaving a bit of their heart and soul in the work. F. Scott Fitzgerald, when writing The Great Gatsby, wrote about the real world, yet he didn’t paint a rosy picture for the reader. The same can be said about T.S. Eliot, whose poem “The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock,” presents his interpretation of hell. Both pieces of writing have many similarities, but the most similar of them all is the tone of each one.
... until he does complete his quest of individuation, he shall never be nor feel whole.
As early as the Chinese dynasties, Taiwan had no formal ties with mainland China. As the 16th and 17th century progressed, Portuguese, Spanish and Dutch explorers began to settle the land (Zhang). Each foreign power sought fit to claim its resources and strategic position in the China Sea. The Spanish,
these days.” He says that since he was not made to be a lover, he has
...nd love for himself and his life mirrored by the unnamed narrator in “Where I’m Calling From.”
are examined closer, it is evident that he is a limited and vain person who is overly concerned with
apart, a lonely and isolated figure, out of touch with his own age and without
so that he might learn to bear the sight of his own person but also so that he
Taiwan, it is the country abundances with wonderful history. It is a country where you can find happiness, joyfulness with their unique cultures. Taiwan is located at the southeastern coast of China; it is an independence country however Taiwan has a connection with its mainland China. Taiwan is also one of the recommended tourist destinations, as their Taiwanese street food, cultures, unique attractions and etc.
T. S. Eliot's poem "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" reveals the unvoiced inner thoughts of a disillusioned, lonely, insecure, and self-loathing middle-aged man. The thoughts are presented in a free association, or stream of consciousness style, creating images from which the reader can gain insight into Mr. Prufrock's character. Mr. Prufrock is disillusioned and disassociated with society, yet he is filled with longing for love, comfort, and companionship. He is self-conscious and fearful of his image as viewed through the world's eye, a perspective from which he develops his own feelings of insignificance and disgust. T. S. Eliot uses very specific imagery to build a portrait of Mr. Prufrock, believing that mental images provide insight where words fail.