Essay on The Love Song Of J Alfred Prufrock

The Love Song Of J Alfred Prufrock Term Papers

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by Luella Rae Friesen

`The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T. S Eliot (1888-1965)

I have decided to write my essay on, “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” written by T. S. Eliot.

According to author and teacher Michael Cummings of “The Great Works of World Literature,” Eliot originally entitled the poem "Prufrock Among the Women." He then changed the title to "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" before publishing the poem in Poetry magazine in 1915, (Cummings).

After reading the poem, I felt that Eliot’s original title, “Prufrock Among Women” was a better fit for the poem than his revised version of, “A Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.” Although the poem has characteristics of ‘a song’ with its repetition, rhyme, and rhythm, I don’t feel it accurately reflects ‘a love song,’ but it seems to reflect more accurately an apathetic “Prufrock Among Women.” In fact, Prufrock uses the word “women” in line 13 and line 35, “In the room the women come and go.” He also asserts in line 55 “And I have known the eyes already, known them all – and again in line 62, “And I have known the arms already, known them all. A “Love Song” is generally about a chosen loved one and not about “women” and “them.”

“The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" is a modernistic poem in which a narrator reveals his personal feelings or inner dialogue to the listener. The speaker, Prufrock, reveals personal and private information about his inner dialogue and struggles approaching women. According to Cummings, Prufock is a “drama monologue,” which contains highly emotional content spoken by only one speaker or narrative (Cummings).

“The poem centers on a balding, insecure middle-aged man. He expresses his thoughts about the dull life he leads as a result of his feelings of inadequacy and his fear of making decisions. Unable to seize opportunities or take risks (especially with women), he lives in a world that is the same today as it was yesterday and will be the same tomorrow as it is today. He does try to make progress, but his timidity and fear of failure inhibit him from taking action” (Cummings).

Prufrock seems to refer to an unidentified companion. I have contemplated whether or not Prufrock was attending the tea and toast with a female companion who was pressuring him to marry her or he was just having his own inner dialogue with himself. In any event, the idea of marriage and a possible proposal paralyzes Prufrock, he compares it to “a patient etherized upon a table.”

Paralyzed with anxiety and fear of a genuine relationship with a woman, Prufrock starts to visualize himself as a lonely old man. Still with my idea that there may be a female present with him attending the tea, Prufrock says, “Let us go then, you and I,” “Oh, do not ask, “What is it?” Let us go and make our visit.” It would make sense for someone to ask Prufrock, “what is it?” because he was so self-absorbed in his inner dialogue. In other words, it sounds like someone asked Prufrock “what’s the matter?” and not wanting to divulge his inner fearful dialogue, he replies, “Nothing, please don’t ask, let’s just go and make our visit.”

On the other hand, Prufrock may have been inviting the reader, or silent listener, into his inner world of confusion. Prufrock speaks of cheap hotels and restaurants, and social gatherings where women meet for tea and toast to talk about Michaelangelo. He talks about his skinny arms and legs and his bald spot convincing himself that he is not handsome like Michaelangelo. He compares the yellow smoke in the city to cat behavior.

I don’t know if Prufrock was comparing himself to a cat or not but I didn’t think the “yellow smoke” was a very good analogy to describe cat behavior. However, if Prufrock used the word ‘yellow’ to describe his behavior as ‘cowardice’ then, yes, I think it is a good analogy. According to Encyclopedia II – Yellow – Associations and Expressions, yellow has traditionally been associated with jaundice and cowardice. In American slang, a coward is said to be “yellowbellied” or “yellow.”

Prufrock describes his cowardice inner feelings to the listener. He speaks of feeling lonely, indecisive, inadequate, and pessimistic. And, he is dreadfully fearful of the unknown, not knowing how things will turn out, not knowing the end result of any decision. Prufrock uses a number of literary figures of speech in his poem to convey his inner turmoil and inner dialogue. He uses similes, personifications, metaphors, and alliteration. Michael Cummings, in his study guide, For the Great Works of World Literature,” compiled a list of literary figures of speech in “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.” They are as follows:

“Prufrock personifies streets. They become persons because they follow. Personification 2: An argument becomes a person because it has insidious intent.

Prufrock compares life to coffee, in metaphor. In line 51, he states, “I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.”

Prufrock uses alliteration: Lines 20-21 - Slipped by the terrace, made a sudden leap, And seeing that it was a soft October night, Line 34: Before the taking of a toast and tea Line 56: fix you in a formulated phrase) Line 58: When I am pinned and wriggling on the wall.

Prufrock also uses anaphora in lines 91-94 in his poem, similar to the most famous examples of anaphora in Shakespeare as it occurs in Act II, Scene I, Lines 40-68, (Cummings):

To have bitten off the matter with a smile; To have squeezed the universe into a ball

To roll it toward some overwhelming question; To say: “I am Lazarus, come from the dead (Cummings).

Although, Prufrock invites the reader into his personal and private world, in an experiential manner, unlike traditional poetry, “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” became a big success in the late 1800’s. According to Stanley Sultan, in...

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