Mark C., Candace F., Christen F., Bryan G., Alexander H., Ross H., Daniel L., Sarah M., John S., Michelle W.
Please follow the letter-writing process described above in the first comment under Guide for Cross-Cultural Collaboration-Spring 2006: “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.” When you are ready to submit your letters, click on the comments link below. A new window will open. Read comments already published, and add yours.
14 comments:
Hello Everyone!
In reading “The Love Song of J. Alfered Prufrock” by T. S. Eliot I began to grasp what it was that Eliot meant in writing this thought provoking poem. In my opinion the poem is about the lack of love that this man feels in his life. The man in the poem is in love with this women, but because he is too afraid of being rejected, or that she will not love him back he is too afraid to tell her how he feels. The repetition of “ In the room the women come and go Talking of Michelangelo.” I think could be symbolic of the other females in his life that he has been with but have not meant anything to him. Does anyone else have any other ideas about what this could mean? At the end of the poem it talks about mermaids singing but that they do not sing to him. I believe that this is symbolic for how he sees a hears others around him in love, and yet he is not in love and because of his fear of rejection he will never be. It was only on the third time of reading the poem that I came to this conclusion, what were some of the ideas that everyone else came up with? The last stanza ends with “and we all drown” this as the conclusion of the poem I feel not only represents his actual death but the lack of living and loving he has done without through his life. Anyone else have anyother ideas as to what this means?
I would love to hear what ideas you all have on these topics!
Candace F.
Hello all-
My name is Daniel and I am enrolled in American Lit. at Clemson University where I am a Secondary Education Political Science major. I find “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” somewhat hard to understand, but I can see at least one common theme running throughout the poem. I noted that Prufrock is not the type of person that I am able to sympathize with because he is not proactive within the areas of his life that he is the most displeased with. He is a person who instead of working on, or changing aspects of his life in which he is unhappy, wants to sit and wonder and engage in endless self-pity about the joys he can’t experience. Throughout the poem Eliot creates excellent imagery through his word choice, and is able to paint a vivid picture of the world Prufrock occupies and his outlook on that world. For example, in line three when Eliot writes “Like a patient etherized upon a table,” or lines 15 and 16 when he writes “The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes/The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window-panes.” The first example illustrates Prufrock’s cold, lonely, lifeless outlook, while the latter is exemplary of his passive attitude towards his deepest desires. Originally, I found the poem hard to understand and was not blown over by it, but after taking a closer look I found a better understanding and gained more appreciation for it. I hope that my “analysis,” if you can call it that, did not bore you too much.
Good Day
Daniel L.
Hey everyone-
My name is Caralee and I am a Communications major at Clemson University. Eliot, in his poem “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”, is trying to convey a man who is desperately in want of someone to love but does not have the confidence to go forth with what he wishes. Prufrock has a definite lack of self esteem. This is obvious when he says that “With a bald spot in the middle of my hair-(They will say: ‘How his hair is growing thin!’)”. Prufrock can’t muster up enough confidence to even approach the women in fear that he will be rejected and mocked. This is the central problem in the poem. Prufrock wants so many things in life, the main being a woman to love, but his lack of confidence intrudes on his achieving the things for which he desires. I agree with Daniel that it is hard to feel sorry for him because it’s his own fault that he doesn’t have what he wants. The poem does convey a sense of self-pity and settlement for being unseen rather than taking a chance and perhaps being judged. The phrase “And I have known the yes already, known them all-The eyes that fix you in a formulated phrase…” shows that Prufrock feels that he has been judged before by women and even by men and he will do anything to avoid that feeling again. Prufrock cannot expect to obtain the woman of his dreams without having self confidence. Feel free to let me know what you think!
Caralee
“Let us go then, you and I, / When the evening is spread out against the sky / Like a patient etherized upon a table.” Hardly words that would seemingly begin a poem who title suggests a love song, right? Well, there’s the rub. It’s not a love song at all, but the story of a man who feels trapped by a high society life with a high society lover.
The man, who I assume is J. Alfred Prufrock, is numb from his life, like a “patient etherized on a table. His life has become monotonous and “tedious,” “measured out… with coffee spoons.” Everyone examines him constantly, like a bug “pinned and wriggling on the wall,” looking for any mistake to scorn, like balding hair or a thin frame. His lover is part of this society that has ensnared him. He can not even have a conversation with her anymore, for she constantly bombards him with “that is not what I meant, at all.” He begins to question whether or not it is even worth being with her anymore. Yet, every time he thinks of leaving this imprisoning life behind, he thinks to himself “there will be time” and “[descends] the stair” back into the upper class world of women feigning interest in topics such as Michelangelo just to try to fit in. He feels like “the Fool,” rather than “Prince Hamlet.” The mermaids do not sing to him, do not inspire him to freedom.
Well, that’s what I got out of the poem. I would really appreciate any feedback on it. I suppose I’m supposed to introduce myself, as the instructions stated. In case you have no idea who wrote this, my name is Alex Harlan. I am a computer science major here at Clemson. As far as poetry goes, I have written a few poems in my time. On the off chance that you would like to read any of them, throw me a line.
Dear Group,
My name is Sarah and I am an early childhood education major at Clemson University. I am glad that I had the opportunity to reread T. S. Eliot’s The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, a complex yet stimulating poem. All throughout the poem, there is a reoccurring theme of isolation, fear, spiritual emptiness, and a life of dull existence. This poem describes J. Alfred Prufrock’s personal hell and inner turmoil.
Prufrock’s dull existence is portrayed in the following lines: “For I have known them all already, known them all—Have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons, I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.” He realizes his life is utterly meaningless, but he is hindered by his inability to act. By stating “I grow old…I grow old…,” Prufrock acknowledges that time is passing and he is withering away as life passes him by.
Within the poem, Prufrock reveals his desire to love: “There will be time, there will be time, To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet.” His desire is ironic because he is completely afraid of women. He states, “I have known the arms already, known them all …Is it perfume from a dress, That makes me so digress? Arms that lie along a table, or wrap about a shawl. And should I then presume? And how should I begin?” He is afraid of women, but at the same time he is afraid to die alone.
It is also quite interesting that Prufrock idolizes the heroic past as he alludes to Michelangelo, Lazarus, and Hamlet; he believes that nothing modern can be either romantic or heroic. He shuts himself away expecting to be misunderstood and to always misinterpret others: “ ‘That is not what I meant at all. That is not it, at all.’ It is impossible to say just what I mean!”
Sarah
Hey guys-
It appears to me that everyone got just about the same impression of "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock". Basically, it seems as though he is utterly terrified of the upper class woman, or just women in general, and can't overcome that fear in order to find love, the one thing that he yearns for constantly.
In the poem, I did not realize that Prufrock felt so bored by his life. Both Sarah and Alex quoted at least partially that, “For I have known them all already, known them all—Have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons, I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.” With them pointing out this part of the poem, I realized that Prufrock really is aware at the extent of his life being so uninteresting and so incomplete.
Alex's entry also made me consider the poem in a different light. When I read the poem at first, I understood it to mean that the woman that Prufrock was lamenting over was not anyone with which he had ever had real contact. I took the poem as speaking of a woman who, to Prufrock, is somewhat of a dream, a woman who he knows that he will never have connection with. Alex's statement that, "every time he thinks of leaving this imprisoning life behind," shows that Prufrock could actually be trapped in his own life with a woman instead of just imagining himself to be trapped alone without love. This interpretation is different from my initial one, but it still makes a lot of sense. The poem could easily be analyzed in either way.
Caralee F.
Howdy everyone!
Its Candace again… I guess I missed the part where we were supposed to introduce ourselves so I am a new transfer student from the University of South Florida majoring in Health Science, pre-physical therapy. But anyway back to Prufrock. As everyone agreed that the overall themes of the poem are his lack of love and the sorrow he feels for himself. I believe that Alex showed some great examples with in the poem. Some of the ideas he got from some of the lines in the poem, I never would have picked up on. For example, he quoted “Everyone examines him constantly, like a bug ‘pinned and wriggling on the wall,’” I never would have picked up on this meaning, but once Alex said stated this it made a lot more since. Sarah also made good point in that it is ironic that he longs for the love from a woman so much, and yet he is too afraid of rejection to go out and get it. Even though this is the main theme of the poem it is ironic. That someone can want something so much and yet not be willing to put forth any effort to have it. After reading what everyone had to say about the poem and getting some incite into what others thought about the poem, I have a better understanding of what the poem is trying to convey. I knew that the poem was about longing and self-pity but there were many parts that I just did not understand, these blogs really helped to clear up some of them.
Thanks guys!
Let me know if I missed anything or whatever!
-Candace-
Dear Group,
I was definitely interested to read your responses and make a comparison among the interpretations. After reading them all, I found that I agreed with some of the statements made by Daniel and Michelle. Daniel stated, “I noted that Prufrock is not the type of person that I am able to sympathize with because he is not proactive within the areas of his life that he is the most displeased with.” Prufrock’s hopelessness and inability to act is left in his hands, leaving him at fault for his own misery. I feel absolutely no sympathy for Prufrock. I also agree with Daniel’s statements about “Prufrock’s cold, lonely, lifeless outlook” and “passive attitude towards his deepest desires” that are evoked from Eliot’s vivid imagery; a reader can gain so much insight from an author’s use of imagery.
I also agree with Michelle’s statement about the reoccurring theme of fear. Fear is the reason Prufrock’s life is passing him by, leaving his time on earth meaningless and quite dull. His fear of living has cost him a life of love, adventure, and happiness. I disagree, however, with her statement, “At the beginning of the poem, I feel like he is so confident in what he wants to do, and where he wants to be with the other.” When I first read the poem for the homework assignment, I felt Prufrock was more optimistic and carefree at the beginning of the poem; however, after examining it more closely and rereading it several times, I feel that the melancholy tone is continuous throughout the entire poem. Eliot presents J. Alfred Prufrock as a hopeless individual from the very beginning.
Sarah Morris
Hello again-
This is my second letter, and it appears that we all have the same ideas about the general idea of the poem. I specifically like what Ross had to say when he wrote about Prufrock’s worries affecting his physical and mental health. It seems like that is often a result of poor self-esteem and worrying. It doesn’t just affect a small area of problems, but a larger one, as is the case with Prufrock. It is easy to see the detrimental affects that Prufrock’s worrying had on his whole life, and especially on the parts where he desired the most change but was too afraid to make the necessary changes.
Another comment that I liked, and hadn’t really thought about, was when Michelle said that she felt Prufrock’s negativity was an attempt to make people feel sorry for him. That is also another problem with low self-esteem and intense worry. Too often people want to take their negativity and place it on others so they will not be the only lonely and depressed people around. Prufrock tries to bring the reader along this ride of pessimism, and I can see that no one here has fallen for it.
These were two comments that stood out to me more than others, although all of the analyses and interpretations were well thought out and accurate. I hope that you all enjoyed reading mine and everyone else’s blogs. Have a great week.
Daniel
Hey Everyone-
This is Caralee again. I enjoyed reading everyone’s comments on the poem. I wanted to say that I do agree with Michele’s additional comment that, “I think these other women that he has been with maybe have not been interested in him because of his growing fear of love and his inability to give them what they need. Perhaps these women have given him this low view that he has of himself and that we see later on in the poem.” It is probably true that throughout the years, Prufrock’s low self esteem has arisen from the rejection he has experienced with women. While this is partly his fault, he can also be pitied for remaining reluctantly alone. Sarah M. said, “I feel that the melancholy tone is continuous throughout the entire poem.” This is exactly why Prufrock has not found anyone to love.
The following poem, by Jessica Lee Marie Kronaizl, found at http://www.cornerpoetry.com/poetry/kronaizl/rejected.html, follows the same theme as Eliot’s poem.
Rejection
I've met someone
Who I like a lot
But I don't want him to know
How I feel
What if he doesn't feel
The same for me
As I do for him
I'm sitting here
In confusion I'm surrounded in fear
Of not being good enough
My mixed emotions
Are driving me crazy
I want to break down
And tell him
But I don't want the pain
Of rejection.
I picked this poem because it seems to me that the speaker of this poem’s and J. Alfred Prufrock’s feelings are much alike. Both have an expressed fear that they will be rejected if they approach the one that they have feelings for. It seems to me as though both are “hiding in a corner” trying not to be seen by not only the love interest but everyone else, as well. Both characters have let the fear of rejection overcome them and, therefore, are almost miserable because they do not have what they want, but are too afraid to get it.
Hello Everyone!
It’s Candace! In looking at what everyone had to say in the last few blogs it is obvious that everyone read the poem and had their own view as to what exactly it is that Eliot meant in writing Prufrock. In looking back over some people’s blogs I tend to agree with a lot of what Ross had to say. Prufrock’s relentless fear or rejection is what keeps him from changing, and going after what it is he longs for (the women he loves.) I agree with his thinking in that Prufrock really has no right to complain about his lack of love because he is too scared to make an effort at it. But, I also agree with what he said about “being stuck in a rut.” We all have something in our lives that we long for and yet don’t make a valiant effort at getting. In Prufrock’s case it’s the women he loves… in my case it’s a hot in firm body! I want to be in shape and yet it is so hard for me to get up and make it to the gym! In this since I can understand where Prufrock is coming from. But I also am not sitting around writing poems about how sorry I am for myself that I don’t look like Cindy Crawford! So I also agree with Daniel when he stated how people often take their negativity and put it on others so that they are not the only one who is unhappy. I think that this is a BIG part of why Prufrock is so negative… he wants others to feel just as bad for him, as he feels for himself.
I was looking through some poems and such online and came across this web site called inferiority.com (http://www.inferiority.com/poetry.asp) and on it I found a few poems that could relate to Prufrock… heres one that I found
Images
I.
Driven by what?
Despair.
Held captive by whom?
Fear.
Taunted by which one thing?
The past.
Never able to see when?
The future.
Unable to hold her.
Love.
II.
Images
haunt the mind
In the hours of light
you are afraid
Closing your eyes
Can you escape them?
An old girlfriend
A dead friend
A man who wants you dead
A house that you lived in burning down
A parent being shot
The winter covering you with snow,
trapping you
You trapping yourself
The abortion you had
The abortion you wish you had
Food stamps
The land spinning by so fast you only catch a blur
Last Saturday night
The ocean crashing over you as a child so powerful
that you thought you would drown
The car you didn't see that ran the red light
The faces you can't remember
The faces you want to forget
The night the stars were in the sky and all was right
until the world came crashing down around you
The flashback you had doing 90 in the rain with trucks all around you
No.
Images remain.
-Rich Robinson
Although the end of the poem is less relevant, due to modern day references I saw the beginning of this poem and imminently thought of Prufrock. The man in this poem is feeling the same. He is longing to be with her and yet it is himself and his thoughts that keep him from being with her. Let me know if any of you have any incite about this poem! Have a great week everyone!
~Candace~
Dear Group,
After reading everyone’s second letter, I found some really interesting and thought-provoking statements made by Ross and Daniel. Ross’s statement made me examine Prufrock’s character more closely and act as an observant judge: “Prufrock’s fear and lack of confidence…does not have enough bearing for him to not be able to change his situation that he dreads so much.” I also like how Daniel described the effects Prufrock’s emotional state had on his entire life: “It is easy to see the detrimental affects that Prufrock’s worrying had on his whole life, and especially on the parts where he desired the most change but was too afraid to make the necessary changes.”
T. S. Eliot’s The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock and Edwin Arlington Robinson’s Miniver Cheevy have a very similar tone and comparable themes. The poems are filled with melancholy as Prufrock and Cheevy convey their miserable lives to the audience. Despite their utterly meaningless lives, Cheevy continues to “scratch his head and keep on thinking” while Prufrock continues to ponder “how should I presume?” Both of these characters are hindered by their inability to act. Prufrock and Cheevy are also similar in that they both long for the romantic and heroic past. Allusion is used throughout both poems to contrast their longing for what will never be and their discontent with what remains in their day to day lives.
Miniver Cheevy
Miniver Cheevy, child of scorn,
Grew lean while he assailed the seasons
He wept that he was ever born,
And he had reasons.
Miniver loved the days of old
When swords were bright and steeds were prancing;
The vision of a warrior bold
Would send him dancing.
Miniver sighed for what was not,
And dreamed, and rested from his labors;
He dreamed of Thebes and Camelot,
And Priam's neighbors.
Miniver mourned the ripe renown
That made so many a name so fragrant;
He mourned Romance, now on the town,
And Art, a vagrant.
Miniver loved the Medici,
Albeit he had never seen one;
He would have sinned incessantly
Could he have been one.
Miniver cursed the commonplace
And eyed a khaki suit with loathing:
He missed the medieval grace
Of iron clothing.
Miniver scorned the gold he sought,
But sore annoyed was he without it;
Miniver thought, and thought, and thought,
And thought about it.
Miniver Cheevy, born too late,
Scratched his head and kept on thinking;
Miniver coughed, and called it fate,
And kept on drinking.
-- Edwin Arlington Robinson
The poem can be found at http://www.bartleby.com/233/523.html
Thanks for reading,
Sarah
Hello all,
Firstly, let me apologize immensely for missing letter 2. I know there is no excuse for this, so don't expect one from me. Now that that unpleasantry is out of the way, let's get on to Prufrock.
Reading over the various comments from the other people in the group, I see that virtually all of us came to the same conclusion: Prufrock is afraid. Now, the interpretation of what he is afraid of seems to differ slightly with each person. As Caralee said in her second letter, she got the impression that Prufrock had never met the woman. Looking back over the poem, I had never taken this to be a possibility. However, now I can how that conclusion can be drawn just as accurately as the one that I had come to. I especially agree with Daniel's point of view, in that Prufrock is too afraid to change his life, even though he is miserable. Overall, though, I don't think that my viewpoint has been changed all that much. I still stand by my original interpretation of the poem.
When I read this poem, it reminds me of a hard time in my life I went through when I felt alone, as I'm sure we have all felt at some point in time. I wrote the following poem to help get through those times. It is about the feeling of loneliness and darkness pressing down on me, causing me to all but give up hope. I imagine that Prufrock feels the same kind of entrapment when he looks at his life and his inability to escape it. The subject of the poem (me) feels that the fates themselves are conspiring against him. Prufrock expresses a similar sentiment when he mentions the mermaids and the fact that they will not sing for him, or give him their blessing. Both Prufrock and myself in the poem feel guilt about not being able to free themselves from their self-made prisons.
Alone in the Dark
Alone in the dark forever and a day
Writhing in agony and dismay
For me love does not exist
Instead pain and suffering give me their kiss
Hated am I, by those fates above,
Who give me revulsion when I only want love
A heavy soul within me resides
And my heart my conscience derides
Sincerely,
Alex
Hello all-
In reading the second and third letters that everyone has posted I found that Caralee’s poem is amazingly accurate in portraying the ideas that Prufrock displays throughout the poem. I especially see this in the lines that read “What if he doesn’t feel the same for me that I do for him,” and the last part of the poem that says “But I don’t want the pain of rejection.” These two lines explain Prufrock’s whole world view. The elements of fear, rejection, and pain are all blatantly obvious in this short poem, and it expresses the theme of Prufrock in a pleasantly more concise manner.
Candace also had an interesting poem, and I felt like the first stanza was exemplary of the theme of Prufrock more so than the latter part of the poem. The last two lines “Unable to hold her/ Love” show the same despair that Prufrock is facing in his life, and the desire he has to have love.
I chose a song by George Strait titled “The King of Broken Hearts” as my alternate representation for Prufrock, and although all the themes from Prufrock are not in this song, I feel like a couple of them are. The first part that jumped out at me was the last part of the first verse when he says “He tryin’ to forget other things/ Like some old ship at sea, he’s walkin’ through life alone.” This is what Prufrock is doing. He invites the reader along with him on journey through the city, but he is alone in all that he does. He is trying to forget things gone wrong in the past, and like an old ship at sea, he is floating around in his own sea of guilt, self-pity, and fear. Secondly, in the second verse he says “He recalls how his heart got broken/ And how it’s still that way.” The connection he is pretty obvious, but I’ll reiterate. Prufrock spends much of his time thinking of his broken heart and the absence of love that has been and still is in it. Finally, I just thought the title of the song was a good way to describe Prufrock. The lyrics to this song can be found at http://www.oldielyrics.com/lyrics/george_strait/the_king_of_broken_hearts.html
The king of broken hearts doesn't ask much from his friends
And he has quite a few of them
They know he will understand
That's just the way it goes
The king of broken hearts doesn't know he's a king
He's tryin' to forget other things
Like some old ship at sea, he's walkin' through life alone
[Chorus:]
He talks to angels and the stars start to spin
He thinks of troubles that he's gotten in
He recalls how his heart got broken
And how it's still that way
The king of broken hearts is so sad and wise
He can smile while he's cryin' inside
We know he'll be brave tonight 'cause he's the king of broken hearts
[Chorus]
The king of broken hearts thinks that he's no fool
He's a little like me and you
So what's a king like that supposed to do with all that blue time
We know he'll be brave tonight
'Cause he's the king of broken hearts
He's the king of broken hearts.
Hope you all enjoyed.
Daniel L.
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