What is the overwhelming question in Prufrock?
The overwhelming question in “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” is ambiguous. On one level, Prufrock wonders if he should propose marriage to his beloved, but on a deeper level, the question is whether he should have put his all into his life and art.
What questions does Prufrock seek answers to?
These include “Shall I part my hair behind? Do I dare to eat a peach?” and “Is it perfume from a dress that makes me so digress?” These questions serve mainly to enhance the characterization of Prufrock as an insecure man who doesn’t feel comfortable in his own skin.
Why is Prufrock conscious?
Self conscious which according to the Merriam Webster dictionary is, “uncomfortably conscious of oneself as an object of the observation of others.” Prufrock is surrounded by the elite and this causes him to feel self conscious because he cannot keep up.
What play by William Shakespeare is referred to in TS Eliot’s The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock?
Eliot alludes to three well-known figures: Michelangelo, an artist, Lazarus, a biblical figure, and Hamlet, a Shakespearean character. T.S. Eliot’s use of allusions helps the poem, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, by providing a clearer understanding of the message being conveyed to the reader.
Who are you and I in the first line of Prufrock?
The “you” in this poem is ambiguous. It could be another person Prufrock is speaking to with whom he is going to the party. He could be talking to himself. Eliot establishes with this opening line the idea that Prufrock is addressing or talking to someone who never answers back.
Why is Prufrock enslaved?
Prufrock feels enslaved in The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock because he is enslaved by himself and by time.
Why does the footman mock Prufrock?
Death is sometimes referred to as “the eternal footman.” Here Prufrock is alluding to his own fears about mortality. Death snickers at him because he has not accomplished anything of significance so far in his life. …
What is Prufrock’s biggest worry?
Expert Answers Prufrock’s main concern is that he is frittering his life away with meaningless activities while longing to do better things. He worries about the contrast between the sordid everyday world he inhabits and the world of imagination–of mermaids riding on the foam–that his heart yearns for.
What does J Alfred Prufrock think or feel about love?
In “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” Prufrock feels unconfident and self-conscious He is lonely, aging, and balding, and his apparent desire to connect with others, especially women, remains unrealized.
What does eat your peach mean?
Alfred Prufrock,” to eat a peach is to take a risk, seize an opportunity, or live life to the full. A peach is a difficult fruit to eat and very nearly impossible to eat elegantly.
What is Prufrock scared of?
Prufrock is afraid of death, rejection, judgment, and growing old alone. He is aware of the passing of time, of his difficulties in forging connections with other people, particularly women, and of his inability to “say just what [he] mean[s].”
What does Prufrock mean by jumping from topic to topic?
Prufrock jumps from one topic to another without logical transitions. For example, he thinks about the woman to whom he will propose and how he will accomplish this; at the same time he anticipates rejection, an alternative proposal and rejection and then contemplates his useless within the world. What does Prufrock reflect about himself?
What is the tone of the book Prufrock?
Prufrock’s tone is one of pessimism and inadequacy. He takes an empirical, scientific approach to both others, whom he views as having “arms that are braceleted and white and bare” and himself, who he sees as “formulated, sprawling on a pin.” He dehumanizes and distorts his relationships, seeing them in the context of “butt-end [ ] days.
What was the personality of Alfred J Prufrock?
In this case, the personality of Alfred J. Prufrock is one that’s pedantic, slightly miserable (“like a patient etherized upon a table”), and focused mainly on the negatives (“restless nights in one-night cheap hotels”).
Is the Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock free verse?
‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock’ by T.S. Eliot is primarily written in free verse. This means that most of the lines do not follow a specific rhyme scheme or metrical pattern. But, the poem is not without either.