Ms. Jennings 10/11/2017 01:41:53 pm The poem is uploaded under the course documents section. Read, annotate, and be prepared for class on Monday. Take the time to look up biographical information on Eliot AND the Italian Epigraph. [What's an epigraph!?- look that up too]. BEFORE Tuesday you must publish one original post AND one response to someone else's comment here- whether it's a question or observation- about any of the following from the text: Dante, Michelangelo, Hesiod, Ecclesiastes, Prometheus/mythology, Twelfth Night, Hamlet, Jesus, John the Baptist, John Donne, Homer's Odyssey. Jacob Wolf 10/16/2017 11:21:16 am In the poem, Eliot mentions Michelangelo twice in the same way, Evelina 10/16/2017 08:16:27 pm The poem begins with a direct quote from Dante's Inferno in Italian. Translated to English it means, "If I thought that my reply were given to anyone who might return to the world, this flame would stand forever still; but since never from this deep place has anyone returned alive, if what I hear is true, without fear of infamy I answer thee." I think the reason for including this text is to show how much of a living hell he is going through because of his self doubt. He over analyzes everything and can never escape his constant chain of thought. He thinks so much that he has no time to step into reality and leave his mental world of self-analyzation. Jacob Wolf 10/16/2017 11:59:11 pm In addition to the things you mentioned, I think this poem as a whole is the expression of Prufrock's emotional frustrations which he believes will be a problem he must struggle with on his own forever. Moreover, the Dante quote can be extrapolate to explain Prufrock's situation of being in living hell - trapped in his own thoughts from which no one has returned alive as he puts it [ he later drowns in the poem]. Prufrock differentiates himself from Prince Hamlet of the Shakespearean Play "Hamlet". Rather, he simply compares himself to "an attendant lord" and "an easy tool". By doing this, he is decreasing his societal value and therefore defaming his own character. This aspect adds to the defeated and lonesome tone of the poem. But ironically, he has plenty of qualities to be compared to Prince Hamlet. Both of the characters' greatest flaws were the failure to be progressive and act upon an idea/solution. Also both characters were met with death by the end of the poem/play which was not uncommon to find. But ultimately, why would Prufrock choose to contrast himself with specifically Hamlet of all Shakespearean tragedy characters and beyond. Ben Cohen 10/17/2017 06:14:47 am By having the poem start out with Dantés Inferno, we can assume that the author wants to make it clear that his life is complete damnation. He talks about streets that are dead like an "ethereized patient on a table." Such comments show the struggles he has with his own life and with others peoples lives. Furthermore, these first couple stanzas clearly point out his isolation from the world and even in some way his own life. Nguyen Hua 10/17/2017 09:36:51 pm Agreed, the tone incites a mood of isolation. However some of the things he mentions while being downright creepy also seems to readers that his isolation and "loneliness" are a cause of his own actions and feelings towards women. Nguyen Hua 10/17/2017 09:39:54 pm Prufrock says some very contradictory things in his poems, for example he talks about how he has "known the arms already, known them all-" indicating that he is bored of the arms of women yet seems to act surprised and excited when talking about the women with light brown hair, as if he does not know them all. Cassandra 10/17/2017 10:43:01 pm I thought it was very interesting how Eliot chooses to make his narrator human. The title sets a very ironic tone after the poem is read. It’s not a love song at all, but the opposite of it, where Prufrock hates himself. In Greek mythology, there were creatures called sirens, which were basically evil mermaids who tried to seduce men by their singing voices. Once the men were lured, the sirens would fool and kill them. Prufrock states that “I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each. I do not think that they will sing to me.” He thinks himself so ugly and old that even sirens wouldn’t want to kill him. This brings up the line of “In the room the women come and go Talking of Michelangelo.” Michelangelo is famous for his sculpture of “David” who was said to be the perfect built/ structure of a man. With this line he’s comparing himself to a model of perfection, which most people do, to himself. Eliot gives Prufrock vulnerability and insecurity as his main human traits. Eric Andrews 10/15/2017 02:21:57 pm What is the significance of Eliot's repetition of the line "In the room the women come and go, Talking of Michelangelo?" Eliot does not elaborate much on it, and the only possible guess I have is that the stanza comes and goes, just as the women in his life do. In this case, is Prufrock talking about one woman in his life, or a collection of them, all of which he failed to ask the big question to? Alis Kovacs 10/15/2017 05:10:27 pm The possible significance of this repeated line is to show how boring these social conversations are. These women discuss Michelangelo not once, but repetitively. I believe he is referring to one woman throughout in which he wishes to have relations with but is afraid of what society will say and what she will believe of his intentions. Christeena Jojo 10/17/2017 12:01:20 am I also agree with Alis. The symbolizes women as an object of use throughout the poem and actual shows how he does not want to indulge in a personal connection with the women because it would lead to these connections. He tries to avoid that and essentially seeks out "one night stands" and prefers to stay lonely because throughout the text the word choice was supporting his choice being isolated and sad. Matthew Migely 10/15/2017 06:22:04 pm From the start of the poem, it is evident that Prufrock is never forthcoming about his true nature. He does discuss his lost opportunities and unattained love, but I think the complexity of feelings compiled into one person would suggest that he could be reflecting the complex feelings of all humans. Accordingly, I don't think it could just be about one woman; his anguish seems to resonate to the visceral sea of humanity itself. Ben Cohen 10/17/2017 06:17:58 am I agree with this comment and believe that the author is completely isolated from the world. In that case, he makes many assumptions about people and not really at individuals. So what could possibly hold him in this damnation as seen by the first stanza of the poem? Sydney Chanen 10/15/2017 06:45:54 pm I was wondering this same thing! I know that Michelangelo was an Italian Renaissance artist, but I wondered [I haven't had a chance to look it up, but I should] if any of his work was related to the themes of the poem, and that's why Eliot chose to use his name. The other thing that I thought was interesting is this line is only repeated twice. It is enough to be noticeable, but not enough to make the line's purpose clear. Manal Rizwan 10/16/2017 08:47:00 pm I think T.S Eliot makes allusions to Michelangelo because he was popular at the time and women were always talking about him. Also, in Dante’s Hell there are a lot of smart people who repeat things again and again in small spaces which may mean that these women are misguided and bad. Alondra Guadarrama 10/16/2017 10:27:43 pm The way I interpreted that line was negatively, I kinda felt that the narrator was judging the women because they spoke of Michelangelo because he felt they didn't know "enough" to speak of him and spoke of him superficially, which bothered him. Hannah Wang 10/16/2017 11:44:23 pm I also interpreted the line negatively. Given the historical context of the poem, the women have nothing to do with their time besides visiting one another and talking about anything that may make them appear intellectual and appealing. Alis Kovacs 10/15/2017 05:16:16 pm T. S. Eliot begins his poem with a section from Inferno by Dante. Seeing that the story is about Dante visiting hell and meeting such misguided people, maybe Eliot feels like a misguided person as well. The epigraph that is written is about a man named Guido da Montefeltro who is a bad person that pretended to be good. Eliot most likely feels like he is a bad person for wanting to be intimate with this woman and he just pretends to be good in the eyes of society by hesitating. Liliya Bandurovych 10/15/2017 06:28:11 pm I don't necessarily think that Eliot feels like a bad person I think that he has issues with his self confidence. This is why he begins to hesitate to ask the woman a question, he is trying to convince himself that he should ask her but keeps getting unmotivated due to fear. The connection between Dante's Inferno and Eliot's poem is that they both discuss people that are misguided but not necessarily both bad people. Alexandra Zugaj 10/15/2017 07:47:27 pm I agree with your comment on his self confidence. Throughout the poem, Pulfrock mentions his bald spot in his hair several times, I think this I one of his insecurities.By bringing up this bald spot he establishes that he is growing old which is another insecurity. Oliwia Lakomy 10/16/2017 07:01:45 pm His lack of self confidence is also proven by his repetition of the lines "In the room the women come and go, Talking of Michelangelo." After he makes this comment on page 2, he writes what other people would say about his balding hair or his thing legs and arms, and he is worried that people will just criticize him and he will not fit in. Jessica Steiner 10/15/2017 09:39:56 pm I thought the parallel between Prufrock and Montefeltro was more a concern with reputation. Montefeltro may have been a bad person but no one on earth knew, that is why he told Dante about why he was in hell. He had assumed that Dante would never make it out of hell to tell anyone why Montefeltro was there thus ruining his good reputation. Through the poem Eliot ponders if asking his question is worth it. I think he is asking on behalf of his reputation and how it will change if he were to be rejected by this woman. Rafiya Awan 10/16/2017 06:48:35 pm I agree with you. I think one of the parallels is about reputation. Guido was worried about his reputation, and Prufrock is, too. He keeps doubting himself on if he should say what he wants to say. Also, in the sixth stanza, he twice repeats "they will say," mentioning things he thinks people will say about his looks. This also illustrates that he cares about what people think of him, therefore affecting his reputation. Hannah Wang 10/16/2017 11:56:54 pm I agree with you, Rafiya. Reputation and social conventions seems to have a play in Prufrock's behavior. He wants to be accepted and so do others in his society as seen in the following line: There will be a time, there will be a time / To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet [26-27]. In order to protect one's reputation, a mask must be worn. Metaphorically, everyone is wearing a mask to be socially accepted at the expense of their personal identity. This suggests that everyone is superficial, and thus want to be accepted by other superficial people. In the end, what is the point of wearing such masks if one is only meeting another masked individual? Yasmin Segura 10/16/2017 06:18:43 pm I agree with this observation, I think that Prufrock cares about what society might say and think if he were to ask his big question. I believe this because I think that in the inside he is actually a bad person trying to be good as a front so society doesn't see the kind of person that he really is. he us hesitant to express how he really thinks for fear that what he wants isn't something that he can have. Matthew Migely 10/15/2017 06:13:50 pm In the tenth stanza, Prufrock continually repeats the statement "Do I dare?" followed by "time to turn back and descend the stair." Looking more deeply into this line, I grab the sense that Prufrock tries to embody some heroic Prometheus-like figure, aiming to reach for what is ultimately his downfall. How would this Prometheus-version of Prufrock compare to what he actually represents? Liliya Bandurovych 10/15/2017 06:18:40 pm T. S Eliot was a great admirer of Dante’s work which is why he may have used a quote from Canto 27 of the Inferno as an epigraph to his poem The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. After finding an English version of the quotation I believe that it suggests that Dante’s poem is set in hell surrounded by bad people who are strictly concerned about their reputation but that we, the readers, will find out their dirty secrets because they believe that we won’t have a chance to repeat it to others, therefore keeping all their dirty secrets safe. I believe that Eliot used this as his epigraph because throughout the poem he maneuvers his way around a scene or time when he was supposed to ask a woman a question but due to his fear he kept postponing his inquiry. This relates back to the epigraph because it may be one of those examples of a dirty secret. Eliot, who is believed to be the speaker of the poem, portrays to us his lack of self-confidence which most likely is the cause to his nervousness around the woman, stalling the question. When he finally does ask the question he begins to second guess himself, wondering if he never should have asked. Although we, as the readers, never find out what this question is we can see that Eliot is embarrassed by the response of the woman which is why he is hoping that we never have a chance to tell anyone else about this experience of his. Alice Asch 10/16/2017 09:59:03 pm I agree that Eliot, similar to Guido, intends to keep his morally questionable actions [one of which may be prostitution] secret from the public. However, in the case of Dante's Inferno, Guido is actually under the impression that his confessions are safe, as he doesn't believe Dante will return to earth, but Eliot is well aware that he is essentially confiding in the entire world by releasing this poem. That means that he must, in some way, harbor a desire to express to express these thoughts to another human. Sydney Chanen 10/15/2017 06:52:56 pm In Shakespeare's "Hamlet", Prince Hamlet can be described as indecisive; a man who cannot decide what his uncle's fate should be after his uncle's crimes. Towards the end of the of the poem, Prufrock directly states he is not comparable to Hamlet. However, I believe they are similar. Prufrock is indecisive over if he should ask his burning question in the same way that Hamlet cannot decide what to do with his uncle. Both seem like a coward; they cannot make up their minds on difficult decisions. Casteel Lisac 10/16/2017 12:41:04 am I completely agree. Throughout the entirety of the poem he is questioning his every move. This is coming from a place of insecurity. Eliot was a modernist poet, this movement constantly questioned masculinity and femininity. Eliot, I think, feels as if he's no longer a man. Karina Ruiz 10/16/2017 07:32:09 pm I agree because Prufrock, throughout the novel, is afraid of rejection. He does not act and he does not make decisions, like Hamlet. I belive he is very similar to Hamlet, even though he says he is not. Martyna Akerman 10/16/2017 07:53:30 pm I also agree that both men are very similar in character. Throughout the poem Prufrock questions every decision that he wants to make. For instance the phrases, " And should I presume?" "And how should I begin?" constantly reoccur. This demonstrates that Prufrock is indecisive; he doesn't know whether or not to approach the woman, and how he should do so. Although Prufrock states that he is not like Prince Hamlet, both men are faced with overwhelming questions that they cannot make up their minds on. However, if they are similar, then why does Prufrock deny it? Alexandra Zugaj 10/15/2017 08:16:54 pm In lines 94-95, Prufrock references Lazarus. Lazarus is a friend of Jesus Christ who died but was brought back to life. Prufrock makes this reference in order to show that he isn't like Lazarus because when he dies he will remain dead. In addition to that throughout the poem it is apparent that Prufrock is obsessed with death, time, and aging. He repeats "I grow old" several times, and talks about his bald spot. The reference to Lazarus adds on to his obsession with time and death, by showing that after death he won't have anymore time unlike Lazarus. Gabriella Tran 10/16/2017 08:02:08 pm Lazarus was the miracle of Jesus in which Jesus restored him to life four days after his death. I thought that Eliot's point in alluding to Lazarus was to show that he wants to relive and experience what he did not perform to his desire. Due to the fact that he constantly brings up signs of aging throughout the poem, it portrayed a figure that Eliot wanted to experience life and death in a different light. All individuals go through death, however, to be able to relive and have his life events flashing before his eyes is something he would like to experience once again. Jessica Steiner 10/15/2017 09:45:45 pm I thought Eliot's mention of Hesiod's Works and Days very interesting because Works and Days is about the importance of work, basically it talks about how bad it is to be lazy. This is odd considering Profrock is fairly lazy. He doesn't get straight to his point of the woman and the question, but rather starts off with a rather long tangent about faces, arms, and eyes. Then, when he finally approaches his topic he said "Have I the strength to force the moment to its crisis?" He finally gets there and then doesn't ask the question! The question we have been waiting to here since stanza 1! Why would Eliot make an allusion to Works and Days when the eyes he writes through seem to be so lazy? Casteel Lisac 10/16/2017 12:36:46 am Shakespeare's Hamlet heavily showcases the theme of paralysis- the inability to act on certain actions. It isn't until the end of Hamlet that Hamlet stabs Claudius. Eliot creates a more modern paradox to the theme of paralysis in the poem. Prufrock's paralysis is no longer about the revenge of his parent's killer, but over the constant questioning of his own masculinity.
This is also the reason for the questions that Eliot asks himself through out the poem. His paralysis is deafening and makes it hard for him to act on his love interests. At the end he claims to be no Hamlet because he acts on his thoughts. He says, "No! I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be... Am an attendant lord, one that will do... To swell a progress, start a scene or two.... In this stanza Eliot claims to be proactive, he is no longer paralyzed by the paralysis that Hamlet was caught
up in. Mohammed Kashan 10/16/2017 01:23:39 am I believe that Prufrock's paralysis comes from the restraining characteristics of life. People are often held back from what they desire due to fear of failure and death. So, Eliot hopes to paint a picture of how the truth would sound from a person who has acknowledged that they are being restrained. For ignorance is found when one can not acknowledge their ignorance and paralysis befalls those that have realized the sensation of spiritual paralysis. A sort of success inhibiting chain, if you will. Kasia Baranek 10/16/2017 09:32:29 pm I agree with this theme of paralysis. Prufrock often shuts down in the face of decisions, much like Hamlet. A specific piece of evidence for this idea could be line 3, stanza 1 "Like a patient etherized on a table". seeing as how ether is an anesthetic, which creates an induced state of paralysis. Jaqueline A. 10/17/2017 07:36:30 am The “etherized table” from the first stanza is referenced again in stanza 10, “Arms that lie along a table, or wrap about a shawl.” Why are these two lines left there and disregarded? We never really fully get a glimpse into who is on the table or why they would be etherized. Is it another reference? Mohammed Kashan 10/16/2017 01:13:13 am What do you think the epigraph means for the poem as a whole? In my opinion, I see that the speaker is taking the reader on a journey that discusses the speaker's view of life and love. This journey includes impressive imagery that people can relate to in terms of the darkness that can be found in life. So, Prufrock may indeed be confiding in his reader/lover his opinions about the truth of how people view themselves and their interactions with others in society. What do you think? Mohammed Kashan 10/16/2017 01:17:17 am [The above comment was in relevance to Dante's "Inferno" in which this quote was spoken by a character that was stuck in Hell]. Nia Muhammad 10/17/2017 06:11:40 am I thought that the epigraph served to represent that Prufrock was only telling these things because he thinks that they will never be repeated. He never wants people to learn of his stalking women and creeping around and how he was never confident enough to just ask one question. Alice Asch 10/16/2017 12:24:05 pm Throughout the poem, Eliot interjects periodically with the inquires: “And should I presume? [...] And how should I begin? [...] Do I dare?” This seems to suggest that he is contemplating whether or not it is worth it to continue living in a word that is superficial [he implies this through the repeated observation about the women talking of Michelangelo] and dull, full of people completing mundane tasks on autopilot. At one point, he notes that he has “measured out [his] life with coffee spoons” and he already knows the “evenings, mornings, and afternoons”, perhaps meaning that he has nothing left to learn from this empty existence. Additionally, he discusses his dread of growing older and being judged by others for his lack of vitality when he predicts people will comment on the thinness of his hair because of the “bald spot” when he “descend[s] the stair”, so it is possible that he does not see the point of living if it will only end in the sorrows of old age. By the end, has he decided to dare? Do you think that it’s worth it to dare? Victoria Bartoszewicz 10/16/2017 09:02:48 pm The entire poem marks the narrator's feeling of being unfulfilled because he did not take many chances, or in other words, "dare". At the same time, it relates to the passage of time which is illustrated in the last stanza by the portrayal of the waves moving forward and the mermaids "combing the white hair of the waves blown back". Right after, he states "till human voices wake us, we drown", demonstrating that his chance has passed him with age. The poem conveys to the reader that it is worth it to dare because the unknown is what makes life interesting. Luis 10/16/2017 05:47:11 pm This poem is very odd. When I first started reading it I was a little confused. The speaker took us on a trip, but not a pleasant one. He took us to a place where it is abandoned almost. With "half-deserted streets." Which shows how empty it is. Also do you think that a particular woman who is part of the women who come and go from the place is his love? Is he admiring one of those ladies? Megan Amoah 10/16/2017 07:59:05 pm I agree with you -- Prufrock has his mind is all over the place. But I don't think the women who come and go are in his interest. He doesn't seem to care about them because they "come and go". However, Prufrock may be speaking of a different lady, especially when he talks of a woman with specifically light brown hair [stanza 9]. Yasmin Segura 10/16/2017 05:58:34 pm Eliot's allusion to Hesiod's works and days is ironic. Throughout the poem Prufrock's procrastination of answering the "life-altering" question makes it seem as if he is weak and lazy saying how would take so much effort to ask it. The allusion to Hesiod's work and days is ironic because the whole point of that poem was how people need to not lead a pointless and meaningless life. Prufrock, throughout the whole poem seems to be living a pointless life because he goes on not really caring and just numb, like the patient mentioned in the beginning of the poem. I wonder why may Eliot, who read the most literature in his time, mention a poem who's meaning is the complete opposite of what is being felt and understood in his poem. Omar Salinas 10/16/2017 09:27:12 pm I think Eliot mentioned this to contrast, and simultaneously accentuate, Prufrock's meaningless life, one that he wishes he did not have. It also, like you said, builds up irony within the poem and highlights Prufrock's unwanted characteristics which could explain his self-doubt and why he refrains from asking the question. Oliwia Lakomy 10/16/2017 07:06:00 pm Eliot includes an epigraph at the beginning of the poem in which a horrible man from Dante's Inferno reveals all his secrets to Dante because he doesn't believe Dante will make it out of hell alive. Do you think adding this epigraph was a little too dark or do you think it was necessary in describing Prufrock? Eric Andrews 10/16/2017 07:20:05 pm I believe that the epigraph was very necessary when describing Prufrock. Considering both the indecisiveness as well as the fear/laziness that Prufrock exhibits throughout the poem, it provides a sense of urgency and curiosity that the rest of the poem somewhat fails to do. Ines Pavelic 10/16/2017 07:50:32 pm I saw this epigraph as him trying to make a comparison before the poem. Since the epigraph talks about hell and how they are being punished in a fire, it makes me think that Prufrock can relate because he is going through his own personal hell of lack of self confidence and inner anxiety. He has a lot of struggles that make him feel trapped and frustrated constantly so I do think it is necessary. Evelina 10/16/2017 08:19:16 pm I think it was fine since it ties in with what Eliot was going through. He never really does make it out of the hell he's living in since he metaphorically dies at the end. Anna Bielanski 10/16/2017 08:21:57 pm I believe that adding the epigraph before the poem was necessary, because it sets up the poem for readers, and they can infer that the poem they are about to read will not be about good people, but bad people pretending that they are good. The setting in the poem is a kind of hell, similar to one of the nine circles of hell that was mentioned in Inferno. Gladys Toledo 10/16/2017 10:50:28 pm I feel that it fit well with the poem because Prufrock seems to allude the way society views other including Prufrock. Prufrock critizes his flaws and in the fifth stanza he even says what others think about him. To him this would have been his persoanl hell if he was constantly reminded of his flaws. Maureen 10/16/2017 11:29:18 pm I think this epigraph set the tone for the entire poem, and could quite possibly be a parallel between the man in Dante's Inferno telling Dante his story, and Prufrock telling the reader [or his often mentioned 'you'] his stor, for the same reason. Karina Ruiz 10/16/2017 07:28:38 pm In lines 111-119, T.S.Eliot refers to a play by Shakespeare named Hamlet. Hamlet is about a man who is debating whether or not to kill his uncle. He is very hesitant and indecisive. Prufrock states that he is not Prince Hamlet, but compares himself an attendant lord. This attendant lord may be Polonius, a man who appears well-put together, but is actually a "Fool". I think Prufrock is still blinded by the mysteries of life and cannot identify himself. I believe that he does not realize that being the attendant lord is as bad as being Hamlet. Prufrock says he is not like Hamlet, but I think he is. Ines 10/16/2017 07:46:31 pm The connection made with John the Baptist is on the third page, fourth stanza. He says, "Though I have seen my head [grown slightly bald] brought in upon a platter, I am no prophet...". John the Baptist was a prophet who baptized Jesus and was beheaded because the kings stepdaughter asks for his head on a platter. The idea of having his head upon a platter could symbolize the rejection Prufrock has to deal with if he confronts the women he wants. I think he's being little too dramatic and also feels sorry for him when he says that he is no prophet or hero. Prufrock talks about how he is not like John at all. He talks about himself living a very simple life while John the Baptist was a preacher and talked to many people so those are obvious differences which also help show that Prufrock has no life or self confidence. Tifani Panek 10/16/2017 11:26:32 pm I agree with your interpretation that Prufrock alludes to John the Baptist in order to emphasize his point that he "is no prophet." By alluding to John the Baptist, Prufrock contrasts himself with a prophet seen as a heroic, holy martyr. In doing so, he admits his faults and how little self confidence he has for himself. Prufrock is also emphasizing how he has suffered, even imagining his own head being brought in on a platter like John the Baptist, only he is no holy prophet. Although Prufrock cannot compare in this aspect, Prufrock alludes to John the Baptist to show that he is victim to the same temptation of evil as John the Baptist, succumbing to the evil like John the Baptist did. Rafiya Awan 10/16/2017 07:53:47 pm The topic of time is really interesting in the poem. Throughout the beginning two pages, Prufrock keeps stating "there will be time" and "time to turn back." Not just that he has plenty of time to do all the things he has to, but more schockingly, he says he has time "for a hundred visions and revisions" and "time to turn back." First I was just confused by him repeating that he has a lot of time, and it was actually irritating me with the fact that he could so easily say that he has time to go back and make revisions. However, later I understood this to be Prufrock stuck in his thoughts and indecisions, which also reminded me of the epigraph at the beginning as the people in Dante's "Inferno" are stuck in Hell, and how one in Hell would keep thinking of his life and the same thoughts over and over again. Gabriella Tran 10/16/2017 07:57:59 pm In the 11th stanza, Eliot potrays his idealogies on how he was "not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be..." Society often sticks to gender ideals in which most individuals are not. I think that Eliot was trying to bring up a point that not all are on the same social class or have the ideal physique. In fact, society is stuck on a template of themselves in which their true self is often not brought out to public. Prince Hamlet was alluded to in order to demonstrate that realities within humanity do not always comply with what social norms are. Eric Brzeski 10/16/2017 09:44:36 pm I view this as a way of breaking norms and boundaries, which the author attempts to portray. He is exhausted of seeing society trying to create this "perfect man" which is only depicted in a book by William Shakespeare. The author realizes that its not worth the effort, nor the changes, to create such an appealing character. He does so in a smooth manner that demonstrates his physical and mental characteristics. I agree with what you had to say. Anna Bielanski 10/16/2017 08:14:22 pm How do Guido da Montefeltro and the epigraph from Inferno tie into Eliot's poem? How if Prufrock like Guido? How are they different? Nathan Nguyen 10/16/2017 09:20:42 pm Eliot's poem seemed to be quite dark in theme, coming at first to be "nice and welcoming," but it actually houses quite darker meanings behind. The mc in the poem seems to be believe he has committed some sin to the world, fearing to "dare disturb the Universe." He questions himself and his actions, and somehow ends
up believing those are sins[?]. Sheridan Waldack 10/16/2017 09:26:48 pm The epigraph ties to the poem because it introduces a way of cyclic thinking associated with people obsessed with examining their lives. I think Guido and Prufrock are both stuck in their infinite reflection on the choices they have made in life. They both are way too obsessed that their reputation is one of a good person than them actually being genuinely good people. They are different because Guido thinks he needs help from Heaven to get him out of a bad situation and Prufrock believes he can get help from a woman who speaks of Michelangelo. Martyna Akerman 10/16/2017 08:24:29 pm I noticed that throughout the poem, Prufrock comments on his flaws, such as the bald spot in the middle of his hair. This establishes a sense of insecurity that Prufrock clearly feels about himself. He believes that others are pointing out his flaws [his thin arms and legs];he does not feel confident about himself. Overall, his insecurities contribute to his indecisive character, because Prufrock doesn't know whether he is good enough for the woman he desires, therefore, he is unsure if he should approach her. Zhen Ye Wu 10/16/2017 09:10:43 pm I completely agree with you. When analyzing and question why Prufrock alludes to a crab rather than any thousands of creatures, I wanted to find out why. The crab represents the perfect overview of Prufrock's character. On the outside, the hard shell is a representation of Prufrock's need to protect himself. The way that crabs walk is looking towards what's in from of them, but it is moving away from others, similar to what Prufrock wants to do when he sees people. Holly Pasquinelli 10/16/2017 10:15:32 pm I think what you said here is essential to Prufrock's character development in this poem. Although he does not like speaking about himself, he finds it difficult, he still finds ways to leave small hints to the person who is receiving his monologue that he fears judgement of others. In lines 57-61, Prufrock mentions "sprawling on a pin" and "pinned and wriggling on the wall". These lines make it seem as if Prufrock is an insect in a glass case who is being carefully inspected. This really emphasizes his fear of being judged, and his concern for his reputation, which are both themes that are repeated throughout the poem. Caitlyn Flaherty 10/17/2017 12:28:07 am Although Prufrock is an indecisive character, in line 111 Eliot writes "No! I am no Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be" Eliot is referencing Shakespeare's Hamlet in which the main character, Hamlet is debating whether or not to kill his uncle. By exclaiming, "No!", Prufrock is rejecting the characterization of indecisiveness. In addition, the line references the opening line from Hamlet which reads "To be or not to be" Following, "No! I am not Prince Hamlet," Eliot wrties "nor was meant to be." This also exhibits Prufrock's rejection to indecisiveness as he is taking a stance in regards to, "to be or not to be" Manal Rizwan 10/16/2017 08:41:31 pm T.S Eliot seems to admire Italian people. He uses references of Renaissance Italian poet Dante as well as Italian Renaissance painter Michelangelo. In the beginning of the poem, T. S Eliot starts of by writing Dante's "Inferno" which is an Italian epigraph about Dante who is a horrible man visiting hell and may not return. Dante is similar to Prufrock in that he is misguided. Additionally, T.S Eliot makes allusions to Michelangelo twice, "In the room the women come and go, Talking of Michelangelo." At the time T.S Eliot wrote his poem, Michelangelo rose to popularity and he uses Michelangelo to explain Prufrock's thoughts towards women. The women talking of Michelangelo connect to Dante’s Hell which apparently has a lot of smart people who repeat things again and again in small spaces which is something to think about. The connection between Eliot's poem to Dante's Inferno and Michelangelo is that they all include misguided people who are confused. Isabella Pizarro 10/16/2017 09:22:36 pm I also noticed that the poem repeats certain phrases and symbols. One example, is the mention of yellow smoke and fog rubbing against the window panes in the first half of the poem. This definitely shows the transition of tone in the poem going from a friendly to creepy tone mentioning how the yellow smoke "rubs its muzzle on the window-panes" and "licked its tongue into the corners of the evening." The word choice and tone gives the poem a more claustrophobic setting. This repetition can go back to what you said about Dante's Hell with smart people who repeat things in small spaces. Megan Amoah 10/16/2017 08:41:59 pm Prufrock repeats "there will be time" in Stanza 4 which alludes to the poem written by Marvell, "To His Coy Mistress." The speaker of the poem tries to convince his "coy mistress" that they could take their time when courting if they were immortal but they aren't and so they should hurry up and sleep with each other. Also, did anyone find specific references to Ecclesiastes, Prometheus/mythology, or Homer's Odyssey... I do not understand the connection to Eliot's poem. Hannah Wang 10/16/2017 11:26:55 pm I found an allusion to The Odyssey in lines 124-131 Zhen Ye Wu 10/16/2017 09:05:07 pm In lines 78 and 79, Prufrock alludes to Hamlet's reference to crabs. Quoted from Hamlet, ""for yourself, sir, shall grow old as I am, if like a crab you could walk backward." Hamlet tells Polonius that he will be younger if he can go back in time by walking backwards. The quote connects to Prufrock well considering how much he mentions of his age. "I grow old ... I grow old ..." Prufrock then follows that with his insecurities about his hair and way of fashion. In addition, on line 79, "scuttling across the floors of silent seas," Prufrock wanted to me alone and the bottom of the sea where no one will see him is perfect. The hard shell of a crab accentuates Prufrock's need for protecting himself. The reference Hamlet made about a crab shows a great overview of Prufrock's insecure character that is in need of self protection. Isabella Pizarro 10/16/2017 09:13:26 pm Specifically towards the middle of the poem, Eliot writes a lot of religious references. From lines 81-83 he says that even though he has "wept and fasted" he is "no prophet." The idea of "fasting" is referenced throughout the Bible and people who are of Roman Catholic religion do their own fasting during the Easter holiday. This holiday connects to Jesus fasting for forty days. The speaker is saying that even though he was being like Jesus by praying and fasting, he is no better of a person as he was before. I think he seems to acknowledge his personality straight on in this section, saying that he is no good person or saint. Francisca Reyes 10/16/2017 10:28:55 pm I also noticed that he uses a lot of biblical allusions. That particular section I recognized as referring to John the Baptist. Does using biblical allusions help narrate the story better? Cassandra 10/17/2017 10:48:08 pm I think this line is also trying to say how he’s tried to change and perfect himself, and gained nothing. There are a lot of references in the poem, he specifically compares himself to most of these references. I’m thinking maybe he’s tried to change himself so much that he never found out who he truly is as a person. Omar Salinas 10/16/2017 09:20:45 pm The epigraph from Dante's Inferno resembles J. Alfred Prufrock's love song, especially his self-doubt throughout the course of the poem. In this portion of Dante's Inferno, Dante finds himself in the 8th circle of hell, fraud, and meets a guy named Guido. Guido is selfish concerned about people finding out what he did, but since he's in hell, he figures that no one will ever return to Earth, so he confides in Dante. In a way, Prufrock is incarcerated within his own hell of inevitable doubts. He is trapped in the agony of wanting to ask his question, but not being able to pull himself together to actually ask it. The poem revolves around this question or confession that Prufrock avoids with any and every excuse. To him, "there is time for decisions and revisions" [l. 47-8]. At one point he even resembles a crab, walking side to side "across the floors of silent seas" [l. 74]. He paces between wanting to ask his question and being held back by his overwhelmed thoughts. This resembles Guido's selfish concerns of not wanting anyone to find out about his sins because Prufrock is unsure if the world will understand his confession. He doesn't want to disturb the universe and in the end, the hell within him, himself, gets the best of him. Kasia Baranek 10/16/2017 09:23:55 pm 1] I noticed the recurring use of the words "marmalade" and "tea" as well as "mermaids" and "sea". I think its a stretch for significance but I found it interesting. 2] In multiple of the texts mentioned, there is allusion to a false death. In Twelfth Night with Sebastian and Odysseus in the Odyssey, there is this connection of believing a loved one to be dead when they have actually been fine all along. In the poem itself, Eliot speaks of Lazarus, a bible character who returns from the dead. I think this is symbolic of the speaker's want for second chances and for his own reality to be an illusion like this. Morgan Bensky 10/16/2017 10:53:40 pm I reall enjoyed your comment. I think that the continual references to tea and marmalade try's to make the environment seem a bit more common, to perpetuate the notion that Prudfrock is in this never ending cycle of a seemingly meaningless existence. Plus, mermaids have significance in this poem, since mythology often portrays mermaids to be seductive and inticing, which relates to that overall theme of being caught in meaningless encounters with people. Victoria Bartoszewicz 10/16/2017 09:25:09 pm In lines 52-53, the author alludes to Shakespeare's work, "Twelfth Night", especially relating the famous quote from the play, "if music be the food of love, play on". However, since Prufrock is portrayed as lonely and insecure, the music is nonexistent in his life. He hears the voices of others "dying with a dying fall" as if he was experiencing life through people's stories that he hears faintly "from a farther room". He ends the stanza with questioning "so how should I presume?" as he is unsure of where his life is leading. Nathan Nguyen 10/16/2017 09:34:08 pm How does the "scuttling" on the ocean floor relate to Prufrock? Why do you think Eliot included many references to the ocean? Natalie Bucio 10/16/2017 10:09:12 pm Perhaps it was because of how since the ocean knows no boundaries and there's endless possibilities as to how the outcome will turn out if Purfrock won't or will ask the question. Jean Carlos 10/16/2017 11:25:20 pm I think that the reference to the ocean is really important in a way that it represents the way that Prufrock feels. Reading through the poem, it can be seen that he is prolonging his confession to a certain person, and he never really gets to tell that person his confession due to his "cowardice" or lack of confidence to do so. You can say that it's kind of like the ocean is a representation of how he's drowning in a sea of regret or in a continuous loop of questioning himself[indecisiveness]. Also Prufrock doesn't seem like such a social guy. He never really interacts to any other characters besides himself, and he can only relay observation to his readers. Just like the big, vast ocean, he's really lonely and keeps to himself[maybe that's why he made that reference to a crab scuttling on the ocean floor, and how he should have been born one]. Eloisa Javier 10/16/2017 11:54:23 pm This sounds like an indirect metaphor to crabs which only "scuttle across" but never move forward. Just like Prufrock with his life, he has never really done something worthwhile, and can't even be straightforward with his thoughts and feelings. He has measured his life "with coffee spoons", which tells us that he kind of just drifts from day to day--existing but not living. No wonder. What a lonely man "across the floor of silent seas". In this line he even seems to wish non-existence, only to be a "pair of ragged claws". This may be his way of describing how he's tired of being that creature who can actually think[ a human, maybe a crab] and he'd rather be an instrument for action like claws, because he can't get enough courage to act. Does he need some social drive? Eric Brzeski 10/16/2017 09:36:29 pm Eliot begins his poem with an epigraph containing a portion of Dante's poem "Inferno". When translated the poem is understood to talk about the eight circle of Hell, which is called Inferno in Italian. I find it interesting that Eliot picked such a precise work of art to introduce his poem. It somewhat introduces a theme and mood which would recur several times throughout his passage. Katie Jiang 10/17/2017 08:57:11 am Yeah, I agree because throughout the poem it had an underlying mood of disparity and creepiness. Sheridan Waldack 10/16/2017 09:53:45 pm While repeating the phrase "In the room the women come and go/ talking of Michelangelo", the boring repetitiveness of the conversations of people around Prufrock is illustrated, but there is most likely a reason that T.S. Elliot chose Michelangelo opposed to other artists of the time. Michelangelo's "The Last Judgement" was supposed to be based on Dante's "Divine Comedy", but do you think this was one of the main reasons that Michelangelo was chosen as the topic of women's discussions? Natalie Bucio 10/16/2017 10:01:22 pm In this poem T.S Eliot makes a reference to "Prince" Hamlet, that how he is not one of his high class, therefore he cannot dare bring up the subject of consummating this relationship he has with his love interest. Instead he compares himself to one of his messengers, even to a jester at one point. As a whole, it is really quite frustrating that Eliot contradicts himself as to whether or not he will ask his love interest "the question". There is all the time in the world for bringing up the subject, yet he is growing old and old and he has a bald spot. Holly Pasquinelli 10/16/2017 10:06:28 pm In lines 81-83, Prufrock makes an allusion to the Bible about John the Baptist. Here, Prufrock is concerned that he will be mistaken as a Prophet due to his consistent praying rituals as well as his fasting, as Prophets do. However, I do not understand why Prufrock mentions he has seen his head brought in on a platter. In the Bible, John the Baptist dies after a powerful stepdaughter asks for his head on a platter. Is this a foreshadowing that Prufrock's time is almost up as well? Or is this just Prufrock trying to feel sorry for himself? It almost seems as if Prufrock does not want us to feel sorry for him, because he continues to say that this is "no great matter". Francisca Reyes 10/16/2017 10:23:33 pm I like how Eliot uses biblical allusion to John the Baptist in lines 81-82. "But though I have wept and fasted, wept and prayed, Alondra Guadarrama 10/16/2017 10:33:19 pm The poem contains a reference to one of Shakespeare's famous plays, Hamlet, following by a capitalized
"Fool." Jasmine Martinez 10/16/2017 10:50:14 pm I think it the author is trying to show the indecisiveness that the speaker has at this moment. He doesn’t really know what he is going to do, but then he finally makes his mind up about being “an attendant lord.” To me, this shows that the speaker sees himself as a background character in this story, as someone who is meant to aid someone higher up. Ultimately, this has to do with the lack of confidence that so many other people have mentioned before. In response to the "Fool" portion of your question, I believe I have found a connection between the poem and the play. Originally, after researching the "Fool" I was left with a connection to Tarot Card reading and the representation of "new beginnings". But ultimately, after more research, I have found out that the "fool" is an allusion to Polonius, who was the villain of the play Juan Palomino 10/17/2017 07:26:09 pm I don't feel that Prufrock was comparing himself to Hamlet but more judging how much of a "fool" he was for not going through immediately with the killing of his uncle. I also feel he was comparing himself more to an attendant lord, a minor character in the play. Gladys Toledo 10/16/2017 10:43:21 pm I feel like Prufrock is not only talking about is flaws and his troubles in life and in love but also the way society judges others. This is first reference in line 6 "And sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells". He also references time and daring through out the poem, which may represent how everyone has time but are wasting it on wondering what other think about them if they dare to do something. Ragda Amin 10/17/2017 03:50:42 am I agree. Throughout several lines in the poem, Prufrock shows his fears of how society will view and perceive him. In regards to time, I think Prufrock initially believes we have all the time in the world but immediately we see that is not true because we age, hence his "bald spot in the middle" of his "hair. He mentions, "Do i dare" to show that we don't have enough time to doubt things in life, and that we shouldn't let fear hold us back because life is too short. Morgan Bensky 10/16/2017 10:49:16 pm Towards the end of the poem, Prudfrock states that he doesn't believe that even the mermaids will sing to them. Mermaids in mythology are know to me seductive and inticing sailors as they pass by with their siren calls, so if Prudfrock does not think that even lonely, desperate mermaids will call out to him, then he has some serious low self-esteem. Daniel Julius 10/17/2017 12:13:08 pm This interpretation of the passage is interesting. I completely agree with your idea of connecting this part of the passage to Prufrock's emotional state. However, might it be that the mermaids symbolize majestic creatures who are above earthly creatures? I disagree with your statement that mermaids are known to be low-life creatures. Depending on how one views mermaids, one could conclude something similar to what you said [that Prufrock has a low self-esteem] or a conclusion somewhat opposite of that. Jasmine Martinez 10/16/2017 10:59:54 pm In the first half of the poem, Prufrock is pretty literal with what he is saying. Albeit, half of what he says doesn’t really make sense, but they are still physical, tangible things. In the middle, Prufrock transitions into more metaphysical ideas when he asks if he should’ve “bitten off the matter” or “squeezed the universe into a ball.” What does this mean? I personally interpreted it as how much this decision is weighing on him and how extreme is must’ve been since he compares it to something so impossible. Magali Coronado 10/17/2017 10:26:38 pm Personally, I viewed the "squeezed the universe into a ball" as a way of characterizing himself. Throughout the poem, we see how insecure Prufrock is about himself with the different things he points out about himself; the skinny arms, the bald head, even his own mentality. This one of those breaks in the poem where we see him - possibly ironically - seeing himself as something 'bigger', in a way. Earlier in the poem, he compares himself to a crab, which can be considered a small creature compared to most, and also the manner in which a crab walks is very indecisive - from side to side. However, in an imagery sense, I imagined Prufrock as a size big enough to squeeze the Universe into the size of a tennis ball, finally having grown some self-esteem to even fathom of the idea that he could make such an impact on the Universe. Jean Carlos 10/16/2017 11:17:51 pm I find the idea that "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" is actually set in a kind of hell to be interesting. When comparing the poem to its epigraph in the beginning, a quote from Dante's "Inferno," there are a lot of similarities that can be seen in the actions that Prufrock and Guido perform. Prufrock speaks of "an overwhelming question" that he never reveals to the readers. This 'trickery' can be traced back to Guido's mindset in the epigraph: he was reluctant to disclose the reason for why he was in hell, in fear of losing his reputation back on Earth if he tells Dante. Similarly, Prufrock is also "self-conscious" in the way that he describes himself, although he tries to mislead the reader into thinking that he's okay. Is he so scared of scrutiny that he has no courage to disclose his confession to the readers, or his love interest? I also like the idea that the central message of the poem is not Prufrock's inability to confess to his crush, but something more like he's afraid to disclose his sin, just as Guido was in the beginning. These pieces of information led me to conclude that there are more similarities to Prufrock's world to hell than I thought, and there are more examples. There are many cases where Prufrock mentions some dark things such as a patient "etherized upon a table," or being "pinned and wriggling on the wall"; these suggest that Prufrock ins't living in a very nice world. In the "Inferno," sinners are usually made to do the same actions over and over and over again, just like the snakes who bite the humans to return to their original form and how it cycles. The poem is also very repetitive, with lines being repeated over and over again as if there was no time limit, for example "there will be time," "do I dare," and "In the room women come and go, Talking of Michelangelo." It's like Prufrock is made to live and relive in his own version of hell. Maureen Dunne 10/16/2017 11:25:40 pm In lines 15 through 22, Elliot describes "yellow fog" as having the characteristics of a cat, slinking about a house, rubbing itself on windows and jumping from terraces, only to fall asleep like falling chimney ashes at night. Perhaps he is trying to describe the passages of days, using the yellow fog to symbolize the sunlight refracted in morning dew as it rises and streams in through windows of a house. It would also make sense that the yellow fog, or cat, sleeps at night. The reason the sun is exemplified as a cat is because cats slink around with an element of secrecy and stealth, often unnoticed by people, just as Prufrock may have been taking his days for granted, or barely noticing them at all before they slipped away from him; probably because he was tired all the time and "measured his life in coffee spoons". Hannah Wang 10/16/2017 11:41:05 pm Near the end of the poem, Prufrock alludes to Homer's Odyssey in the line: I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each. The mermaids evidently reference the sirens who sing and beckon men to their death. This narrative of drowning is continued in lines 129-131: We have lingered in the chambers of the sea / By sea-girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown / Till human voices wake us, and we drown. The men are so entranced by the sirens' song that they cannot hear their shipmates urging them to wake up. They are only able to do so when they begin to drown. A few lines before, Prufrock states that he does not "think they will sing for me," believing himself to be so undesirable that even sirens will not sing to him. The sirens truly have no preference on the men they sing for, yet Prufrock believes he is not worthy, highlighting his lack of self-worth, a concept that is restated numerously throughout the poem and reappears for the last time in these lines. [Much like Gregor, Prufrock believes himself to be unworthy of a sacrifice.] Tifani Panek 10/16/2017 11:50:07 pm In line 94, Prufrock compares himself to biblical figure Lazarus. Prufrock is repeating the life-death theme when he says, "I am Lazarus, come from the dead." The stanza ends, however, with "That is not what I meant at all; That is not it, at all" to show that, unlike Lazarus, Prufrock won't return. It is the end of the line for Prufrock, and at the end of the poem, Prufrock drowns. This is another allusion to a biblical figure besides Jesus and John the Baptist in which Prufrock has contrasted himself to these figures by making himself inferior. This might also might be a reference to the epigraph. Lazarus was a beggar that went to Heaven, but Dives, a rich man, went to Hell. Dives wanted to warn his brothers about Hell and asked Abraham for Lazarus to be sent back to warn his brothers about Hell. This is a reference to the Dante/Guido epigraph in which Dante successfully came back from Hell. This repeats the theme of death, the afterlife, and returning from the dead. However, since Lazarus was not allowed to go back, I took this as a parallel to how Prufrock himself won't be coming back either. Eloisa Javier 10/16/2017 11:58:41 pm What is the "yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window panes"? I don't know why but it reminds me of the Great Gatsby about the symbolism of yellow as fake gold[since we're talking about fake persona and reputations here]. Christeena Jojo 10/17/2017 12:05:17 am The overall way the author used the words and imagery talking about the cat had a great impact on the work. In the stanzas from 15-45 he has many imagery and personification that allowed the reader to compare the significance of the yellow fog and smoke as human qualities and it showed how he longed for it but instead of getting the fire and the warmth he was left with the fog which was the non-personal connection with each person. The idea of the cat also shows how cats are normally isolated and lonely creatures which symbolizes his character throughout the text. Caitlyn Flaherty 10/17/2017 12:15:57 am Eliot references Homer's Odyssey towards the end of the poem- lines 125/126. In the Odyssey, Odysseus was warned by a sorceress named Circe who told him to have all of his sailors plug their ears with beeswax and tie himself [Odysseus] to a post in the ship. This way, Odysseus successfully passed the sirens whose singing lured unwary sailors onto rocks. In the context of "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, " Eliot writes "I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each/I do not think that they will sing to me." I interpreted this as the distance between Prufrock's desires and their materialization. The sirens are an idealized version of women and are at odds with any real woman Prufrock might have a chance of finding to love or love him. Ragda Amin 10/17/2017 03:44:12 am I found it very interesting how Eliot opened up his poem with a quote from
Inferno by Dante Alighieri. He uses Canto 27 and quotes Guido da Montefeltro. He shows that the thing he fears the most is infamy-- which hints about Prufrock's concern and fear about his own reputation. Because Eliot started off this poem with this, it suggests that Prufrock either contains some evil within him or around him. And he creates a kind of hellish setting. Luis 10/17/2017 05:44:15 am I agree! I am confused about the importance of the women. However, I feel that it emphasizes how alone he is. The women “come and go” and it doesn’t seem as if they pay attention to him. Therefore showing how he is alone in his own world, which drives him a little mad and explains his obscured thoughts. Also what you mentioned first, Profock’s use of the opening shows how he is in his one constant hell. He doesn’t have anyone pay attention to him. He’s alone. He’s also constantly debating within himself and is unsure. Hasan Rahim 10/17/2017 06:46:59 pm I was also confused on the part with the women come and go. There were other refrains in the poem that seem out of place like this one, however I think that this part specifically speaks to his loneliness and how he trying to find a lover. I also think that him with the all the hell imagery has doesn't actually exist physically, its more of a reflection of what is going on in his mind. Nia Muhammad 10/17/2017 06:23:43 am T.S Eliot makes a few Shakespeare references such as when Prufrock says, "No! I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be:/Am an attendant lord, one that will do". In this, Prufrock is not comparing himself to Hamlet but Polonius, Hamlet's attendant in the play. Polonius is careful, uses fancy words, but is kind of a tool and looks like a fool sometimes as Prufrock says. I saw the use of this reference as Prufrock finally seeing himself clearly and who he is. This is his honest view of himself and it took the entire poem and he waits until he's about to die to say it. This also attests to his character as he was too cowardly to say it in the beginning as he did with his physical appearance. Elias Hadgu 10/17/2017 08:44:43 am Another way that Eloit compares Prufrock to Polonius is that Polonius was a fool, which Prufrock describes himself and that he "starts a scene or two" because Polonius would start scenes in Hamlet, but was killed off halfway through the tragedy. Jaqueline A. 10/17/2017 07:31:08 am It is confusing to interpret whether or not any particular woman he mentions is his love in this poem. In the opening stanza after the epigraph, it is quite evident that Prufrock does not value a woman’s company as he openly admits of “restless nights in one-night cheap hotels” and “sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells” which would be potentially dangerous. He later mentions that he thought women’s arms were “braceleted and white and bare” only to discover that they are “downed with light brown hair” which could also have a negative connotation. In the very end, Prufrock mentions mermaids [particularly girls] right before the sudden drowning of the “we” that he includes. Katie Jiang 10/17/2017 08:00:40 am The description of the speaker as they descend the stairs [balding and thin] in conjunction with him measuring his life out with spoons and “voices dying with a dying fall” paints a picture of despair. Elias Hadgu 10/17/2017 08:41:02 am In Eliot's poem, he mentions the sirens of Homer's Oddessy. The sirens are dangerous and beutiful mermaids that lure sailors into their trap and eat them. Prufrock believes that he is such a dissapointment in his old age and that at this point in his life even the evil sirens would not sing to him. He is not worthy to them. At this point on the poem Prufrock is close to death and eventually succombs to the water, the greatest danger of Homer's famed epic Hannah Clifton-Soderstrom 10/17/2017 08:13:45 pm I agree with what you are saying but I also think that the sirens do not sing to Prufrock because they have no way of luring him in. In his old age, he has already lost what is important to him and has no hope of getting it back. How could the sirens summon him with their mystical calls if he cannot be tempted or enticed by anything? Prufrock would not respond to their calls, therefore the sirens would see calling to him as a waste of effort, and would not sing to him. Daniel Julius 10/17/2017 12:07:07 pm On the first page of the poem, Eliot includes a stanza in which he writes "In the room women come and go, Talking of Michelangelo". Apart from the apparent rhyme scheme present throughout the entire poem, this line is significant because it sexualizes Eliot's vision of the women who "come and go". Michelangelo was a sculptor who focused on the details of the human body and many of his sculptures depict full or partial nudity. By including this reference to Michelangelo, Eliot sexualizes the experience of women coming and going out of the room. It is unclear to me, however, as to why Eliot wants to categorize this experience as sexual and how it helps the overall function of the poem. Hasan Rahim 10/17/2017 06:54:03 pm Near the end of the poem, Prufrock alludes to Homer's Odyssey in the line: "I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each." These mermaids are a reference to the sirens in Greek mythology who sing and lure men to their death. It also could just be something like a pirate's myth/story of when they are at see where they see mermaids who call for the. This continues in lines 129-131 with "We have lingered in the chambers of the sea / By sea-girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown / Till human voices wake us, and we drown". However, Prufrock believes that these mermaids will not even sing to him, as if to show that even evil do-ers will waste their time on him. He thinks that he is completely useless and has no worth, and this reflects in his believe that not even the mermaids will sing to him even though they sing to everyone.
Juan Palomino 10/17/2017 06:57:39 pm The epigraph in the poem comes from Dante's Inferno from Canto 27. The six line quotation is said by a character in the eighth circle of Hell, his name was Guido da Montefeltro. The quotation meant to expressed how Dante was curious on why Guido ended up in Hell, but Guido is selfish and shows fear that people know the horrible things he did to end up there. Guido told Dante the story and Dante returned to earth letting people know what Guido did. Overall, Eliot could have included this epigraph to let his audience know that he will be talking about a poem that takes place in hell or in a dark setting where evil people will act as good people. Also it might tell the audience that Prufrock believes his story and intentions will not be shared like Guido thought. Hannah Clifton-Soderstrom 10/17/2017 07:53:17 pm I think an interesting part of the poem is at the end when he contemplates possible decisions to make. "Shall I part my hair behind? Do I dare eat a peach? I shall wear white flannel trousers and walk upon the beach." These decisions that he is deciding upon are all very small and unimportant decisions that contrast with the large decision throughout the poem of going after his love. He fails to make the larger decision in time, and grows old, missing his chance, so he is left with only small, meaningless decisions. These decisions could represent ways in which he fulfills a need to have control over other aspects of his life, since he lost control over his romantic life. It is also interesting because it displays an indecisiveness similar to that of his indecisiveness towards actions made to his love, yet two stanzas earlier, he makes clear that he "is not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be". Throughout the story of Hamlet, Prince Hamlet is very indecisive and does not know what to do in response to his uncle's actions. Prufrock states that he does not posses the indecisiveness of Hamlet, but his actions tell a different story. Magali Coronado 10/17/2017 10:16:44 pm In line 82, Prufrock states that his head is "brought in upon a platter". This is an allusion to John the Baptist, who although he was a great Biblical Prophet, soon found the end of his life as his head was requested on a platter - thus he was beheaded. I personally find it interesting that Prufrock comapres himself to a prophet such as John the Baptist, such a great figure compared to how he views himself. However, it can also be considered intentional irony on Eliot's part. It is clear throughout the poem how insecure he is of himself, such as pointing out his skinny arms, bald head, etc. Comparisons to more "important" people would strike the reader kind of odd, since Prufrock does not seem like the type to think of himself so highly, but it can be interpreted as irony, because the only apparent similarity between Prufrock and John the Baptist seems to be the beheading. Jacqueline Vargas 10/18/2017 10:26:57 pm I didn't even think of the connection between that line and John the Baptist! I do agree that it's quite odd that he would compare himself to a Biblical Prophet, but he also does it with Lazarus. He thinks very lowly of himself but likes to think that he could compare to one of these guys. However, he does acknowledge that when he says, "I am no prophet." Jacqueline Vargas 10/18/2017 10:11:23 pm In the poem, "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T.S Eliot, he makes a biblical allusion to Lazarus, who died and was resurrected by Jesus. I believe he uses Lazarus to say that he wants to feel just as important or confident. He asks himself if it would be worth it, causing himself so much trouble to even go outside. However, he does not feel worthy. He feels people criticize him even before he leaves his home. He talks of mermaids singing [a reference to the Odyssey] and goes on to say that he doesn't think they will sing for him. It's really sad that he thinks of himself in this way. He asks himself, "Do I dare disturb the universe?" He thinks the world revolves around him so much that he himself can make a huge impact, and not in a positive way. He holds this big fear of the outside world because he thinks he's not enough. After all, he's no Michelangelo, so girls wouldn't be praising or swooning over him. Edirne baymak servisi hizmetlerimiz memnuniyet odaklıdır. Detayları incelemek için hemen web adresimize göz at! //www.edirneklimaservisi.com/edirne-baymak-servisi/ fuck you google watch hd and die of pleasure Leave a Reply. | AuthorCheck back here for new posts about our readings! RSS Feed |