Love Songs By Prufrock And Preludes By Eliot Essays - Chapbooks

Love Songs By Prufrock And Preludes By Eliot Both Prufrock and Preludes are based in the same rootless world of sordid tedium. In Prufrock Eliot is conveying a theme a strong theme and is based heavily in the Persona of Prufrock himself. Preludes is a poem of changing moods, some subtle, some profound but this time conveyed primarily through diction and repetition. One theme of Eliot's, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, is the exposure of the modern individual's inability and refusal to address inadequacies that he sees in both him and his society. Two ways Eliot conveys his theme is through the persona of Prufrock and repetition . One method used by Eliot to expose this theme is his use of the persona of J Alfred Prufrock. Prufrock is in part a shallow conformist, 41 ....My morning coat, my collar mounting firmly to the chin, 42 My necktie rich and modest, but asserted by a simple pin- 43 (They will say: ?But how his arms and legs are thin!')...... However, almost tragically, Eliot has Prufrock aware of the shallowness of the society to which he conforms. 26 There will be time, there will be time 27 To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet. Prufrock observes his society's ability to totally disregard any question of substance, that is, the "overwhelming" questions. Yet despite his observations Prufrock is not prepared to confront his society, more importantly, himself. In deeper tragedy Prufrock is defeated by his knowledge of his inadequacies and states quite sincerely, "And in short, I was afraid" Two of the minor themes of ?The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock' concern the frustrations felt by the individual towards their society. Specifically the individuals insignificance in their society and the individuals inability to express themselves and be understood as an individual within that society. Repetition plays a crucial role in conveying the theme of insignificance. The repetition of, "They will say:..", conveys Prufrock's feeling of insignificance and reveal a man totally absorbed in the judgments of others and not at all concerned with his worth as an individual. Eliot's repetition of "Do I dare?" within the sixth stanza emphasises Prufrock's feeling of insignificance. "Do I dare/ Disturb the universe?" Despite the superficial judgments his society passes on him, Prufrock is still hesitant in speaking out against their empty lives. Prufrock is an extraordinary character and one who, despite his struggles, could easily erode into a world content with the futile pleasures of the society he scorns. Preludes is a series of four lyrics describing a modern city. The poem moves through four different time periods, beginning with one evening and continuing though to the following evening. Through these lyrics Eliot conveys the impression of a life that is soul destroying and meaningless. Preludes is used to explore the theme of the alienation of the individual from society. The mood is integral to understanding Eliot's vision. It is the moods of desolation and despair, loneliness and struggle, affection and gentle care that reflects Eliot's observations of the individual alienated from society. These moods are conveyed throughout the careful use of diction, imagery and repetition. Prelude I begins with an attractive, familiar setting, a winter evening. This however is short lived as we are immediately confronted with a decaying, suffocating world, 2 With smells of steaks in passageways... 4 The burnt-out ends of smoky days. Eliot creates a mood of desolation and loneliness through diction and imagery. The precise use of descriptive words compose this very mood. Words such as, "burnt out", "gusty", "grimy", "vacant", "broken", and "lonely", help set the mood for the remainder of the poem. In Prelude II the poem shifts to morning, but instead of the freshness and optimism normally associated with such a time, the morning is depicted, like a drunk awakening on the footpath, as coming "to consciousness", vague and unsure of itself. Eliot creates a mood of desolation through sense-imagery: 14 The morning comes to consciousness 15 Of faint stale smells of beer 16 From the sawdust-trampled street... Eliot's repetition of ?all' and use ?a thousand' in his description of the masses as an anonymous herd the impersonal mood of emptiness. While through imagery Eliot develops a mood of despair and meaninglessness, the robotic movements of the occupance of rented apartments lift ?dingy shades'. 17 With all its muddy feet that press 18 To early coffee-stands. 21 ....One think of all the hands 22 That are raising dingy shades 23 In a thousand furnished rooms. In Prelude III the poem narrows its perspective