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U5 Lovesong Eliot Se-1
U5 Lovesong Eliot Se-1
T. S. Eliot 1888–1965
When he was alive, T. S. Eliot was one of Monroe of Poetry magazine. In 1915, Eliot’s
the most influential poets in the English- masterpiece “The Love Song of J. Alfred
speaking world. His invention of new Prufrock” appeared in Poetry. That same
poetic rhythms, forms, and themes had year, Eliot married Vivien Haigh-Wood, an
did you know? an enormous impact on other writers and Englishwoman. Struggling to make a living
T. S. Eliot . . . helped usher in a new era in poetry. Eliot, as a writer, Eliot worked as a teacher, a bank
• was also an acclaimed remarked the composer Igor Stravinsky, clerk, and finally as an editor.
playwright. was “not only a great sorcerer of words, but
Breakthroughs in Poetry The 1917
• wrote the book the very key keeper of the language.”
publication of Eliot’s first book, Prufrock
that inspired the A Lover of Philosophy Eliot grew up in St. and Other Observations, signaled a distinct
musical Cats. Louis, Missouri, in a household steeped break with the past. Using colloquial
• won the Nobel Prize in culture and tradition. His mother, speech laced with slang, Eliot created a
in literature in 1948. Charlotte Champe Stearns, was an amateur new, highly original poetic diction. He
poet, and his father, Henry Ware Eliot, also explored new poetic themes, such as
was a successful businessman with New the splendors and horrors of modern life
England roots. Eliot received a broad and the effects of alienation. With the
education, studying at Milton Academy appearance of The Waste Land in 1922,
and Harvard University. After earning Eliot’s reputation was solidified. In this
both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from poem, Eliot articulated the disgust and
Harvard, Eliot continued his studies in disillusionment felt by his generation in
philosophy at the Sorbonne in Paris and the wake of World War I, as well as
then back at Harvard. However, he never its longing for meaning in a chaotic,
studies. While
completed those studie sometimes frightening, world.
fellowship
on a traveling fe
Inspired by Religion Though a pioneer
in Europe, he met the
in poetry, Eliot became increasingly
Pound, who
poet Ezra Po
conservative in his personal views.
encouraged Eliot’s
Struggling with anxiety over his domestic
ambitions.
poetic amb
troubles, he joined the Church of England
Suc
Literary Success in 1927 and embraced its traditional pieties.
help Eliot
Pound helped In his later collections, Ash Wednesday
gain entry into
in (1930) and Four Quartets (1943), he used
London’s avant-garde
avan poetry to stress the significance of accepting
circle of writers,
writer and religious discipline.
he introduced Eliot’s
poetry to Harriet
H
Author Online
Go to thinkcentral.com. KEYWORD: HML11-968B
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literary analysis: stream of consciousness
Modern poets explored many ways of breaking free from
the standard conventions of poetic form and even content,
What is
alienation?
changing the nature of both narrative and lyric poetry. One of
the most dramatic breaks from convention in the modern era
was the development of stream of consciousness. Used by both
poets and fiction writers, this technique presents a sometimes
So many of us know the feeling of
chaotic flow of images and ideas, meant to represent the
standing at the edge of a party, wanting
unfiltered thoughts of the speaker or protagonist. “The Love
to join but having no idea what to say
Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” is a dramatic monologue in which
or do. Everyone else is having more
Prufrock, the speaker, addresses a silent listener with a tumble
fun, making better jokes, or wearing
of associative thoughts, allusions, and daydreams.
nicer clothes. And it’s all the worse if
And indeed there will be time you are hoping to approach the object
For the yellow smoke that slides along the street of your affections; do you even stand a
Rubbing its back upon the window-panes chance? In this poem, J. Alfred Prufrock
approaches a party with a similar sense
As you read the poem, try not to be put off by the nonsensical
of alienation. Full of dread and self-
nature of the verse, but be alert to any feelings or ideas that
doubt and fearful of female rejection,
the images seem to suggest.
he wonders whether he dares to step in
reading strategy: summarize stanzas and draw attention to himself.
The difficult thing about reading stream of consciousness is QUICKWRITE Create a list of images
figuring out how to connect seemingly unrelated ideas. A that suggest alienation or isolation to
writer will often jump from one thought to the next without you. They could be explicit, such as that
any clear transition. Fortunately, Eliot has done us the favor of a person hesitating at the edge of a
of grouping his thoughts in stanzas. If you read the stanzas group, or implicit, such as the image of a
closely, you will notice that each one expresses a fairly lonely window lit in the darkness.
coherent idea. Once you summarize and identify the central
idea or image of each stanza, you will have an easier time
tracing the arc, and the sense, of the entire poem.
As you read, record your summary of each stanza in a chart
like the one shown. Some stanzas have only two or three lines;
in these cases, don’t worry about providing a summary as
much as a brief description of the central idea or image.
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The Love Song of
J. Alfred Prufrock
T. S. Eliot
15 The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes,
The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window-panes,
Licked its tongue into the corners of the evening,
Lingered upon the pools that stand in drains,
Let fall upon its back the soot that falls from chimneys,
I should have been a pair of ragged claws 73–74 I should . . . silent seas: Here
Scuttling across the floors of silent seas. Prufrock presents an image of
himself as a crayfish.
• • • • •
75 And the afternoon, the evening, sleeps so peacefully!
Smoothed by long fingers,
Asleep . . . tired . . . or it malingers, 77 malingers (mE-lGngPErz): pretends
StretchedText
on thenot available
floor, for electronic
here beside you and me.use. illness in order to avoid duty or work.
Comprehension
1. Recall What social situation does Prufrock reflect upon in this poem?
READING 3 Understand the
structure and elements of poetry.
2. Recall How does he feel about this situation? Analyze the effects of metrics, rhyme
schemes, and other conventions in
3. Clarify What is Prufrock’s primary feeling about himself? American poetry. RC-11(A) Reflect
on understanding to monitor
Literary Analysis
comprehension.
4. Synthesize Summaries Review the summaries and central ideas you recorded
as you read. Now, viewing this series of ideas as a narrative with a conflict, a
climax, and a resolution, write a summary of Prufrock’s internal journey.
5. Examine Poetic Devices Review Eliot’s use of repetition and rhyme in lines
23–34. Explain how these devices are used to convey Prufrock’s sense of anxiety.
6. Analyze Stream of Consciousness In the final lines of the poem (lines 122–
131), Prufrock offers his final reflection. For each of the following passages,
offer an explication, or careful analysis. What does each group of lines
suggest about Prufrock’s sense of himself and his place in the world?
What resonating idea are we left with at the poem’s end?
• lines 120–121 (“I grow old . . . trousers rolled.”)
• lines 122–123 (“Shall I part . . . walk upon the beach.”)
• lines 124–125 (“I have heard the mermaids . . . sing to me.”)
• lines 126–131 (“I have seen them riding seaward . . . and we drown.”)
7. Evaluate Form and Content Consider the feelings and ideas that Eliot was
trying to express; in what way can the stream of consciousness technique be
said to reflect these ideas? Explain whether or not you think this technique
is effective, citing evidence.
Literary Criticism
8. Critical Interpretations Literary critic Donald R. Fryxell wrote, “Prufrock is
a trimmer . . . trimmers were those souls in Dante’s Inferno who were
condemned to the vestibule of hell because they had never really lived,
although they were supposedly alive. . . . The Trimmers were lifeless,
spiritless, mindless people.” Do you agree or disagree with this statement?
Give evidence from the text to support your answer.
What is alienation?
The narrator in “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” sees himself as set
apart from the crowd. His self-conscious ruminations reflect a profound
fear of rejection. Whom or what might he fear? Have you ever had similar
feelings of alienation? Explain.
Modernist Style
While there is no one thing that makes a poem “modern,” most
modernist literature does share some defining features.
Features of Modernism:
• nontraditional subject matter and themes
• a focus on alienated individuals rather than heroes
• use of understatement and irony to reveal emotions and ideas
• use of symbols and images to suggest meaning
• experimentation with style and language
Writing to Synthesize
Review the poems beginnning on page 922 to get a feel for how
they incorporate the features of modernism. Then write your own
poem in the modernist style.
Consider
• what your poem will be about (remember that traditional Extension
themes, such as love, were rejected or reinterpreted by the LISTENING & SPEAKING
modernists) Choose a more traditional poem
• whether your poem will feature a speaker, and what he or she from Units 1–4, such as Poe’s
will be like “The Raven,” and modernize
• how to use understatement or irony to bring out emotions it. Rewrite two stanzas of the
poem as a modernist poet might,
• what symbols or images might best convey your meaning
using the features of modernism
• whether you wish to experiment with language or style as a guideline. Then recite your
stanzas for your classmates, and
discuss the techniques you used
to “update” the poem. You may
need to write out your stanzas
on poster board to show how
you manipulated line length,
stanza form, capitalization and
punctuation, or other elements
of style.
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