Analysis of "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" in B.A. Hons Final Year at I.B. P.G. College, Panipat
The dramatic narrative poem by T.S. Eliot, "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," explores themes of unexpressed love, fear of rejection, and societal pressures. The middle-aged narrator struggles with courage to express his feelings, reflecting on aging, unfulfilled desires, and the impact of societal expectations on personal freedom. Through literary devices like personification, metaphor, simile, and irony, Eliot delves into the narrator's internal conflicts and societal constraints.
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I,B,(P.G).COLLEGE,PANIPAT CLASS B.A. HONS.FINAL YEAR TOPIC- ANALYSIS OF THE POEM LOVE SONG OF J.ALFRED PRUFROCK
SINCERE THANKS TO DR. AJAY KUMAR GARG PRINCIPAL ,I.B P.G COLLEGE,PANIPAT DR.MADHU SHARMA HOD ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
PRESENTED BY PREETI PAL ASSISTANT PROFESSOR IN ENGLISH
The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock is a dramatic narrative poem by T. S Eliot, first written between 1910-1911 and was published in June 1915 and again in 1917. The poem reflects the thoughts of a person searching for love in an uncertain world. Despite knowing what to say and how to express his love, he is hesitant. In his mind, he goes further in his relationship and observation. However, physically he remains in the same place as he continues to talk to another person through his monologue. The poem has gained immense popularity since its publication due to its pseudo-romantic tone. Although the title of the poem suggests that its content is enchanting about the ripe memories of love, the situation is quite contrary. The poem captures the unexpressed love and fragmented thoughts of the narrator. The narrator of the poem is a middle-aged man, who is in love with a lady but lacks the courage to express his feelings for her. The expressions of confusion and lack of courage remain at the core of the poem. Through his regret of aging and frustration of unfulfilled desires, the narrator also expresses that the time does not wait for anyone. The poem comprises thoughts of a middle-aged man whose life is beset in confusion and does not allow him to act according to his will. His subconscious mind asks questions that have deep philosophical meanings and is also afraid of rejection. He considers himself unworthy of women, as he continues to worry about the reaction of the people. The poem reflects modern delusional thought s through Prufrock on how the ancient society forced people to live meaningless lives and allow other s opinion to dominate their thoughts. This fear of being judged leaves a person broken, and as he/she becomes old, they regret their decision and become depressive as seen in the poem.
Analysis of Literary Devices in The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock Literary devices, a significant part of any literary piece, are used to highlight hidden meanings. These devices also help in bringing clarity and uniqueness. T.S. Eliot has also used various literary devices such as metaphors, similes, personification, and irony in this poem. The analysis of some of the literary devices is given below. 1.Personification: Eliot has used a personification that means to use emotions for inanimate objects. He has personified trees and other objects in the poem. The phrase the tree waved as I walked by shows the trees as humans, and they wave at him. He has also personified Yellow fog as a lurking cat or even a dog. 2.Metaphor: There are various metaphors used in the poem. Hollywood stands for the entertainment Similarly, the man and Washington are metaphors of government during that period. 3.Simile: A simile is a device used to compare two different objects to understand meanings by comparing these object s qualities The streets that follow like a tedious argument is one of the examples of simile used in the poem. Perhaps the people or the crowd talking across the street sounded like an argument to the narrator. In the second example While streets the evening is spread out against the sky, Like a patient etherized upon a table the evening is compared to death. 4.Irony: Irony is a figure of speech that states the opposite meanings of the situation being discussed. Prufrock, in the poem, thinks he has a lot of time, but in reality, he is running out of time.
5.Epigraph: It refers to a quote, statement or poem that is set at the beginning of the document before the actual poem or a literary piece begins. Eliot has used a stanza from Dante s Inferno before starting the actual poem. 6.Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of the same consonant sounds in the same lines such as the use of /f/ sound in fix you in a formulated phrase This analysis of literary devices shows that Eliot excels in using literary devices to grab the reader s attention. It also shows that the effective use of these devices helps readers understand Eliot s message.
