English 1302

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Literary Argumentative Essay- the Love song of J. Alfred Prufrock

The period of Modernism in both Europe and America remains important in the history of literature, music, and art. It revamped the existing literary thoughts and introduced new norms for literary critique, music composition and in performing arts. The historians like Childs argue about modernism dates back from pre-First World War period. He writes that the last years of the nineteenth century experienced immense creativity in almost every sphere of arts which continued till the eruption of the First World War ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"YwCcXNjl","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Childs)","plainCitation":"(Childs)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":1156,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/s8f0QVnP/items/NHFLNSI9"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/s8f0QVnP/items/NHFLNSI9"],"itemData":{"id":1156,"type":"book","title":"Modernism","publisher":"Routledge","ISBN":"1-317-39489-5","author":[{"family":"Childs","given":"Peter"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2016"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Childs). The eruption of WWI and the significant loss of human lives impacted on the thoughts of that time philosophers, their writings suggest that destruction impacted on the philosophical notions of that time writings. The subjective writings from those time suggest that the socio-political and the cultural environment was much distressed. The modernists' of those times reflected that environment of despair and dismay in their writings, music and performing art.

T.S Eliot is considered the youngest among modernist philosophers. His writings were different from the traditional writings of those times. His major work was based over the idea of creativity, love, limitless and hope. Many of his work reflected the way he thought about life in general. Born in the year 1888, he was in his early twenties when he started compiling some phenomenal literary pieces. Despite such horrific events of the early twentieth century, Eliot's literary ideas remained unique and consistent throughout. Eliot's thoughts have remained continuous throughout his literature. In his literature, he has implied many new literary techniques to grab the attention of the readers. Such use of new literary techniques has made him stand different from the philosophers of modernist times. The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by Eliot is one such fine example of his writings. In this poem, he has analyzed how an emotionally still man (introduced by him as Prufrock) can live a life so random. Prufrock is one of the finest examples of introducing an imaginary personality in literature. Eliot by referring to Prufrock makes the readers understand how to be so fastidious and calm in making decisions. A thorough read of the Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock suggests that men of today and Prufrock are almost alike as both are fastidious, indecisive and anxious.

The fastidious aspect of Prufrock personality suggests that Eliot's imagination has not remained too narrow. There are many aspects in Prufrock which makes him stand alike some normal men from those times. The name Prufrock opted by Eliot is also a proof of this fact that he wanted to not distance his character from the world around him. Boland and Strands argue that Prufrock of Eliot is more like a reflection of that time male outlook ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"01fUW2Ty","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Boland and Strand)","plainCitation":"(Boland and Strand)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":1157,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/s8f0QVnP/items/SXD6YVIK"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/s8f0QVnP/items/SXD6YVIK"],"itemData":{"id":1157,"type":"book","title":"The making of a poem: A Norton anthology of poetic forms","publisher":"WW Norton","ISBN":"0-393-32178-9","author":[{"family":"Boland","given":"Eavan"},{"family":"Strand","given":"Mark"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2001"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Boland and Strand). They argue that since before Eliot, such literary techniques were not implied by other philosophers, therefore, Prufrock might appear indifferent to many readers and critics of T. S Eliot. Prufrock has remained fast in expressing himself to others. The other characters which compliment the presence of Prufrock appear being so randomly introduced. This suggests that Prufrock might have not shared some pleasant moments with other characters. Prufrock of T.S Eliot is so attentive to the thoughts about himself in other's mind and at the same time appears so annoying to whom he admires. This all aspects of his personality suggest that Eliot has introduced Prufrock more like of a comical character rather than who admires himself being so normal. Such randomness and immatureness in Prufrock suggest that this character is so exact and fastidious.

The consciousness of Prufrock is leading him nowhere and makes him indecisive. The idea of going now where suggests that Prufrock is indecisive about matters of attention. Eliot has kept a distance in the societal suburbs of his poem and Prufrock. In many parts of the poem, Prufrock mentions ‘let us go ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"QUPqu6t3","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Eliot)","plainCitation":"(Eliot)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":1160,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/s8f0QVnP/items/86S84R6C"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/s8f0QVnP/items/86S84R6C"],"itemData":{"id":1160,"type":"book","title":"The love song of J. Alfred Prufrock","publisher":"Caedmon","author":[{"family":"Eliot","given":"Thomas Stearns"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["1970"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Eliot)’, which suggest that decisions pertaining to him have been left to decide by the readers. This also suggests that Eliot has maintained a distance between his character and the society at large. This is also where Eliot has introduced a formative juxtaposition. He invites his readers to draw a connection. The world or the society about which Prufrock is a bit indecisive is also about Catholicism and the English society. From here on Eliot presents the readers with a situation where one has to decide about the good or the worst. They do so when the choices are limited or just to appease one's inner self-knowing that the worst doing will drag them to hell. Prufrock character just adds a new dimension to what was normal in the society of that time. This indecisiveness introduced by Eliot by presenting Prufrock reveals the inescapability of humans from their choices.

Being anxious is kind of an attribute of Prufrock which is apparent from many dimensions of his personality. Eliot has introduced him to women, to society, to religion, to his self, and to the readers. The last aspect of him which remains apparent and unchanged is anxiety which drags from his actions or in some cases from his perceptions. In describing such anxious self of Prufrock, Eliot develops some situations. For example, Eliot has put him in a situation to decide about evil and good between societies and about where and whom, Prufrock wants to spend some cherished times with. Prufrock quotes ‘And I have known the eyes already, known them all ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"WsXPiueP","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Eliot)","plainCitation":"(Eliot)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":1160,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/s8f0QVnP/items/86S84R6C"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/s8f0QVnP/items/86S84R6C"],"itemData":{"id":1160,"type":"book","title":"The love song of J. Alfred Prufrock","publisher":"Caedmon","author":[{"family":"Eliot","given":"Thomas Stearns"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["1970"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Eliot)’, which shows his anxiety is stitched in somewhere inside the women surrounding him. Brown argues that this anxiety is prevalent throughout the poem because Eliot has remained too narrow in providing some options to his character. The analysis of the prevalence of anxiety suggests that Eliot takes Prufrock close to many situations. For example, he drags him close to have a sexual attraction with anyone, he makes him go toward opting between religion and being material and he provides him the option to decide about anything by either being calm or by being fastidious. These are some rungs Eliot has used to introduce the anxious nature of his character.

The poem comes to its conclusion when Prufrock is done with every option available to him. He had been fastidious and not calm, he opted for worst among the good things and he fell into the relationship with just a normal woman. This is how Eliot has compared Prufrock of his poem with the men of today's world. He has done just to make it clear that materialism is what the last resort is for many of the individuals of the society. The critics of this poem as like Brown disagree with the disorderly manner in which he has presented his ideas, but they do confirm and regard the manner in which Eliot has drawn the comparison of the men of the nineteenth century with that of today. Prufrock has almost behaved entirely as was suggested in the thesis statement above. There was the time when he appeared anxious, he kept on remained indecisive and he went after losing his chastity. This is what is relevant to this day also. The prevalent idea throughout this poem remained revealing the hidden flaws of the present men.

Works Cited:

ADDIN ZOTERO_BIBL {"uncited":[["http://zotero.org/users/local/s8f0QVnP/items/E8F9A8KR"]],"omitted":[],"custom":[]} CSL_BIBLIOGRAPHY Boland, Eavan, and Mark Strand. The Making of a Poem: A Norton Anthology of Poetic Forms. WW Norton, 2001.

Brown, Alistair. “A Metaphorical Analysis of The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by TS Eliot.” Accounting Forum, vol. 42, Taylor & Francis, 2018, pp. 153–65.

Childs, Peter. Modernism. Routledge, 2016.

Eliot, Thomas Stearns. The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. Caedmon, 1970.