Login Create Account
 
Power Your Document


Setting in "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"

A discussion on how T.S. Eliot uses setting to evoke mood in "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock".
1,829 words (approx. 7.3 pages) | 0 sources | 2004 | United Kingdom
Published on: Dec 17, 2004

Paper Summary:

This paper examines the poem "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" analyzes how Eliot uses setting very effectively. It investigates how every day life can be monotonous, repetitive and without meaning and how Prufrock wants to be able to experience passion and desire but is unable to do so because he feels frightened and self-conscious all the time. It shows how there is a continuous battle between his rational, public self and his real, genuine self and how he is divided.

From the Paper:

"The second and third lines shock the reader because of their unusual imagery that would be out of place in a traditional love poem, describing the setting sunlit sky as looking "like a patient etherised upon a table." This "etherised" outside world is the key to understanding all of Prufrock's views; he is afraid of the increasingly industrialised and impersonal city surrounding him, and he is unsure of what to do and afraid to commit to any particular choice of action. Paralysis is the main theme of the poem. His "love song" implies that he will never be himself outside the inferno of his own mind. This is especially seen in his indecisiveness of asking the "overwhelming question": "Oh, do not ask, "what is it?" Let us go and make our visit." The first stanza then ends with an invitation by Prufrock to join him in his travels through a city that is growing increasingly modern, while Prufrock himself is afraid, or unable, to change with it."

Cite this paper

APA Citation:

Setting in "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" (2012, April 01). Retrieved May 21, 2012, from http://www.academon.co.uk/Analytical-Essay-Setting-in-The-Love-Song-of-J-Alfred-Prufrock/54214

MLA Citation:

"Setting in "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"" 01 April 2012. Web. 21 May. 2012. <http://www.academon.co.uk/Analytical-Essay-Setting-in-The-Love-Song-of-J-Alfred-Prufrock/54214>




ATTENTION:

Your browser does not have cookies enabled.

Our shopping cart will not function properly.
Downloadable version: $ 39.95
ADD TO CART »
You will be able to download, read and edit this file once you buy this document
Shopping Cart
Currency:
AcaDemon.com is that one place
Published by:

Ellie GB
Publisher Since:
Dec 10, 2004
I have just recently completed my A-Levels, for which i received an A in Art, A in English Literature and B in Psychology. I am currently taking up a Foundation Studies course in Art and Design, but next year I will be doing a Degree in English Literature.
Seller Assistance
Share Our Success
Social
Google Plus Page YouTube Channel Podcasts on iTunes