- The poem opens, “Let us go then, you and I….” Whom do you think the speaker is addressing here?
- What is Prufrock’s relationship to time? How can you tell?
- Look at the description of the yellow smoke in the second and third stanzas of the poem. What do you make of this description?
- “I have measured out my life with coffee spoons,” laments Prufrock. What do you think this line means?
- Describe the overall mood of the poem. What feelings does it leave you with?
- In the final lines of the poem, the speaker shifts from “I” to “We.” How do we explain this shift?
T.S. Eliot, “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”
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Describe the overall mood of the poem. What feelings does it leave you with?
The poem “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” is filled with symbolism and imagery of uncertainty and explores the themes of fearing aging, death, and insecurity. The overall mood of this poem is melancholy. Prufrock talks about his own fears of feeling trapped in a cycle of self doubt and it haunted by his own morality and the speed of time. This poem has a feeling of empathy for Profrock and is a reminder of the human condition and universal struggles that everyone faces in their lives and are searching for connections and meaning of everything in this world.
What is Prufrock’s relationship to time? How can you tell?
Prufrock’s relationship with time is a strange one. It’s depressing, somewhat realistic, and without confidence. He realizes his time is fleeting, he even acknowledges becoming bald. He spends a great deal of time wondering if he should do what he wants/needs to do, rather than just doing it. “Do I dare?” being repeated through the story shows that he is going back and forth on making a decision. His relationship to time is understanding it is limited, yet almost treating it like it is never ending.
Hello Mitchell,
I agree with you. All those words you mentioned above show what a real procrastinator Prufrock is. We see that he has a tendency to hesitate when making decisions and he is scared of taking risks. This fact is clearly shown through his questioning himself if he should dare. Overall, I also think that Prufrock’s relationship with time is a strange one. Maybe it’s age or maybe it has been the same for him even in his youth, but here in this text he and time seem to have a very troubled relationship.
“I have measured out my life with coffee spoons,” laments Prufrock. What do you think this line means?
I think this line means that throughout his life has consisted of decisions that are carefully thought out and managed. If we think literally about this phrase, measuring the size of coffee spoons can show that he is precise about how chose to live his life. In the poem, we can see that he is unsure about committing to certain actions and shows that he is in fact undecisive because of how controlled he is used to being. In addition to that, I think it can also be a way of Prufrock telling us that his life was also uneventful due to his correctness.
-What is Prufrock’s relationship to time? How can you tell?
Throughout the text, we can notice how everything revolves around a feeling of anxiety, and melancholy for his physical appearance. Many times he mentions, “I grow old… I grow old” and he does so if he could go back to relive life to the fullest without wasting any moments and with no regrets. A very thoughtful writer as can be seen in the line where he says, “I have seen the moment of my grandness flicker,” He knows that he is getting old and a part of him doesn’t accept it, he doesn’t accept losing his hair, losing his pants, “I will wear the bottom of my pants rolled up.” I think the writer wanted to leave a message to his readers, and from my point of view, I think I grabbed the advice that we shouldn’t waste time thinking about the opinions of others.
Describe the overall mood of the poem. What feelings does it leave you with?
The overall mood of The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock is melancholic and left me feeling pensive. In this poem the Narrator is not sad, but he is wondering a lot about his life and touches on themes of aging, loneliness and life passing us by. Prufrock wonders if he has taken enough risks “do i dare”, but also doesn’t seem to take opportunities when they present themselves currently such as not going back and talking to the ladies he passes by because of his insecurities. This poem left me feeling pensive as well. Pensive about making sure life doesn’t pass me by and to take the right risks.
Look at the description of the yellow smoke in the second and third stanzas of the poem. What do you make of this description?
The yellow fog/smoke was the first thing that caught my eyes. Especially in the second stanza, the smoke was described as if it were some sort of living creature. Considering the fact it was used in statements that gives off an eerie feeling, I think the yellow smoke might be representing a sort of impending danger or threat just waiting to come inside. However, I’m not sure exactly as to what type of danger it could be. Could it possibly be death or something else? In the third stanza, he’s saying although there is a threat and danger, there is still time. This part makes me think although there is the threat of time running out, for now, it is still there.
The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” carries a sort of depressing and uneasy mood throughout the poem. Throughout the poem, the narrator is constantly questioning if he ever made the right decisions in life. It left me feeling angry and anxious in a way because the narrators feeling of regret and constant wondering if they ever made the right decision in life is something that i fear to experience .
What is Prufrock’s relationship to time?
Prufrock’s relationship to time almost seems like a slow ticking bomb ready to implode in a way that he know’s that he is running out of time to do things he want. Prufrock acknowledges that he is aging and time is catching up, but also reminds himself that he has enough time to do things. This dilemma creates an infinite loop of him being confident and doubtful of the time he has left in his life. This makes me think that Prufrock knows the truth and he is in denial of the time that he has wasted in his life. Unfortunately his denial to do things right away is what keeps him to waste that time and before he knows it, his life will have fulfilled nothing.