Poetry: Sex and Love

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that, in T.S. Eliot's poem "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" and Brand New's song lyrics "Sic Transit Gloria... Glory Fades", the main characters discover the psychological and emotional strife of sex and love. The author points out that both characters chose a path that they believe will lead to love, but each discovers that he chose the wrong path. The paper relates that the boy in "Sic Transit Gloria" chose to take his relationship with a girl to the next level because he believes that it is time to grow up and get serious; however, he ends up being a victim of sex with no meaning. The paper suggests that Eliot's Prufrock, who believes his chances at love are diminishing quickly, uses his self-doubt as a defense mechanism.

From the Paper:

"The two characters are searching for love, but they make the mistake of looking for the idea of love, rather than the right women to love. Prufrock is fixated on a group of women that he knows he can't have, ignoring the fact that they have nothing in common. If Prufrock were to instead search for a woman who would effortlessly accept him, he would be more successful in finding love. The boy in the song does not search at all, instead he starts backwards: beginning with a sexual relationship rather than an emotional bond. Roger Mitchell describes the character of Alfred Prufrock and T.S. Eliot's similar characters."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Brand New. "Sic Transit Gloria... Glory Fades. Deja Entendu." All Night Chemist Music, 2003.
• Cummings, Michael J. "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock." Cummings Guides. 10 Apr. 2008 <http://www.cummingsstudyguides.net/Guides3/Prufrock.html#Top>.
• Eliot, Thomas Sterns. "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock." Literature: A Portable Anthology. Ed. Janet E. Gardner, et al. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2004. 525-529.
• Esty, Jed. "On "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"." Modern American Poetry. University of Illinois. 10 Apr. 2008 <http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/a_f/eliot/prufrock.htm>.
• Hecimovich, Gregg A. "T.S. Eliot: The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock." Vanderbilt Courses and Projects. Vanderbilt University. 10 Apr. 2008 <http://www.vanderbilt.edu/AnS/english/English151W-03/prufrock.htm>.

More papers on Poetry: Sex and Love:

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• Comparison Essay # 74587 : "The Treatment of Love by Dacre and Byron"
• Analytical Essay # 9789 : "Pain Transformed by Humor and Poetry"

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