Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how T.S. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" is a work of much complexity that can leave many seasoned readers grasping for meaning and how it makes for an interesting early introduction to literature for both its accessibility and its literary value.The paper looks at how through this poem, teachers can engage students in deciphering a literary work's importance as literature through from, importance to history through author and contribution, and importance to one's self through personal response. The paper proposes a lesson plan to address each of these areas, allowing students to use this piece of literature not only for its own value and understanding, but also as a bridge to understanding literature's place in society.

Outline:
Introduction
Teaching "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" As Poetry
Teaching "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" as History
Teaching "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" With Personal Response

From the Paper:

"To begin teaching this complex work, the teacher must begin with its form. As a poem, students are likely to feel some alienation with the work at first. Perhaps their only associations with poetry are those formed when exposed to the literary from in previous classes. Perhaps they have written angst-filled poetry and are about sensitive about the topic. They may think that poetry is hard to understand, silly, useless, or even a "disgusting" way to express "mushy" feelings. Confronted with the title of this poem, they may groan in reaction to "another love poem," but just a simple reading of "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" will show them that this is not just another silly love song. Thus, it is important to gather student reactions to or assumptions about poetry before the first initial reading. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Cummings, E.E. "Snow." Famous Poets and Poems.com. 2006-2008. 18 November 2008.
• "Compiling Collections and a Working Definition of Poetry." Read Write Think.Org. 18 November 2008. 18 November 2008. <http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=354>
• "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock Eliot, T. S.: Introduction." Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Jeffrey W. Hunter. Vol. 113. 1, 1999. eNotes.com. 2006. 18 Nov, 2008 <http://www.enotes.com/contemporary-literary-criticism/love-song-j-alfred-prufrock-eliot-t-s>

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