An analysis of the imagery in T.S. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" and "The Wasteland" from the point of view of how Eliot's images developed as a personal experience.
Abstract This paper offers examples from 'The Waste Land' and 'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock'. It discusses how the brilliant poetic mind of T. S. Eliot mixes inner and outer experiences to create memorable lines that reverberate in the minds of his listeners. The seeming obscurity of Eliot's imagery is discussed as well as his "magic lantern" processing of images. The critical opinions of Cleanth Brooks help to demonstrate Eliot's creative process.
From the Paper "The poetry of T.S. Eliot is an emphatic example of how "the poet's mind is. . .a receptacle for seizing and storing up numberless feelings, phrases, images, which remain there until all the particles which can unite to form a new compound are present together" (Eliot, "Tradition and the Individual Talent" 8). These words from one of the many essays he wrote on the subject of poetic creation, show how well Eliot knew his own poetic process. Eliot is an extremely self conscious poet, delving into his process more thoroughly than other poets who are less intellectual or introspective. This paper offers examples from "The Waste Land" and "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" of how the cauldron of Eliot's poetic mind mixes inner and outer experiences to create indelible lines that reverberate in the minds of his listeners."
Abstract This paper discusses the moods and themes in two poems by T.S. Eliot: "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" and "The Journey of the Magi." It also considers how Eliot's literary techniques are used in the poems.
From the Paper "The purpose of this essay is to examine the ways that poet T S Eliot conveys moods and themes in two poems. The poems selected for analysis are The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock and The Journey of the Magi. Both the poems ..."
Abstract This paper explores an article by T.S. Eliot on poetry and language. The paper discusses Eliot's thesis that a great poet is one who makes the most of the language that is given him and explores his contention that English is the richest language for writing poetry.
From the Paper "T. S. Eliot stated that art as Goethe said is in limitation and a great poet is one who makes the most of the language that is given him. What Eliot further argues is that the truly great poet makes his language a great language."
Abstract This paper analyzes how the author T.S. Eliot evaluated the highly private life of the poet Emily Dickinson. It looks at how T. S. Eliot evaluated Dickinson as a private individual that refused to be tainted by society and literary norms within 19th century poetry.
From the Paper "This study will analyze how the author T.S. Eliot evaluated the highly private life of the poet Emily Dickinson. In her poetic career, Dickinson was a private individual who refused social contact with her neighbors. By isolating herself from the community, her inward 'eye' of the soul could focus to a greater degree on her poetry. In this manner, T. S. Eliot evaluated Dickinson as a private individual that refused to be tainted by society and literary norms within 19th century poetry. Emily Dickinson was born in 1830 and resided in Amherst, Massachusetts for all of her life. She was considered talented in her studies at Amherst Academy and Holyoke Female Seminary, forging an education that gave her the writing skills that would eventually become poetic masterpieces in American literature. "
Abstract This paper discusses how T. S. Eliot's works speak both frequently and eloquently of both personal and global despair. It is not until later in his writing career, however, when he has matured as a person and as a writer before hope becomes an aspect of that element of despair. The paper further discusses how this sense of hope comes with the return to some degree of personal comfort on Eliot's part.
From the Paper "T.S. Eliot's works offer a compelling vision of the nature of despair. This despair is evident on a personal level, as in "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," and on a global level, as in "The Wasteland." Yet his Quartets, particularly "East Coker" and "Little Gidding" speak of hope that can arise from the question of "what might have been" and the overwhelming presence of despair. It is interesting to note that as the decades progress, Eliot's works move from an internal examination of despair, to the confusion and horror that accompanied a post-World War I world, and, finally, to the hope that began to develop in the despair that was World War II. Is this change simply the work of a maturing author? Or has Eliot's point of view been shaped by a changing worldview?"
Abstract This paper discusses the life of George Eliot, novelist, who in her writings had great profound feelings and portrayals of simple lives especially women.
Tags: BIOGRAPHY / HISTORICAL, george eliot biography
Abstract This paper looks at the main male figures in T.S. Eliot's "Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" and Dostoevsky's "Notes from the Underground" and their ineffectiveness in relationships with the people around them, specifically women. The paper looks at how both of these men hide behind their fear in different ways but still manage to both ruin their lives.
From the Paper "Eliot and Dostoevsky's Pathetic Little Men In the novella Notes from the Underground by Dostoevsky and the poem "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T.S. Eliot, we see examples of the myth of the pathetic and ineffective man who is tormented by his life and relationships with women. Both of the main narrative characters of these works of literature are men who are in essence unhappy with themselves and their lives, and whose attempts at normalcy fail miserably. This is most apparent in their relationships with the women that they attempt to have interactions with, but fail because of their overwhelming unpleasantness or ineffectiveness cause by a deep and underlying lack of self worth and fear. Prufrock's narrator is a middle aged man who has realized that he is running out of time to do the things he once thought he would eventually get around to doing (Eliot 4)."
Abstract 'Waste' can mean both a dry, infertile, inhospitable place, or the failure to make productive use of one's resources. This paper examines how T.S. Eliot's poem, "The Waste Land", embodies both of each seemingly diametrically opposed concepts to describe the social, cultural and spiritual dislocation in Europe following the First World War. Although modern life and culture may be seen to suffer from exile in a land of waste, such eras may be cyclical, and his brilliant use of fragmentary allusions suggests that the best of the past may foreshadow a brighter future.
From the Paper "By setting 'Waste' off as a separate word from 'Land', Eliot suggests to the reader that the various meanings of the term are key to an understanding of his message. Rather than referring to a wasteland (in the conventional sense of "desert"), the poem instead centers on the concept of a land both of desolation and of conspicuous, indiscriminate consumption, a land whose resources are not utilized but rather discarded on a purulent cultural garbage dump. The rich allusions within the poem both contrast and relate these seemingly opposed concepts. The first segment, 'Burial of the Dead', introduces the theme of the turning of the seasons, and more importantly, the theme of cyclical regeneration. In nature, waste is irrelevant. Although death occurs in all forms of life, the bodies of the dead furnish the hope of renewal to other living creatures. "
Abstract This paper analyzes the poem, "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock", by T.S. Eliot in relation to the theme of alienation and self-preservation. By actively analyzing the poetic details of this abstract relationship to the world that Prufrock possesses, one can realize his inherent sense of fear and timidity toward women. This sense of romantic fear manifests itself in poor negative images, which the narrator constantly brings forth.
From the Paper "By understanding how Prufrock lives within a harsh and cruel urban environment, it becomes clear that this is not the only reason why the narrator feels alienated from other people. By realizing the issue of self-preservation as a means to protect oneself from the hardships of life or in risk taking, Prufrock is utterly hopeless in that he cannot make himself vulnerable to human relationships. In essence, the theme of alienation has many parallel depths in regards to self-preservation that will be analyzed within the poetic study."
Abstract This is a broad overview of T. S. Eliot's poetry over the course of his life. It argues that a metaphysical premise can be used to understand the progression of his writing from "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" to "the quartets," with "The Waste Land" strategically placed in between. In short, he progresses from the notion that we are fundamentally isolated to the idea that some truth of forms exists.
From the Paper "The great writers of the early twentieth century can all be analyzed through the lens of modernity; in other words, it is safe to say that all of the modernist writers handled the issues and troubles associated with the new knowledge, new technology, new psychology, and new worldviews that exploded onto the world stage in the first few decades of the century. Of course, their reaction to these drastic social changes varied considerably. Some reveled in the new changes and stored in them their hopes for a better world, while others spastically revolted from the degradation and replacement of the old social order. "
Abstract The paper discusses Eliot's work as it matured over the span of his lifetime. "Prufrock" was an earlier poem, and the writer argues that according to Eliot's own definition of maturity, this poem might be deemed immature by the author himself. According to the writer, "Prufrock" lacks the qualities a mature Eliot himself deemed essential for any great work.
From the Paper "Just as Prufrock is impotent to formulate his universe-disturbing proclamation, Eliot lacks the artistic maturity for his written language to surpass sensory experience and evoke a definition of the spiritual realm that his persona seeks. Where Prufrock meets social restraints, whether they be actual encounters with women who fritter away their days with superficial talk of artists or imagined confrontations with people who dismiss him because of his appearance, Eliot encounters the shortcomings of undeveloped talent along with unrealized egotism, despite his gift and ambition. Once again, the mature Eliot's "Tradition and the Individual Talent" illustrates what we can consider Eliot's hindsight, or self-criticism of ?Prufrock:?"
Tags: maturity, poetry, language, experience, artist
Abstract This paper details the plot and main characters in Eliot's poem which revolves around J. Alfred Prufrock's pursuit of love. The writer analyzes Eliot's creative writing style while stressing that the poet intentionally delivers an irregular rhyme pattern in this particular work. This paper contains various quotes from the actual poem in which the writer of this paper attempts to understand Eliot's initial intent. The writer clearly explains the manner in which Eliot was able to effectively communicate the feelings of a man desperately searching for the understanding of what he considers to be a worthless and hopeless existence.
From the Paper "Eliot hints at the trivial nature of Prufrock's problems throughout the poem. Prufrock says "I have measured out my life in coffee spoons." This does not seem like a justifiable means of evaluating one's life. This seems to be the basis of the poem, Prufrock is a man who over analyses his life and his actions as a result of fear and insecurity. He abandons rationality and places more weight on situations than necessary. Prufrock is unsure if he will be able "to force the moment to crisis" which is understandable, but he ponders this over "tea and cakes and ices," this is not the most strenuous setting. He questions whether his approach would have been "worth it after all" but he considers this while thinking about " the cups, the marmalade and the tea". He says he has "wept and fasted and wept and prayed" over his predicament."
Abstract In this article, the writer analyzes the portrayal of nineteenth century England in George Eliot's work, "Middlemarch" and notes that George Eliot uses a mixture of optimism and pessimism to portray human nature. The writer maintains that Eliot's goal was to create an image of ordinary human life with all its complexities. The writer then points out an optimistic aspect of "Middlemarch", that all the characters seem to marry for love, as well as a pessimistic aspect of 'Middlemarch', that it reveals how our human nature can be dramatically altered by money. The paper further relates that 'Middlemarch' expresses how it is embedded in human nature to put social expectations onto others and to look down at those of a lower class and that it is also human nature to join a community. The writer concludes that 'Middlemarch' represents the spirit of nineteenth century England through its characters.
From the Paper "In 'Middlemarch' money often expresses an element of a characters personality. The plot moves forward while everyone is looking and asking for money where ever they can. Lydgate builds up serious debt due to his failure to manage money. Fred Vincy is not shy to ask several people for money. On the other hand, Mary Garth's refusal to take money from the dying Featherstone proves that some people still have a good honest nature.
"Eliot expresses an extremely pessimistic view of humanity with the theme of debt and money throughout 'Middlemarch'. Money can change the best of people. When Lydgate abruptly falls in love with Rosamond his life begins to go downhill. Marriage ruins Lydgate financially and idealistically, which then changes his personality. He begins to feel bitterness towards Rosamond, the women he once loved. His financial problems at home lead to problems in his profession and the scandal with Raffles death sees Lydgate as an accomplice to murder."
An analysis of how T.S. Eliot's poems, "The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock" and "The Wasteland's The Burial of the Dead", are examples of modernist poetry.
1,354 words (approx. 5.4 pages), 0 sources, 2008, $ 45.95
Abstract This paper discusses how, straying from the earlier romanticizing of 19th century existence, modernist poets, including T.S Eliot, attempted to critique the lifestyle of early 20th century western civilization. In particular, the paper looks at how Eliot's poems, "The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock" and "The Wasteland's The Burial of the Dead", depict the negative perception that Eliot had of his society. It examines how, through both the verse and poetic techniques such as fragmentation, Eliot conveys his personal belief of the demise of the upper and lower social classes of 'modern' society through criticism, prophecy and the re-examination of individual existence.
From the Paper "In 1915, Eliot published 'Prufrock and other observations', immediately suggesting the critical nature that his poetry was to undertake. Eliot's poetry is a compilation of observations and the manner in which he collaborated his poetry is further indication into the criticism that Eliot had of his society. Throughout 'The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock', this technique of criticism elaborated by the use of fragmentation is evident through the absence of a poetic flow and continual themes that carry through the entire poem. This fragmentation is further portrayed through reference to several unrelated art and literature figures such as Michelangelo, Dante and Lazarus and unrelated passages of thought such as the reference to mermaids at the end of the poem The common perception of Eliot's writing style being a 'collage' of thoughts and opinions is central to both his personal addition to his poetry and to the Modernist perception. "
Abstract This paper discusses the poem by T. S. Eliot, "The Hollow Men" that contemplates the idea of how life would end and what the fate of man is when he dies. The author believes that, all throughout the poem, Eliot uses lines that depict hopelessness and emptiness in one's life. The paper concludes by comparing the theme of life and death in T. S. Eliot's "The Hollow Men" with "Faust" by Goethe, the legend of "Beowulf" and "Hamlet" by William Shakespeare.
From the Paper Meanwhile, the legend of ?Beowulf and the play "Hamlet" are contrast views of Eliot and Goethe's perception of the meaning of life and the death of man in the world. In "Beowulf", it is imperative that the character die nobly and courageously, which is a generalized perception of how life should be led by mortals. Although Beowulf has extraordinary powers, he is still a mortal subject to death afterwards. Death is an honor for the legend of Beowulf, and a meaningful life is needed in order also to lead a meaningful existence in the afterlife. Hamlet, meanwhile, discusses death and its meaning in the initial and latter part of the play. The first discussion of death is through the ghost of King Hamlet, whose soul cannot enter heaven because he was not able to confess when he suddenly died because he was murdered by his brother Claudius.
