Poetry Analysis Essay on "Love Song of Alfred Prufrock"

Introduction

The Love Song of Alfred Prufrock was written in 1910/11 but was not until 1915 when it was published in the journal Poetry that the name Alfred Prufrock appeared in the poem. Many people considered the poem a radical shift from the decorous accepted verses of the time. It helped kickstart the age of modernism. Modernism, according to Dugan from the University of Toledo, is a movement in literature that started in the early 20th century to rebel against, "clear cut story-telling and formulaic verse from the 19th century," (Dugan par. 1). The modernist writers adopted freestyle storytelling that followed no particular format. The Love Song by Alfred Prufrock is among the works of literature that exemplifies the modernist movement. As a result, Eliot's poem relates to the modernist movement through its self-consciousness, verses, disillusionment, and the theme of reinvention.

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Eliot's The Love Song of Alfred Prufrock relates to modernism through its self-consciousness. Eliot begins his poem by saying, "Let us go then, you and I,"(line 1). The poet also concludes his first verse by saying, "Let us go and make our visit," (line 12). The focus on the self in the first verse sets the theme for the rest of the poem as the author remains focused on the person. By focusing on the self, the poem shows the attributes of the modernist movement that was taking place at the time. Industrialization had led to the rise of cities. People were continuously moving from rural areas to urban centers. Also, there was immigration which brought a massive influx of people. In all these events, poets became isolated and out of touch with the rest of the world (Reference par.1). Their focus on self is an attempt by them to regain their sense of belonging and identity by creating a safe space for themselves. Poets decided to retreat to themselves as a way of seeking solace from the activities around them. Also, the focus on self is also stemming from loneliness. Loneliness is a significant theme in the poem. The main character, Alfred, seems to think that time is running out for him. He wants to go out to find love but lacks the confidence to say it. Alfred is an isolated man and requires love which would have been the only thing that connects him to the rest of the world. The fact that he is focused on self shows the root of the problem. The theme of loneliness and isolation is common among modernist poems because of the lack of connectedness that came with industrialization and urbanization. The increased population in cities caused people to seek more personal space that they found in themselves. Therefore, Eliot's poem relates to modernism through its focus on self.

Second, the poem relates to modernism through its verses. Earlier poems placed special focus on language where the verses had to follow a certain set of rules or regulations. However, the modernist movement rejected these provisions and instead advocated for free-flowing verses. The verses in Eliot's poem lacks any form of rhythm or formula that would have otherwise placed it among Romanticism. Arbiter says, "the word "free" smacks of the license which is at the foundation of all modernistic and degenerate art, both artistic and moral license," (508). That quote that freedom is at the heart of the modernist movement. But that doesn't mean that Eliot's poem is devoid of rhyme. In the poem, the reader comes across slant rhymes such as,"street/meet," "create/plate," "dare/stare/hare," "room/presume," (Eliot, lines 23-67). Also, Arbiter implies that the free-flowing nature of modernist poetry is not restricted to artistry or literary techniques. The freedom extends to other avenues such as the storyline topics. Modernist considered Romanticism as quite restrictive in that the poems from the era would only follow a particular set of moral guidelines. The entry of modernism coincided with other events such as Charles Darwin's theory of evolution getting significant attention and other scientific, philosophical school that were destroying the foundations of a religion that had prevailed in the society until them. People started doubting the tenets of religion, and that doubt spread to the world of literature. Many poets felt like they did not have to abide by the moral code of the previous world and chose to publish literary works that defied those principles. Because of its restrictive nature, modernists viewed romanticism as outdated. They considered it as impractical in the modern world. Those who chose to adopt modernism wanted to create literature that was free of the rules and one that didn't have to abide by those set of rules as shown by Eliot's Love Song of Alfred Prufrock.

Another feature of modernism that is present in the poem is disillusionment. According to Beebe, "modernism was essentially a time of crisis"(1068). As a result, many people were undergoing a time of emotional and mental conflict. The first World War had just started, and people were uncertain of what to make of their life. For countries in Europe, they had no way of telling if they will have a future because of the raging war. As a result, many of the poems from the time show some form of disillusionment. Eliot's poem shows various instances of disillusionment. In the poem, there is the line that says, "Of lonely men in shirt-sleeves, leaning out of windows?.." (Eliot line 74). Also, there are also words such as "tired" "crisis" "wept" and "afraid" in one of the verses hence giving it a dark tone (Eliot lines 77-88). Such phrases and words give the reader an image of a man in crisis. A person who has just discovered that something is not as good as they thought it would be. The poem, therefore, relates to modernism through the disillusionment of Alfred Prufrock. Modernist tend to think of the 20th century as a disappointing time as the world jumped from one crisis to the next. First, there were the wars then the economic crisis that made life difficult for most of the people including the poets themselves. They viewed these turmoils as evidenced by the failure of the previous system such as, therefore, calling for a new strategy.

Eliot's poem relates to modernism through its focus on reinvention. Eliot's poem captured the changes that were taking place during the age of innovation. The class system that had defined most of the western world for centuries was collapsing, and a new order was forming. The struggles for power had begun to change the way people think and perceive the world. According to Yang, the concerns of modernism were heavily influenced by engineering breakthroughs, scientific interpretations, the advent of surrealism and new physics (Yang 194). These factors meant that modernists viewed their movement as some form of reinvention. The same theme resonates through Eliot's poem. Alfred Prufrock life seems to be stalling despite being a respectable member of society. The protagonist is fully aware of the stagnant nature of his life and measures his life using coffee spoons, losing weight and hair. He requires reinvention or a fresh start but is confused about where to start. Despite being on his twilight years, he still wants to make an impact on the world. The specific words are, "disturb the universe," (Eliot line 48). Despite his ambition to make a difference, he remains nervous and in doubt of himself. He doesn't have anyone whom he could trust or turn to. The world around him is crumbling and with it comes the fragments of human sensibility. Prufrock's situation is a representation of the world at the time. He wants a fresh start, an idea that formed the foundations of modernism. Those who pushed for innovation viewed the world around them as crumbling and turned to change as a way to save their sensibility and those of the people around them from crumbling. Therefore, the recurrent theme of reinvention in Eliot's, The Love Song of A.J Prufrock, is among the factors that relate it to modernism.

Conclusion

Modernism is one of the philosophical movements that came into being as a rejection of the principles that defined the old world such as classical and traditional forms. Modernist supporters wanted a society that adheres to modern techniques and adheres to modern thought. The revolution that was taking place in the field of art spilled over to the world of literature hence creating a new form of poetry. Eliot's poem is an example of the modernist literary movementan; it has several elements to show for it. First, there is the focus on self which is present throughout the poem. The focus on self-characterized the modernist thought because the poets found themselves overwhelmed by the changes that were taking place around them and therefore retreated to themselves. Second, there are the free verses which allowed Eliot to play with the words and story as he wished. Modernist poetry abandoned the romanticism that was overly focused on language and rhyme by requiring the poets to adhere to a specific set of poetry rules. The third element is the disillusionment that is present in the poem. Disappointment is one of the factors that led to the modernist revolution because the poets were uncontented with the literature of the time. The fourth peace in the theme of reinvention as evidenced by the protagonist Alfred. Alfred seeks to reinvent himself by finding love and the same happened to the modernist supporters who wanted to reinvent the way of thinking of the world. These four factors show how Eliot's Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, relates to modernism.

Works Cited

Arbiter, Petronius. "What is Poetry?" The Art World 3.6 (1918): 506-511. PDF. <www.jstor.org/stable/25588388.>.

Beebe, Maurice. "What Modernism Was." Journal of Modern Literature 3.5 (1974): 1065-1084. PDF. <https://www.jstor.org/stable/3830997>.

Dugan, Brenna. What is Modernism? 06 September 2016. Internet. 28 March 2019. <http://www.utoledo.edu/library/canaday/guidepages/Modernism2.html>.

Eliot, Thomas Stearns. "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock." Poetry (1915): Chicago. Print.

Reference. What Are the Characteristics of Modern Poetry? 2019. IAC Publishing. Website. 28 March 2019. <https://www.reference.com/art-literature/characteristics-modern-poetry-5c1a548d1fc6b303>.

Yang, Jincai. "Science, Technology and Literature." Journal of Modern Literature 42.1 (2018): 192-196. PDF. <https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2979/jmodelite.42.1.14>.