T.S. Eliot

Read "Preface to Some Imagist Poets" by Amy Lowell. Pay particular attention to the six rules Lowell sets out for Imagist poetry. As we read other Imagist poetry, consider whether each poem follows these rules.

T.S. Eliot, "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" (657 or follow this link)

• Read the poem twice. The first time, try to get a sense of the events Prufrock narrates as he moves through the streets, occasionally distracted by other thoughts or sights. The second time, pay particular attention to the references and figurative language Eliot includes. What purpose do these serve?
• How does the famous simile in lines 2-3 reveal that the speaker's mind or will is paralyzed?
• What is the speaker inviting someone to do in lines 1-12? What is suggested by the images of the place they are going to travel through?
• In lines 15-25, we have one of the most famous extended metaphors in modern poetry. What is being indirectly compared to what? How many details extend the metaphor?
• The self-consciousness of the speaker is nowhere more evident than in lines 37-44. What do you think he is self-conscious and worried about in these lines?
• What does line 51 imply about the way Prufrock has lived? What other measuring devices would suggest a different kind of life?
• How are the setting and people described in lines 70-72 different from those familiar to Prufrock? What might this experience with another segment of city life tell us about Prufrock?
• In lines 73-74, the speaker creates a metaphor to dramatize pointed his alienation from the rest of the world. Can you explain why Prufrock thinks he should have been a clawed creature on the floor of the sea?
• Read lines 120-125 closely. Explain how the speaker sees his role in life. Do you think he has overcome his doubts?
• In lines 125-128, the speaker thinks that the mermaids are indifferent to him, yet he is held by this romantic vision. Why might he be so fascinated by these mythological creatures, and what might they represent for him? Why does he believe they will not sing to him?
• By means of paraphrase, restate the meaning of lines 129-131. When "human voices wake us," what do we "drown" in?
• Think about this poem as a journey, a quest that begins with an invitation to join the man who makes it. In your opinion what has the journey led us to?

Writing:

• Write a dramatic monologue spoken by someone who wants to invite another person to go somewhere. Let your monologue reflect the random process of the speaker's thoughts. Try to find images that suggest the speaker's feelings and states of mind. Open with Eliot's words: "Let us go then, you and I."