Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock Essay: The Existential Anguish of J. Al

The Existential Anguish of J. Alfred Prufrock      Ã‚   Upon reading Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," the first question which sprang to my mind was the question of how Eliot, a poet who was in his mid-twenties at the time, was able to write a poem dealing with the problems of aging in such a penetrating manner. Upon closer examination, however, I realized that Prufrock's aging was only incidental to his central problem. Prufrock's major problem is a problem of existential anguish. Prufrock's doubts about aging at a dinner party are merely one example of this anguish, and this party brings his psychology into sharp focus when the reader examines closely the moment in which the poem's events occur.    It is true that Prufrock's overtly expressed fears all seem to stem from his aging. For instance, he mentions the thinning of his hair in lines 40, 41, and 82; and the aging itself is mentioned toward the end of the poem:    I grow old . . . I grow old . . . I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled. (lines 120-121)    However, all of Prufrock's problems stem from his insecurity and his inability to reveal his interest in the women at the party. "How should I presume?" he asks several times throughout the poem. (lines 54, 61, and 68) Prufrock is so entranced and frustrated by the women that every detail, including the arms "braceleted and white and bare" (line 63), the "long fingers" that smooth away the afternoon (line 76), and the "skirts that trail along the floor" (line 102) become everything to him in that moment.    These small details so obsess Prufrock and so occupy his mind, in fact, that everything else ceases to exist for him. He does not simply wonder how he should p... ... of the poem, then become clear. In the epigram, he quoted someone directly addressing the reader; in the first twelve lines, he invites us to "make our visit" (line 12); and in the three lines of the poem, Eliot tells us that "We have lingered [...] Till human voices wake us, and we drown." (lines 129-131) At this point, Eliot invites us to identify ourselves with the main character of the poem. J. Alfred Prufrock is not simply J. Alfred Prufrock. There is a quite a bit of Prufrock, with his self-doubt and his existential anguish, in all of us. But unlike Dante, we do not return to a normal life: we are merely drowned in "the chambers of the sea," (line 129), which the mermaids ride, uncaring.    References Eliot, T.S. "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" in The McGraw-Hill Book of Poetry. Ed. Robert DiYanni and Kraft Rompf. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1993.

Literary Analysis on an Excerpt from A Summer Life Essay

When people are faced with the problematic decision between right and wrong, and have chosen the wrong decision, they often battle the guilt that eats away at them afterwards. In an excerpt from his autobiographical narrative, A Summer Life, Gary Soto looks back into his past when six year old self committed a theft. He achieves a humorous telling of the story due to the new perspective that he has as an adult through the use of similes, imagery, and personification. Upon finishing the stolen pie, he begins to play with his Frisbee and he compares it shadow â€Å"like the shadow of an angel fleeing bad deeds. † The reader gets a sense that he does feel guilty for what he has done, and he wishes that he could flee from the situation at hand. He slowly and uninterestedly jogs after the Frisbee as though the pie is weighing him down. Not only is t weighing him down physically, but mentally as well. He knows what he had done was wrong and that does cause him to have some internal conflict. Along with the use of a simile, Soto uses imagery to visual manifest his guilt. The image of his face â€Å"sticky with guilt† depicts a picture of Soto being very guilty for what he has done, so guilty that it turns into some sort of paranoia. He believed that everyone had known that he had stolen the pie. The gold- colored pie filling that coated his face was somehow the teller of all his secrets. This also adds to the humour because the reader knows that nobody knows or probably cares. The reader can see that adult Soto does not see it as being a big deal as well. He is mocking the childish mentality he had towards the situation and is amused that he actually took the offence so seriously. Not only is his guilt established through his paranoia, but also through the empty pie tin â€Å"glaring at [him]. † The pie tin is personified by possessing the human characteristic of glaring. Soto employs this personification to reiterate the guilt that six year old Gary is feeling. Glaring is an act usually done by a parent that knows that their child has done something wrong. When it is done by an inanimate object, there is a feeling that they have really messed up. Even these soulless entities seem to be able to differentiate between right and wrong. Soto has grown and gotten some new insight which had caused him to change his view on the matter. He demonstrates this through his uses of similes, imagery, and personification to add a humorous tone to the guilt that had eaten him up when he was a young, six year old boy. Soto has shown us that perspective does change over time and the problems that we may face while we’re young will be seen as a little silly when we are older.

Orphans in Jane Eyre Essay - 1505 Words

Orphans in Jane Eyre Jane, one of the orphans in the novel Jane Eyre, is portrayed as the victim of charity. She is also seen in others eyes as something less or lower than themselves. Orphans are seen by wealthy people as children who are in need of their charity, and also who lack in morals, ambition, and culture. Jane tells about how she has no family; her mother and her father had the typhus fever, and both died within a month of each other (58; ch. 3). As if this is not bad enough, she is also excluded from being a part of the Reed family: Me, [Mrs. Reed] had dispensed from joining the group, saying, she regretted to be under the necessity of keeping me at a distance; but that until she heard from Bessie, and could†¦show more content†¦1). Also, when she is being carried up to the red room, the ladys maid makes a remark about John being her master and Jane asks if she is a servant and the maid replies, No; you are less than a servant (44; ch. 2). Mrs. Reed even tells John that Jane is not w orthy of notice. I do not choose that either you or your sisters should associate with her (59; ch. 4). There are also references to Jane an animal, John calls her a bad animal (41; ch. 1) and a rat (42; ch. 1). Abbot, the ladys maid also looks at Jane as an animal, if she were a nice, pretty child, one might compassionate her forlornness; but one really cannot care for such a little toad as that (58; ch. 3). In chapter three, Bessie sings a ballad that describes the orphans life as well. The ballad speaks of orphans loneliness and sad life. At the end of the ballad, Bessie tells Jane, Come, Miss Jane, dont cry, and Jane is wondering how could she divine the morbid suffering to which I was prey? (54; ch. 3) The last stanza of the ballad shows almost the exact description of Helen Burnss conviction that death will bring the utmost happiness and comforts: There is a thought that for strength should avail me; Though both of shelter and kindred despoiled; Heaven is a home, and a rest will not fail me; God isShow MoreRelatedThe Upbringing Of Orphans By Charles Dickens And Jane Eyre1714 Words   |  7 Pages The upbringing of Orphans in a time of social injustice. The 19th century Victorian era contrasted of different social classes; the wealthy, the working and the poor classes, which led to the forms of social order in society. It also encompassed some of the most famous literary works that till today impact the lives of many, and leads readers to wonder about the injustices of the conditions of the orphans. 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