Description
2 short essays with a minimum word count of 200 each.
From T.S. Eliot's "THE LOVE SONG OF J. ALFRED PRUFROCK":
In the poem’s prologue, the editors translate Dante’s Italian as “If I thought that my reply would be to one who would ever return to the world, this flame would stay without further movement; but since none has ever returned from this depth, if what I hear is true, I answer you without fear of infamy” (1577n1 [full ed.] 2039 [shorter ed.] ). The “flame” refers to a burning soul within Dante’s Inferno, and Eliot’s reference has often been cited to establish the poem as a “dramatic monologue”¾a poem featuring a speaker addressing an auditor other than the reader, leaving the speaker open to critique for some of his more dubious comments. What relationship do you see between the prologue’s reference and Prufrock’s monologue?
and
From Stephen Crane's "The Open Boat":
Throughout the story, variations of the following passage are voiced by the four survivors: “If I am going to be drowned¾if I am going to be drowned¾if I am going to be drowned, why, in the name of the seven mad gods who rule the sea, was I allowed to come this far and contemplate sand and trees? Was I brought here merely to have my nose dragged away as I was about to nibble sacred cheese of life? It is preposterous. If this old ninny-woman, Fate, cannot do better than this, she should be deprived of the management of men’s fortunes” (1006 [full ed.] 1785 [shorter ed.]). Paraphrase what you see as the main complaint in this passage, and explain why you think it repeats several times throughout the story. What do they find most troubling about their situation?
- when accepted pictures of the text for each poem will be uploaded.
Explanation & Answer
Attached.
"THE LOVE SONG OF J. ALFRED PRUFROCK"
T.S. Eliot’s use of the verse taken from Dante’s Inferno describes a soul, trapped
deep in hell, beyond redemption or salvation who, resigned to his own demise, speaks
candidly, without fear of infamy, for he realizes that his words will be heard by no one of
significance. Here, in transposition, Eliot illustrates for us, his character’s demeanor, the
remarkably mundane J. Alfred Prufrock. A hopelessly lost soul, trapped in his own hell of
unfulfilled love, duality of self, aging and impish, he cowers at the thought of facing his
desires and dreams. Living in a macabre city with its fog and gloom, half empty streets,
prodding himself to prepare and attend a lady’s social where, he fantasizes of speaking to
his love interest. Procrastination combined with a heaping dose of self-loathing, his delays
are fueled by his lack of self-esteem and worth, thinning hair, gaunt and skinny, his better
days behind him. With trepidation and a shrew like demeanor, he questions: “Do I dare
disturb the universe? In a minute there is time for decisions and revisions which a minute
will reverse,” for he dreads the finality of broaching the subject of his affections. The
parallels between Dante’s Guido and J. Alfred Prufrock lie in their inabilities to extricate
themselves from their hells,...
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