The document provides instructions for writing a 750-1,250 word essay analyzing themes, symbols, or literary devices in a poem from an assigned reading list. The essay must have an introduction with a three-part thesis statement and five paragraphs, with three body paragraphs focusing on each part of the thesis. The last paragraph should review the three topics and provide information about the poem, title, and author. Proper MLA formatting and citations are required.

1. Our 750-1,250 word essay should be written in response to one of...
Our 750-1,250 word essay should be written in response to one of the following topics and
should adhere to the plan that you outlined for the Poetry Prewriting Test.
You are to select one of the poems from the reading list that has been assigned to you, and
then write an essay in which you discuss three of the themes, symbols, or literary devices
that are present in the poem that you have chosen.
This essay, like any other that consists of five paragraphs, will begin with an introduction
paragraph that will conclude with a thesis statement that consists of three parts and
establishes the three primary literary elements that will be discussed. This essay, like any
other that consists of five paragraphs, will follow the same format as any other that consists
of five paragraphs.
The three body paragraphs will each have between eight and eleven sentences, and they
will address the points presented in the thesis statement in the same order as they were
listed there. Additionally, they will each have a focus on one of the three subtopics listed in
the thesis statement. In the body of the essay, each paragraph should have a sentence that
summarizes the argument, a topic sentence, and transitions that help the reader move from
one idea to the next.
In the very last paragraph, a synopsis of the poem, its title, and the poet's name will be
presented, along with a review of the three primary subjects that have been discussed thus
far.
Referring to the MLA Guidelines will ensure that your essay is formatted correctly.
Your primary source or sources, which should be the poem or poems that you are
discussing in your paper, should be listed on the Works Cited page that you include in your
paper. Please make sure that this page is included.
Note: If you decide to incorporate research into your paper, be sure to use credible sources,
list those sources on your Works Cited page, and properly cite sources within the body of
your paper using MLA format. If you decide to incorporate research into your paper, be sure
to use credible sources. Remember that you are required to reference both direct and
indirect quotations with the appropriate in-text citations whenever you use them in your
work.
T.S Eliot is a British-American poet born in 1888, known as one of the greatest poets of the
20th century and his contribution to the English Modernist literary movement. Despite a
long list of accolades, including the 1948 Nobel Prize in literature, one of his famous works
is the poem "The Love Song of J. Alfredo Prufrock" written in 1911 when Eliot was still a

2. college student. The poem and his other works represented a strong departure from 19th
century poetry, with the development of techniques and modern themes in forms that led to
Eliot's writing becoming landmarks of historical literature. The poem " The love song of J.
Alfred Prufrock" analyzed in this paper is a representation and examination of a modern
man, who is struggling with his perception of the world; both seeking a romantic
relationship but facing tremendous emotional and psychological self- depreciation as can be
seen through themes of indecision, loneliness, and anxiety.
SUMMARY
The poem focuses on the primary character of Prufrock. The poem does not have a concrete
narrative, but it seemingly does represent the passage of time. However, it is mostly a
collage of thoughts, beliefs, fears, and imagery of this one man, living in a metropolitan city.
Prufrock seems to be middle-aged man who is hoping to find a woman, attending some
social events in a city to do so. Soon, the reader finds that he is very indecisive, anxious, and
self-conscious- not fitting in very well in society. He thinks that others are talking behind his
back and judging him. He wishes he could escape this social world of tea parties and women
"talking of Michelangelo ". Prufrock seems to be in love, but he never expresses it, being
cowardly and focusing on other problems. During all this, there is some important
philosophical question that is brought up, but Prufrock does not yet reveal what it is. There
are a lot of things that Prufrock wants to accomplish, but he keeps putting them off,
believing there is lots of time, using the anaphora "And indeed there will be time".
Prufrock continues his thoughts, discuss how he wishes he was a crab and further demisig
himself, that he is not a protagonist like Prince Hamlet, but rather a background character.
He reflects that he never says what he means and that he is subservient, polite and careful;
all because he is afraid that nobody will accept what he has to say. Eventually, Prufrock
grows old, and his worries and priority have changed. The poem ends back with the sea
metaphor, suggesting that he and whoever's he is talking to are at the bottom sea, and as
soon as they awaken, they will drown.
ANALYSIS
The epigraph of the poem is a direct quotation from Dante's 'inferno' in Italian. Eliot was
known to have been a fanatic of Dante, and the meaning of the epigraph indicates that the
poem is something that the world was not meant to hear, but it emerged anyway. Prufrock's
'love song's is being told as potentially the protagonist believes that it will not be repeated
to others, because he worries for his reputation.
J. Alfred Prufrock, a lonely, middle aged man is confronted with a variety of beliefs and
issues occurring from his inner self that string him along the entirety of the poem. With
anxiety being the pushing factor through everything, it almost seems like Prufrock cannot
decide for himself and properly live it. Every time he is faced with a situation, doubt is the
first thing that comes to mind. Not always something you want to be living with, but this is
the reality that Prufrock has. He is a distinct character yet with a vague enough personality
to be like most other concerns. Indecision is one of Eliot's main issues where his character
Prufrock is diagnosed with neurosis that comes from not knowing what to do with himself.
This indecision is the key reason for a constant circle of anxiety and indecisiveness. Because
his anxiety makes him indecisive, this comes around and makes his indecisiveness make

3. him even more anxious. Thus, completing the circle, Prufrock's main trigger words are "do I
dare?" And 'should I presume?'.
The poem is ultimately set up as juxtaposition between doing and not doing, action and
inaction. Although the poem does seem to imply a narrative, passage of time, and action
with the first lines of " let us go" - the audience quickly realized that Prufrock is stalled in
place, both literally and figuratively in his place in life.
The "overwhelming question " that is meant to be a major philosophical discussion of life,
never gets asked. Meanwhile, the anaphora " there will be time" by which this poem is
widely recognized the continuous and habitual procrastination of Prufrock, which is both a
characteristic of his attitude and consequences of his social anxiety. Extreme indecisiveness
is driven by fear, either of making a wrong choice or being judged by others. As a result, he
is stuck in a loop "and time yet for a hundred indecisions/ and for a hundred visions and
revisions".
One of the poem's primary issues is social anxiety and the way it influences Prufrock's
capacity to engage with the ones around him. "To prepare a face to most the faces that you
meet". He seeks to escape the social world of the metropolitan in which he lives where tea
parties and superficial conversations are required to get by and find love. When comparing
himself to a crab metaphorically, Prufrock identifies that he wishes that he was not human,
thus able to passively spend his time. However, even in fantasy, the self-depreciation in
Prufrock's psyche can be seen as he believes the mermaids will not sing to him.
Nevertheless, the end of the poem in which Prufrock drowns, which may precis death, can
be interpreted as him drawn out of fantasies into reality where he is once again suffocated
by the social requirements.
As evident, the poem is highly erratic, demonstrating spontaneous thoughts and musings of
Prufrock, among it difficult for interpretation. There are many theories regarding the
purpose and intended audience, some arguing that Prufrock is talking to another individual
or even directly to the audience, while others believe it is purely ab internal monologue,
potentially even between multiple personalities of Prufrock himself. There are also
contradictions in the meaning of the poem- with many scholars believing that it represents
a profession of romantic love, while other suggests it represents a general disillusionment
with society and its structures and expectations. In either scenario, Prufrock demonstrates
his inability to cope, fearing rejection as well as decay as he is unable to live a meaningful
existence as a modern man. It is an amplification of the postmodern art form which reflects
self-consciousness.
CONCLUSION
By all the indications, "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock "is a dramatic monologue, well
known in poetry from previous centuries, such a Tennyson who was well known for that
form of poetry. However, Prufrock takes on completely new take on the form, representing
a modern-day urban narrator who speaks frankly and honestly on subjects that were still
potentially taboo in society but represented the attitudes of so many individuals. The poem
discusses elements of psychology, sexuality, social expectations, and a sense of failure
through theme of anxiety, indecision, morality, loneliness and self judgement. Eliot's work is
challenging to analyze due to sporadic nature of the monologue and so many metaphorical

4. and figurative elements without explanation creating discourses around this poem for
decades, but its uniqueness ultimately contributes to its masterpiece status.