Module B - T.S Eliot Essay Flashcards
Prufrock Thesis
Confronting the liminal space that provided the ambiguous framework to the modern world, Eliot explores social and emotional paralysis represented in the stream of consciousness style, free association imagery and monologue form of “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”
Prufrock 1: “Let us go then, you and I”, “patient etherised upon a table”
Eliot ‘s imperative “Let us go then, you and I” is immediately subverted by the static metaphor “patient etherised upon a table” to create an apathetic mood foreshadowing Prufrock’s social paralysis and state of helplessness. Alternatively, the “patient” may symbolise the emotional ineptitude and physical unconsciousness experienced by people following the ominous effects of WW1.
Prufrock 2: “I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be”
Eliot reflects the persona’s social stagnation, confirmed through intertextuality “quote”
This reference to Hamlet, a symbol of indecisiveness and internal conflict, characterises the persona, whilst revealing his fragmented identity and lack of self-esteem as he feels he does not hold the same social recognition and status as the glorified Prince Hamlet, thus reiterating his overwhelming sense of alienation and indifference
Prufrock 3: “There will be time… for a hundred indecisions, visions, revisions”,
“past, present and future are immediate… Prufrock is paralysed”, “Do I dare?”
Further Eliot undermines the Victorian notion of romantic heroism through assonance “quote”
this sense of ambiguity as to Prufrock’s procrastination is summated by critic J. Miller (1965) as he states “past, present and future are immediate… Prufrock is paralysed”, thus Eliot expresses concerns over the dangers of inaction through the recurring motif of questioning “Do I dare?” which is the essence of Prufrock’s culmination of insecurities and social apathy.
Thus Eliot’s dissatisfaction over life’s missed opportunities prompts the reader to question their own modern complacency and as a result (link to question)
Preludes Thesis:
Reaching the extreme depths of human existence, Eliot examines the eternal consequences of humanity losing their faith, agency, and souls, portraying the unconscious concerns of modernity’s nihilistic lack of spiritual clarity.
Preludes 1: “His soul stretched out across the sky”, “trampled by insistent feet”, “skies fade behind a city block”
Eliot utilises biblical allusion to Jesus’ crucifixion “ his soul stretched across the sky” to portray how biblical values of service and thankfulness shape the existence of a soul amidst an urban landscape and tainted mindscape.
However, this spirituality is quickly negated by the synecdoche “trampled by insistent feet” and city imagery “skies fade behind a city block” demonstrating how the soul is scorned in a modern society, which perpetuates a lack of purpose in life and the decay of the human condition.
Preludes 2: Faint stale smells of bear… sawdust-tramped streets”, “winter evening settles down / The morning comes to consciousness”, “six o’clock”
Eliot’s use of Olfactory imagery “quote” portrays the seedy and dirty cycle that occurs in a modern world.
Anthropomorphises “winter evening settles down / The morning comes to consciousness” juxtaposes the different atmospheres and time of day between prelude 1 and prelude 2 thus Eliot accentuates the notion of people being controlled by mechanised time “six o’clock” which leads to futility and secular lifestyles in the modern world.
Preludes 3: “you”, “thousand sordid images of which your soul was constituted”, “you dozed”
Eliot shifts from third-person omniscient to second person with the anaphoric “you” to create a blurred distinction between the individual and the world in which they live in.
Eliot elucidates through enjambment “thousand sordid images which your soul was constituted” that in our attempt to escape into our dreams “you dozed…” we are only reminded of the griminess and squalor of the modern world which is a result of the same foulness within our souls.
Thus, Eliot warns of the consequences of conforming to secular lifestyles in the modern world and stimulates the audience to inquire into their own spirituality
Rhapsody Thesis:
Elucidating the ambiguous, liminal context focused on individual place in a soulless secular society, Eliot develops the social paralysis of Prufrock through the lens of humanities monotonous nature in ‘Rhapsody of a Windy Night’.
Rhapsody 1: “Every streetlamp that I pass beats like a fatalistic drum”, ‘” lights”
Eliot’s motif of the “streetlamp” always triggers ‘lights’ or memories of the past. This is symbolic of man’s inability to pursue purpose and identity in a society controlled by machinery.
Further auditory imagery “beats like a fatalistic drum” reflects the epistemological crisis as the unchanging, monotonous beating of the drum mirrors the despair and futility of modern life
Rhapsody 2: “Twelve O clock, Half-Past one”
Eliot’s use of recurring motif of time “quote” emphasises how people become slaves to mechanised time.
This also highlights the Lack of individual identity amidst a world defined more by mechanisms than human accomplishments.
As time progresses man does not, thus this stasis of the human condition induced by secular society incites social paralysis and futility of life in the modern world
Rhapsody 3: “As a madman shakes a dead geranium”, “The last twist of the knife”
Eliot’s symbolism of the geranium flower which represents peace of mind is subverted by the violent imagery of the madman, which is ironic as the madman has no sanity.
In doing so Eliot offers an image of futility as the madman’s actions are pointless and thus emphasises the chaos and discordance of the modern world.
This is further supported by Eliot’s standalone ending of the poem “The last twist of the knife” which metaphorically depicts people living a life void of purpose, i.e. living “death” as we descend to a life of monotony.
thus, Eliot appeals to his audience on how modernism is restraining humanities conscious perceptions on life.
Hollow Men Thesis:
Undermining spiritual and humanistic progress, Eliot’s ‘The Hollow Men’ develops the social paralysis of a modernist individual amidst modernity’s fragmented and dehumanised existence. Stemming from the post-war anxieties of the 1920s, Eliot aims to explore both society’s sense of spiritual helplessness and moral decay.
Hollow Men 1: “Mistah Kurtz-he dead”/ “A penny for the old guy”
Eliot utilises intertextuality from “heart of darkness” to present Mr Kurtz as an example of a morally bereft man who embodies spiritual hollowness (lack of soul), similarly Eliot continues to allude to Guy Fawkes “quote” who represents physical hollowness and combined Eliot conveys a holistic feeling of emptiness which is the underlying theme of the poem
thus perpetuating the hollow men as empty entities existing on the periphery of modern society conforming to social stasis.
Hollow Men 2: “This is the dead land / This is the cactus land”, “hollow valley”
Eliot uses desert imagery to suggest dryness and sterility of the modern world which has become a spiritual wasteland.
The extended metaphor of the desert with its “dead land” and “hollow valley” builds upon Prufrock’s social vacuity to further represent the degradation of the “hollow men” ‘s spirituality and meaningful connections.
