Love+Song+of+J.+Alfred+Prufrock

[|The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock]

etherized: under the influence of ether; groggy and nub, as if anesthetized insidious: acting in a subtle manner with harmful intent; deceitful morning coat: a man's formal dress jacket with two long narrowing tails at the back formulated: clearly stated digress: to ramble or go off topic in writing or speaking malingers: fakes illness or injury in order to avoid work or responsibilities politic: careful; insightful meticulous: extremely careful; conscientious; thorough obtuse: lacking insight and alertness; slow to understand

Some questions: 1. Who is the speaker of the poem and to whom is the poem addressed? 2. Where is the speaker of the poem? 3. Identify two similes in the opening stanza. 4. Line 14ish-15 -- What room is the speaker describing? 5. Line 15-23, Identify the primary Metaphor in this stanza. what is the poet indirectly compare the yellow fog? 6. Line 37-38 What is the speaker's emotional state at this point in the poem? What are his primary concerns? 7. Why do you think the speaker is stalling when it comes to socializing? Is this a speaker with whom you'd like to sit down and chat? Why or why not?

8. What does the speaker mean in line 51? 9. Lines 49-69, Identify the poem's use of repetition. What effect does repetition have on the poem's meaning? 10. What is the speaker's TONE at this point in the poem? 11. Lines 62-66 -- Whom is the speaker describing? Read 66 again, what is the purpose of the digression? 12. Lines 75-86 -- What is the primary argument of this stanza? 13. Line 85 -- Who is the "eternal footman?" 14. Line 86-89 -- How does this setting relate to the setting of the poem's opening stanzas? 15. Lines 104ish -- what is your analysis of this line? 16. Line 111-119 -- What is your primary argument of this stanza? 17. Towards the end -- what is the speaker's primary concern? Or is he still trying to hide it?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS -- for the discussion, choose one of the questions and participate at least twice by 8:00 a.m. the day of class.

1 . Describe the setting(s). How do they reflect the character of Prufrock? What kind of world does he live in? 2. Analyze the rhythm and rhyme. How does it move from biblical to trivial? 3. Describe the female imagery. How does it seem to be both positive and negative? 4. How does this poem reflect modernism and your other experiences of modern literature? 5. Discuss the sea imagery and its effect. 5. Two others of "choice" -- okay for D block to start 2 new choice topics if desired.