"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" notes

"And the afternoon, the evening, sleeps so peacefully!

Smoothed by long fingers,

Asleep ... tired ... or it malingers,

Stretched on the floor, here beside you and me.

Should I, after tea and cakes and ices,

Have the strength to force the moment to its crisis?

But though I have wept and fasted, wept and prayed,

Though I have seen my head (grown slightly bald) brought in upon a platter,

I am no prophet — and here’s no great matter;

I have seen the moment of my greatness flicker,

And I have seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker,

And in short, I was afraid."

 

*An excerpt from "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T.S. Elliot

 

This excerpt stood out to me the most and between Henry, Michael, Taylor and I we broke down what it meant to us. "And the afternoon...cakes and ices" this portion talks about how Prufrock overindulged in himself. Sleep, women, food, you name it Prufrock did it. This excerpt proceeds to then say "Have the strength... to its crisis?" This line questions his ability to actually do something with himself, it is unclear what the crisis is exactly at this point. "But though...and prayed" means that Prufrock returns to a life of Christianity, he is born again, this is then inferred to be the crisis when the lines "Though I.. and snicker"

are presented. Prufrock is old and near his imminent death. Prufrock alludes to the Footman as he believes that he is going to end in hell. He also questions his deeds when he has seen his greatness flicker. This means that he may have done some comendable things in thepast but not enough to get him into heaven. "And in short I was afraid" he fears a hell made for him. This leads me to believe that this is a love song about his relationship with time and what he coulda shoulda woulda.