Week Three

World War I changed the world. A generation of young men died that left the world disfigured and alienated. Modernist writers such as T. S. Eliot tried to capture the psychological state of mankind through poetry. Eliot saw the world around him crumbling. As a result, he wrote "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock." The poem demonstrates indecisiveness and a form of paralysis. Prufrock cannot communicate with others. Instead, he can only observe women moving around and "talking of Michelangelo." The war may have emasculated him since he is not capable of making a decision or enjoying the company of a woman. I find it sad that he is lonely in a room full of people. The title of this poem implies a song, and Eliot repeats certain lines as refrains. In the end, the mermaids sing to lure humans to their death by drowning, similar to the Sirens in the Odyssey.

In "The Hollow Men," Eliot also uses music. He joins nursery rhymes with phrases from the Lord's Prayer. This poem seems to be more spiritual as he blends Dante's vision with his own. The hollow men are shells of humans who have no substance and are spiritually blind. They live meaningless lives and resemble scarecrows that are "filled with straw." Because they did not act on their beliefs, they are hollow and cannot enter heaven or hell. They are self-absorbed. The same bleakness that dominates Eliot's poems is now present in the hollow men's pathetic lives. I find it interesting that these hollow men, who can see in paradise and recognize their own shortcomings, do nothing to change their behavior.

Eliot's poetry is a challenge to read. He seems to explain things before he writes about them. The world during the 1900's was bleak and sad. World War I wiped out most of the land, men, and morale. I find satire and irony throughout Eliot's works. Sometimes, it is hard to know what is real and what is an exaggeration. "The Preludes" and "The Hollow Men" are poems that I can understand and enjoy reading. In fact, "The Hollow Men" seem to be prevalent today in our own modern society. Like the hollow men, we are both hollow and stuffed. We rush to buy more and more stuff in our consumer culture. Then we have to buy storage to keep our stuff. When we die, all that is left is just stuff that no one will want. Garage sales and donations to Goodwill inherit our stuff as well as landfills. What does it all mean? Regardless of what year we live in, we can still live meaningless lives that have no purpose. We can learn from Eliot's works and live intentional lives. When I was younger, I had a hard time making decisions; however, I am much more decisive now. If I face indecision in the future, I will remember Prufrock and his state of paralysis.

Modernist poets experimented with poetry such as T. S. Eliot. In "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," Eliot uses a converstional tone to begin the poem. "Let us go then, you and I." The speaker repeats particular words and phrases several times that represent the monotony and repetition of Prufrock's life. I enjoy reading the metaphors in this poem such as the yellow fog and yellow smoke that is compared to a living creature--probably a cat. Then life is compared to coffee, but my favorite metaphor is Prufrock comparing himself to an insect that is preserved in a display collection. That would be terrible to think your life is like an insect pinned to the wall. Although some of these poems are difficult, I have broadened my views by reading and analyzing them.