The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock

Assignment Four:  "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"

Please note that there are two rough draft essays due this week.  Refer to Assignment Five for further directions.

Due:  Wednesday, June 7th.

Please spend time reading and rereading the Modern poem "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T. S. Eliot.  It is a difficult, experimental poem that illustrates the Modernist poets' reactions to the Industrial Revolution and the World Wars.  Many critics believe that this poem is dark and without hope, when, in fact, many others see it as more of a warning concerning how life might become (i.e., full of boredom, depression, etc.).  Write a rough draft essay in which you discuss whether you see this work as hopeful or hopeless in its overall message.  You may want to research a translation of the epigraph by Dante which appears at the beginning of the poem.  You may also want to research the meaning of Sirens, the mythological equivalent of mermaids which appear at the end of the poem.  I am available for help!