I have read T.S Eliot’s poem “The Lovesong of J.Alfred Prufrock” a myriad of times, in fact I have even done a blog on it before (https://literaturewithanna.art.blog/2019/09/27/the-lovesong-of-j-alfred-prufrock/). However, when reading it, I have never once tried to relate to the persona’s experiences or pondered how I too have felt his loneliness and boredom.
To reiterate what was said in my previous blog and give a brief overview of the poem; “T.S Eliot’s modernist poem ‘The Lovesong of J.Alfred Prufrock’ is set in a dull city, and its protagonist is a disconsolate man who is afraid of living and therefore feels bored within a monotonous society… Eliot insightfully explores how the mundane, ritualistic nature of modern society can leave one in a state of emotional paralysis”.
Although being written in 1915, I think this poem has profound significance in a modern society, specifically due to the Coronavirus. We have been encouraged to limit our social interactions and have been forced to work and study from home, making life feel mundane and dull, which is exactly what Prufrock talks about. Personally, I enjoy going out, seeing my friends, eating at cafes and even studying in my uni’s library. Yet this absurd situation has taken away these pleasures in life, helping me to relate to Prufrock. This shared sense of boredom within one’s life is something that Prufrock and I have therefore both experienced.
T.S Eliot uses a wide range of language devices to convey Prufrock’s experience. Through synecdoche, I understand Prufrock’s observation of “arms that are braceleted and white and bare,” to exemplify isolation from people as he fails to see them as whole. This sense of isolation is especially relevant living in a Covid infected world as social distancing has made us almost forget how to interact with other people.
Overall, I think that in a current society experiencing Covid-19, T.S Eliot’s “The Lovesong of J.Alfred Prufrock” makes for a good read as we can find similarities between Prufrock’s perspective on life and our own.
Literature with Anna 
Anna,
Definitely worth the read. You gave insight of yourself, the collective experience of isolation and analysed Eliot’s poem. The way in which you would state your response, but then explain the reasoning made me agree with all your points and the way you then linked that to the poem with technique and analysis was great. I also loved your reference to Covid19 and how it has impacted everyone’s life. Thank you.
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Beautiful the way you have been able to link Prufrock’s experience to our own in this Covid time. Well done!
Minor edit:
*a brief overview of the poem; – introduce quotes with a : not ; In other words a colon assists in the flow of your ideas here. The colon is like offering something as an example of what you have just said. See http://owl.english.purdue.edu/engagement/2/1/44/
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