Why did Eliot title his poem a "Love Song"?

The fact that T.S. Eliot titled his dreary poem a love song is an example of irony. For anything to be considered a love story/song, it must follow a certain layout. In T.S. Eliot's poem, there is only one main character who argues with himself throughout the entire poem, and for something to be considered a love song, it must involve both a man and a woman directly. This poem is the exact opposite, only showing Prufrock to be arguing with himself. This struggle is, in fact, an aspect of a love story, but because in his case it is a struggle within himself, it doesn't count. Another important aspect of a love story is the ending. For something to be officially considered a love story or a love song, it must leave the audience feeling somewhat emotionally satisfied. T.S Eliot's "love song" does the exact opposite. His use of personification and imagery to paint a dark scene in the readers mind never takes a significant turn to the cheer the reader up towards the end. The dreary tone remains throughout the entire poem. If he had changed it to represent that Prufrock turned out happy in the end, and the readers felt satisfied, this poem would at least fulfill one aspect to bring it closer to being an actual "love song". It is ironic that this poem is titled a love song because Eliot goes against all actual aspects of a love song, which succeeds in throwing the readers off and leaving them wondering his motives in titling it a love song.

The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock Analysis

There are many different conflicts seen in The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock, one of the most glaring being that of Prufrock versus society. All throughout this poem, Prufock hints at the fact that he needs to choose between the society he finds himself in and the one he thinks he should be a part of. Although this is an internal conflict, it affects Prufock in many ways. It represents how even a man who is educated and of a higher class than many can find himself struggling with happiness. Prufrock seems to be in a dark place with himself, repeating "I grow old...I grow old", making it clear that he is aware that he should be settling down and moving to the high society, but for some reason not taking advantage of that knowledge. This struggle between two very different worlds influences Prufrock in his decisions of moving from woman to woman and involving himself in a shady society. If there was not such a gap between the society of those who have "toast and tea" and who spend too much time in "one night cheap hotels", Prufrock would have never faced this internal struggle between the two.

Pride and Prejudice Blog #6

After reading Pride and Prejudice, I believe that Jane Austen intended for her readers to interpret the first line of her novel with a sense of satire. If Jane meant it literally, she would not involve characters with such differing opinions and views on society as she did. This is clear because she specifically stated that "a man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife" (5), rather than saying that all men seek to be married. She then introduces her readers to two examples of very fortunate men, but makes their personalities very different. If she had intended to give her readers the impression that she was serious in when saying her opening line, she would form these two men to be perfect examples of what she stated. They, in fact, are not. Mr. Darcy, for example, does not go out to flirt with women whom he deems suitable for marriage, as one would think a man "in want of a wife" (5) would do. He tends to keep to himself and come off somewhat cold. In the end of the novel, both Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley end up marrying, but that does not mean that Jane Austen meant that literally all men of fortune search for a wife. The only part of that opening statement that I believe was meant to be taken literally was when she stated that "it is a truth universally acknowledged" (5). By saying this, Jane wanted her readers to understand the magnitude of that society's view on the importance of marriage. Marriage in that society was, in fact, seen with that much importance, leaving only the rest of her statement to be meant satirically. Not only is the rest of this statement said with satire, but it also contains a strong use of hyperbole, exaggerating that all wealthy men fervently search for wives, only to prove that to be false throughout the rest of the story.

Pride and Prejudice Blog #5

The relationship between Jane and Bingley is one that readers have seen progress and struggle all throughout this story. On the other hand, the relationship between Lydia and Wickham was a much more spontaneous and frowned upon one. When learning that Mr. Bingley was interested in their daughter, Jane, the Bennett family was more than ecstatic, Mrs. Bennett in particular. They all knew that this meant their family would quickly move up on the ladder of societal success, turning around what the engagement of Lydia and Wickham had surely begun doing:“the Bennetts were speedily pronounced to be the luckiest family in the world; though only a few weeks before…they had been generally proved to be marked out for misfortune”(339). Although Mr. Wickham was not an unsuccessful man, the knowledge of Lydia's immaturity and undeniable need to be married made the situation seem much less desirable. It was clear that Lydia's constant focus on being married at a young age is what led her to make the rash decision of being engaged to Wickham, and his reasoning was backed by the money aspect. Jane and Bingley were the two parts of a much more pleasing love story. Their engagement may not have gone smoothly at first, but was eventually made out of love and compassion for their counterpart. These two aspects were ones that did not exist in the relationship between Wickham and Lydia. The relationship between Jane and Bingley is expected to have a very healthy affect on all involved, while that of Wickham and Lydia is a much more unhealthy situation that could not only end up in a broken relationship, but a broken family. In the engagement of Jane and Mr. Bingley, the Bennetts are very hopeful that it will affect them all for the better, which balances out the fear they have for young Lydia who may very well be making a bad decision. Although this is true, Elizabeth still tries her hardest to be supportive of her sister, saying: "Small as their chance of happiness, and wretched as is his character, we are forced to rejoice"(294). She knows it will most likely cause problems in the future for herself and her family, but at the moment, she is willing to see that Lydia has made her decision, and although it has little chance of working out, it is going to happen whether they like it or not. This shows a lot about the character of Elizabeth, who seems to be the constant among variables in her family. We see these variables especially in Jane and Lydia, two very different characters making huge changes in their lives at the same time, and through the same sacrament, but in very different ways.

Pride and Prejudice Blog #4

Jane Austen succeeds in revealing the true character of Miss. Bingley through her use of syntax and diction, among many other rhetorical strategies. Austen accurately describes this character through a strong word choice (syntax) and the use of hyperbole to reveal her true personality to her readers. When Miss. Bingley reveals her overwhelmingly jealous character to the readers, it is done so "with sneering civility" (logos). How she interacts with Elizabeth at this moment shows that Miss. Bingley's ability to somewhat mask her evil motives by her manners has been lost due to the amount of jealousy she feels towards Elizabeth. Austen makes this jealousy clear when Miss. Bingley aims for Elizabeth's feelings and bashes her and her family without a second thought, stating that the militia "must be a great loss to [Elizabeth's] family". (pathos) This succeeds in proving Miss. Bingley's cold character because Austen's audience can connect with Elizabeth and her reaction to Miss. Bingley's snide remark on a more personal level. Overall, how Miss. Bingley's interactions with others, such as Elizabeth, are portrayed in the novel, decide how the audience will see her. Because of Austen's use of rhetorical strategies, the audience sees Miss. Bingley as the demeaning, selfish, and truly mean character she was written to be.

Pride and Prejudice Blog #3

I believe Mr. and Mrs. Bennett are to blame for the elopement of their daughter, Lydia, and Mr. Wickham.“The business of her life was to get her daughters married”(7); if Mrs. Bennett didn't have this mindset, she could have easily avoided much of the destruction she has caused.
Mr. and Mrs. Bennett's five daughters were raised with very little structure and discipline, causing them to act out and be looked down upon by those higher in society. This lack of structure seems to have affected the youngest daughter, Lydia, the most, possibly due to the parent's lack of energy to stay on top of her actions after raising four other young girls. At this point, the strongest impression Mrs. Bennett had made on her daughter was the importance of marrying off to a rich and successful man. Unfortunately his had now become the business of Lydia's life as well. Mr. Bennett's inactive role in Lydia's life very well may have made just as much of an impact as Mrs. Bennett's overly active one. If Mr. Bennett had been able to stand up and teach her that she can be strong on her own rather than depending on a man for happiness, she would not have turned out the flirty and conceited young woman we see her become. Her actions regarding the soldiers in town are a perfect example of how she believes she should act around marriage prospects, explaining the bad name she continues to give the entire Bennett family. Lydia is slandering the family name by coming off as a desperate young woman who will go after any man she comes across in order to put herself ahead.These actions are not something Lydia could have simply picked up on her own, these are actions that Mrs. Bennett approved of and forced Lydia to believe to be socially acceptable. In reality, they were the opposite.
It may seem as though parents cannot be to blame for how a child turns out, which is arguable, but this is a very specific case. This is a case in which the child happens to have a somewhat invisible father, and a rather crazy and demanding mother. This is not a good mix. Lydia did not have anyone there to possibly refute the ideas that her mother drilled into her brain her entire life. These ideas consisting of it being a necessity to marry rich, at a young age, and into a family that will strengthen their own family name. When this is the situation a young girl is put into, the outcome is nearly inevitable. This outcome is exactly what is seen take place in Pride and Prejudice. If Mr. Bennett had been able to step up and set ground rules for Lydia, he would have never allowed her to set off to Brighton, and she would have never been able to elope. At the same time, if Mrs. Bennett hadn't brought Lydia up in such a fashion, her head would not have been so wrapped around the idea of getting married as soon as possible, and she would not have even wanted to elope so badly. In conclusion, both parents are equally to blame for the elopement of Lydia and Mr. Wickham.

Writing Critique #9

From the very beginning of Emmeline's letter, her amazing use of vocabulary stood out to me. I really liked how she recognized all the issues that Elizabeth was going to address throughout the letter in the second paragraph, it did a really nice job of setting up the reader and letting them know what to expect. I specifically liked how Emmeline referred directly to Mr. Darcy's letter, making it clear why Elizabeth was saying what she was saying. Although she also made it clear that Elizabeth was understanding of Mr. Darcy's actions, she did not avoid standing up for herself and her sister, only proving that she indeed is the independent and strong woman that we believe her to be. Emmeline does the same when it comes to Elizabeth referring to her family, she does not act ignorant to the situation and how they act, but she stands up for them. Overall, I liked everything about Emmeline's letter :) Good job!