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Practice Essay

How does Eliot use fragmentation to portray alienation in his


poetry?
Alienation is a key element that resinates in Eliots work, it is
represented through fragmentation. His rejection of romantic
ideas had led him to represent the truth as he saw it, the crisis
found within humanity. His structure, form and consistent
allusions which subvert our expectations and allows the
audience to gather an interesting perspective on the plight of
the individual during the era. Eliot challenges his audience
perception of ideas such as spiritual emptiness, decay and
landscapes through the poem The love song of Alfred Prufrock
In the poem the love song of J Alfred prufrock it portrays
alienation in various ways through fragmentation. The fictional
character prufrock develops and shows his spiritual emptiness
of life view and what pessimistic view of life. Eliot attempts to
share this with the audience through the reader being a
companion of prufrock developed through prufrock
engagement of the audience let us go, you and I is a direct
monologue bringing the audience as an inner companion
through the half-deserted streets which the imagery shows the
landscape as being a factor of creating his spiritual emptiness .
Like a patient etherised upon a table at evening expresses
that the life of these characters are highly dismal and rather
gruesome event to occur reflecting the dullness and pessimistic
outlook from prufrock. Eliot also displays prurocks spiritual
emptiness as his lack to gain love from womens. Romance is a
core aspect that can fulfil and balance the human need and
desire . Prufrocks sexual desire sees himself wanting to talk to
the women however his cowardice stops him from doing this as
he is scared he will make a fool of himself This has done
damage to prurock as he doesnt get what he wants and lacks
love and sociability with the woman which is also a factor in
determining his spiritual emptiness.

Decay is reflected heavily in the poem through reflecting the


world is falling apart. This is represented through the allusions
and imagery shown that displays the growth of impact that
decay has on society. Eliots outlook on the world and his
personal and cultural practices reflect his feelings in the poem
broadening the idea of decay. The burnt out ends can suggest
a decay of its people smoking and losing hope to see what the
next day holds for them or most prominently it shows a world of
decay and dissolution that every day is like a day burnt out
.When the world faces decay those who are trapped in it see it
affecting them in various ways. The decay reflected in the
poem can be highly comparable to prufrocks current state of
mind and feeling. The decay happening in the poem displaces
itself onto prufrock which is comparable that prufrock is
decaying not necessary physical but emotional and mental
state. Prufrock can also be seen in a culture of dissolution and
he will never get a chance to change since everything around
him is in a negative sense of placement
The landscapes portrayed in this poem are highly disturbing.
The seedy part of town , broken blind and half deserted street
characterise the landscape to be a bad part of town and
prufrock is related to this landscape due to himself being
attached to this landscape and walking through the halfdeserted streets where he only walks . The landscape can show
alienation due to its frightening and unwelcoming scene half
deserted street is an imagery that attempts to burn a picture
of the landscape in the readers mind and it is also an allusion
through its direct and indirect meanings the audience can infer
indirectly that it is a seedy part of town and it is not a good
place to visit. However the audience should question why
prufrock chose this landscape to walk and ponder instead of a
better landscape. The alienation derived from fragmentation
may have brought prufrock to come to this hideous landscape.
It may be a place where prufrock considers himself to be
worthy of going. Eliots cultural and persona understanding has

highly shaped the landscape to match prufrocks mood and


feelings in order to categorize where prufrock actually belongs
In conclusion in Eliots work and poems particularly the love
song of J.Alfred prufrock it has demonstrated the matter of
alienation and how it can arise from fragmentation. The ideas
that arise as a problem are the spiritual emptiness , decay and
landscapes which I personally engage with the ideas give us
more detail and understanding of prufrock the choices he
makes that makes his life miserable which may have been
experienced by T.S.Eliot may have experience prior to writing
his poems.

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