Although the poem is specifically about Alfred Prufrock, it embodies the idea that every modern person struggles with these social barriers at some point in their life. Eliot's skillful use of repetition, rhyme, assonance and imagery presents the image of a modern single man tormented by his inability to communicate, his lifelong search for the courage to approach others , his indecision and his ultimate failure. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Modern man is overeducated, reflective, and clumsy, much like today's onslaught of college graduates. However, unlike most people, Prufrock does not shed his awkwardness; HR struggles to achieve this as he gets older. This difference highlights that these challenges in social situations can torment a person of any age: "there will be time / To prepare a face to meet the faces you meet" (ln 27). Eliot recognizes Prufrock's people's fear in this passage, as well as his passing age. The passive sound created by the repetition of "face" describes the cumbersome nature of Prufrock's social grace and creates a sense of time passing by indicating that Prufrock has seen many people pass through his life, but that, as expected, he maintained a passive role in theirs. In this case, "face" also has two meanings: it signifies both the identity of another person and the challenge Prufrock faces. The lilting quality of the passage makes it light, even if it is heavy to postpone understanding social dynamics until so late in life. Rhyme is also important in highlighting the nature of Prufrock's dilemma. The minority of lines in the first stanza that do not follow a rhyme pattern catch the reader's attention; their lack of rhyme and assonance allows us to recognize them as important and examine them in particular. “Like a patient etherized on a table” (ln 3) is the first unrhymed line we encounter, and it sets the tone for the rest of the poem. If it is the evening that is described in this way, it is truly the narrator who feels this way. He is vulnerable, detached from those around him and numb. The connection between the heaviness and slowness of the evening is taken from Prufrock in the personification that appears in this analogy, and points only to our narrator. The phrase "to lead you to a damning question" (In 10) sets the stage for Prufrock's struggle with indecision and the feeling that he is "out of his depth." Even when he enjoys an evening with "oyster shells" (ln 7) – indicative of a new love – he continues to worry tediously about the state of the relationship and the work that will come for him. 'maintain. This phrase also warns us against his tendency to overthink and get lost, putting himself in a state of social paralysis. The repetition of the words “streets,” “windows,” “yellow,” and times of day such as “evenings” and “mornings” also serve several purposes; the simple repetition of these words throughout the poem creates a sense of time passing. Their function is to contribute to the theme of aging in the poem, as well as to emphasize the passive nature of the narrator. These words come as Prufrock attempts to engage with or understand many things: relationships with women, the nature of food as a means of survival, and looking out the window. In particular, the use of “streets” represents the free public arena – a terrifying place for Prufrock, and the mention of “windows” indicates Prufrock's position as a spectator of the outside world. The reappearance of the “windows” throughout thepoem indicates that Prufrock never becomes more than a spectator. The recurring images of places described as "yellow" are also an interesting theme in the poem, mainly because it is the color of cowardice. This clearly indicates to the reader that our protagonist is a coward, but by rubbing "his snout on the window panes" (ln 16) it also indicates that he is not happy and actually wants much more in life than what he is likely to experience. The words “evenings” and “mornings” work best to describe Prufrock’s aging as well as his never-ending battle with social anxiety; for him, it doesn't matter the time of day or his experience. It does not matter to him that he “experienced” these moments of the day (ln 50), because despite this passage of time, he has not learned to behave socially. With the computer age, people with increasingly common social anxiety are able to circumvent the disorder and feel socially safe by avoiding face-to-face contact with others and maintaining relationships via Internet and real-time text chat. Prufrock achieved the same false social security effect by simply avoiding and sabotaging any deeper level of understanding or engagement he had the chance to achieve with another individual. Eliot makes this clear by using alliteration in words like "slipped" and "suddenly" in the twentieth line, while leading up to Prufrock's random decision to abandon the pursuit of a woman, and how he ends up at the place in “a sweet October night / curled up”. once at home... asleep” (ln 21-22). The protagonist makes the almost deliberate decision to disengage from the person he wishes to pursue during this undeniably perfect evening, not only by sleeping, but by shielding himself from social interactions within a home that is clearly secluded and conducive to his tendency upon withdrawal. Due to Prufrock's reclusive nature, indecision plays a large role in the protagonist's dysfunction: he considers the possibility of committing suicide, or trying to approach a woman again, and exclaims about his problem with decision by questioning the reader to help them decide whether they should “eat a peach” (ln 122). It is clear that this question is worrying given the seriousness of the others; the fact that the other questions Prufrock raises are significant and sometimes deadly indicates his desperate nature and conveys the feeling of being at the end of his rope. Prufrock goes so far as to compare himself to Hamlet (ln 111), a young man that he is not, and anyone who cannot make decisions only treats him badly. Prufrock also interestingly compares himself to John the Baptist by describing that he is so unwanted that no one even asks for his "slightly bald head brought in on a platter" (ln 82). This passage makes it clear that Prufrock does not understand how anyone could desire his company or acknowledge his presence even if he posed a threat; Furthermore, he indicates that even if he were a person of power, he would be powerless due to his terrible inability to communicate. Prufrock's fears linked to his state of consciousness are explained: "They will say: 'How his hair is getting lighter!' » / My jacket, my collar rising firmly to the chin, / My tie rich and modest, but asserted by a simple pin-- / They will say: "But how thin his arms and his legs are!". The narrator is concerned about his appearance and how others will perceive him. He clearly makes an effort to appear presentable and sophisticated, but still doubts himself around others. This feeling of insecurity is similar to that of a rebellious teenager; the adolescent feels left out, unrecognized and misunderstood, as if even an action.