Eliot And Sylvia (791 words)

Eliot And Sylvia
Talking of Michelangelo, a subject so deep that it begs a discussion more
serious than that of the chatter at ladies’ tea parties. But the women just come
and go, discussing the great artist only superficially, and Prufrock addresses
the ladies with an air almost of biting sarcasm. Prufrock then decides to switch
back to this other, more beautiful world, and he describes the fog rubbing up
against the windowpanes. He describes the fog almost as if it were an animal;
personifying it and giving even it some sense of feline beauty With Sylvia, the
only feeling that is particularly obvious is one of contented pride, as the
mother celebrates her baby’s birth (“Our voices echo, magnifying your
arrival”) and congratulates it on its newly-found independence. There does
seem to be an upset, almost resentful undertone, as the mother says “I’m no
more your mother/ Than the cloud which distills a mirror to reflect its own
slow/ Effacement at the wind’s hand.” Although she is only pointing out
that this is the case, she seems to be nostalgic for the time when her baby was
wholly dependant on her. The focus of the poem, however, seems to be on
discovery, as is shown by the end: “And now you try Your handful of notes;/
The clear vowels rise like balloons.” This appears to be a description of
the baby crying, but instead of reprimanding her child, the mother acclaims it.

This has the effect of showing her contentment due to the baby being able to
cry, and her satisfaction with regard to its experimental use of sounds. The new
coming baby is very excited as a child cry, the sound of live and hope, but
after a few days later, her child is gone because a miscarry problem, she lost
her child. “I am no more your mother”. In T.S Eliot’s “the love
song of J. Alfred Prufrock” self esteem affects his love life greatly. The
woman he is in love with is younger than he is and this distresses him. He does
not believe that some younger woman could possibly accept him or find him
attractive. Expressing any kind of affection to her is awkward and difficult.

Prufrock knows what he must say but cannot bring himself to say it ” should
I, after tea and cakes and ices, have the strength to force the moment to it’s
crisis?” (79-80) his apprehensiveness in his love life is very troublesome
for him indeed. The debate in Prufrock’s mind finally comes to a close when he
compares himself to prince Hamlet from William Shakespear’s masterpiece Hamlet.

Prurock decides he is diplomatic, conscientious, and strives for perfection.

However at the same time he tends to lack some sort of mental power fears he is
looking like a fool. This is the conclusion he comes to in order to accept his
place in society and live life the way he should. Fantasizing of a world where
these problems do not exist is a pleasant daydream for Prufrock. He imagines the
peaceful world under the sea where social classes do not exist. This shows the
internal conflict still occurring within him. Even though he has overcome his
problem with his love life, he still has many other worries to contend with. The
mermaids a re singing beautifully, but in his opinion, they can not possibly
singing for him. His insecurity is still present and seems incurable, his
fantasy world is brought to a crashing halt easily. ” Till human voices
wake us, and we drown.”(131) His only happiness can be found in daydreams
and can be destroyed easily as such. Although giving him temporary relief from
the pressures of his life, this dreamlike state is destroyed his heart and only
returning to the real world will save him. The trauma can happen to anyone
similar with Prufrock. Sylvia Plath had been suffer a lonely since a child hood,
her dad died when she was eight year old, so lonely is a big problem for her to
afraid. ” Shadows our safety, we stand round blankly as walls”. Her
comment on motherhood in ” Morning song” tells of her disassociation
with it. ” I’m no more your mother/Than the cloud that distills a mirror to
reflect its own slow/ Effacement at the wind’s hand.”. Alongside the
glorification of her child, she also acknowledges its vulnerability and
depression. She appreciates its significance as well as accepting the fact that
like everyone else, it will eventually be killed by the world. Although Prufrock
is a man of knowledge and society he is still a misfit because of a little
characteristic he can do nothing about. Age kills us all, but for Prufrock it
has already killed him, lonely effect on adult, suffering people, and families
will be part of it. Love bring people closer, happier but sometime horrible and
unfair thing. Overtime, we have seen love is truly heals the pain, bring the
joys when people start to have love and compassion for each other that is when
the change will come.