Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"

Today, we began with Dickinson, writing Journal #4: Does the language in "I'm Nobody! Who are you?" draw you in or distance you? Explain.

In her homework, Keeley concluded that "[Dickinson] likes not being someone because she sees that there is no privacy in celebrity." This ties in well with Dickinson's largely reclusive life. She wrote over 1700 poems in her 55 years, only publishing a few anonymously. Her world-wide fame came only after her 1886 death, upon publication of the first edition of her poems in 1893. Ronaldo characterized this poem nicely as well, saying it is "commentary on the nature of identity and individuality, both its relevance and irrelevance."

Then, we focused on Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," a poem first published in 1915 in Poetry: A Magazine of Verse. In the course of the discussion, we added two terms to our literary toolbox, dramatic monologue and stream of consciousness. Then, in groups of 3-4, students analyzed assigned sections of the poem, working through the Prufrock Analysis Worksheet. I look forward to hearing everyone's conclusions on Wednesday.

Due Wednesday: Two questions, one related to "Dusting" (360) and one related to "This is a Photograph of Me" (369).