Topic DiscussionWrite no less than 150 words on each of the following topics in English in the corresponding space on the answer sheet."The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" is T. S. Eliot's most striking achievement. Briefly discuss the theme, the writing style, the characteristics of the protagonist, and the setting.
THE POEM PRESENTS THE MEDITATION ON AN AGING YOUNG MAN OVER THE BUSINESS OF PROPOSING MARRIAGE. THE POEM IS IN A FORM OF DRAMATIC MONOLOGUE, SUGGESTING AN IRONIC CONTRAST BETWEEN A PRETENDED “LOVE SONG” AND A CONFESSION OF THE SPEAKER'S INCAPABILITY OF FACING UP TO LOVE AND TO LIFE IN A STERILE UPPER-CLASS WORLD. THE PROTAGONIST IS NEUROTIC, SELF-IMPORTANT, ILLOGICAL AND INCAPABLE OF ACTION. HE IS A TRAGIC FIGURE CAUGHT IN A SENSE OF DEFEATED IDEALISM AND TORTURED BY UNSATISFIED DESIRES. THE SETTING OF THE POEM RESEMBLES THE “POLITE SOCIETY” OF POPE'S “THE RAPE OF THE LOCK," IN WHICH A TEA PARTY IS A SIGNIFICANT EVENT AND A GAME OF CARDS IS THE ONLY WAY TO STAVE OFF BOREDOM.
