FREE ESSAY ON T.S. ELIOT -MOOD AND THEME

T.S. ELIOT -MOOD AND THEME

WITH REFERENCE TO THE LOVE SONG OF J. ALFRED PRUFROCK AND PREDULES. 
DISCUSS HOW T.S. ELIOT CONVEYS MOOD AND THEMES. 
Both Prufrock and Preludes are based in the same rootless world of sordid tedium. In
Prufrock Eliot is conveying a theme a strong theme and is based heavily in the Persona of
Prufrock himself. Preludes is a poem of changing moods, some subtle, some profound but
this time conveyed primarily through diction and repetition.
One theme of Eliot's, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, is the exposure of the modern
individual's inability and refusal to address inadequacies that he sees in both him and
his society. Two ways Eliot conveys his theme is through the persona of Prufrock and
repetition . 
One method used by Eliot to expose this theme is his use of the persona of J Alfred
Prufrock. Prufrock is in part a shallow conformist, 
41 ....My morning coat, my collar mounting firmly to the chin,
42 My necktie rich and modest, but asserted by a simple pin-
43 (They will say: 'But how his arms and legs are thin!')......
However, almost tragically, Eliot has Prufrock aware of the shallowness of the society to
which he conforms.
26 There will be time, there will be time
27 To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet.
Prufrock observes his society's ability to totally disregard any question of substance,
that is, the "overwhelming" questions. Yet despite his observations Prufrock is not
prepared to confront his society, more importantly, himself. In deeper tragedy Prufrock
is defeated by his knowledge of his inadequacies and states quite sincerely, "And in
short, I was afraid"
Two of the minor themes of 'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock' concern the frustrations
felt by the individual towards their society. Specifically the individuals insignificance
in their society and the individuals inability to express themselves and be understood as
an individual within that society.
Repetition plays a crucial role in conveying the theme of insignificance. The repetition
of, "They will say:..", conveys Prufrock's feeling of insignificance and reveal a man
totally absorbed in the judgments of others and not at all concerned with his worth as an
individual. Eliot's repetition of "Do I dare?" within the sixth stanza emphasises
Prufrock's feeling of insignificance. "Do I dare/ Disturb the universe?" Despite the
superficial judgments his society passes on him, Prufrock is still hesitant in speaking
out against their empty lives.
Prufrock is an extraordinary character and one who, despite his struggles, could easily
erode into a world content with the futile pleasures of the society he scorns.
Preludes is a series of four lyrics describing a modern city. The poem moves through four
different time periods, beginning with one evening and continuing though to the following
evening. Through these lyrics Eliot conveys the impression of a life that is soul
destroying and meaningless. Preludes is used to explore the theme of the alienation of
the individual from society. The mood is integral to understanding Eliot's vision. It is
the moods of desolation and despair, loneliness and struggle, affection and gentle care
that reflects Eliot's observations of the individual alienated from society. These moods
are conveyed throughout the careful use of diction, imagery and repetition.
Prelude I begins with an attractive, familiar setting, a winter evening. This however is
short lived as we are immediately confronted with a decaying, suffocating world,
2 With smells of steaks in passageways...
4 The burnt-out ends of smoky days.
Eliot creates a mood of desolation and loneliness through diction and imagery. The
precise use of descriptive words compose this very mood. Words such as, "burnt out",
"gusty", "grimy", "vacant", "broken", and "lonely", help set the mood for the remainder
of the poem.
In Prelude II the poem shifts to morning, but instead of the freshness and optimism
normally associated with such a time, the morning is depicted, like a drunk awakening on
the footpath, as coming "to consciousness", vague and unsure of itself. Eliot creates a
mood of desolation through sense-imagery:
14 The morning comes to consciousness
15 Of faint stale smells of beer
16 From the sawdust-trampled street...
Eliot's repetition of 'all' and use 'a thousand' in his description of the masses as an
anonymous herd the impersonal mood of emptiness. While through imagery Eliot develops a
mood of despair and meaninglessness, the robotic movements of the occupance of rented
apartments lift 'dingy shades'. 
17 With all its muddy feet that press
18 To early coffee-stands.
21 ....One think of all the hands 
22 That are raising dingy shades
23 In a thousand furnished rooms.
In Prelude III the poem narrows its perspective from the masses down to a particular
individual. Eliot creates a mood that lacks all human warmth through his repetition of
'You' in the first three lines. This mood continues throughout the lyric as every image
presented, of souls filled with sordid images, of sparrows gathered in the gutter, of
jaundiced yellow soles of feet and of soiled hands, all lack any trace of beauty.
Prelude IV depicts the struggle of an individual to preserve his particular morals and
values against those of modern society, symbolised by the street. Eliot achieves a mood
of struggle through surrealist imagery depicting the individual's agony as his morals and
values are, "...stretched tight across the skies..." The unrelenting nature of city life
is captured in the lines,
41... trampled by insistent feet
42 At four and five and six o'clock;
This mood of regimental movements contrasts with the reflective mood later in the lyric
when Eliot addresses the reader.
The second stanza in this lyric conveys a entirely distinct mood. It is here that Eliot,
compassionately observes scene. It could be said that the observer in this stanza was the
person behind the masquerade mentioned earlier in the poem. The observer notices
something, "infinitely gentle", kind and sad about the suffering beings. This mood is
expressed through the combination of sound and repetition. The humane quality of the
phrases, "I am moved..." and "..that are curled/ Around these images,..." convey a
considerably softer, more reflective mood. This mood is furthered in the repetition of
such words as "infinitely" as their sympathetic appeal to time lulls the reader into a
sense of security.
The third stanza reverses this feeling of gentleness when the view point is again
reversed, this time reverting to the impersonal observer seen earlier. Through this
observer Eliot appears to scorn sentiment and deny any purpose at all to human suffering.
Eliot ends Preludes by reaffirming his previous moods, leaving us with the sentiment that
the actions of the world are desolation, despair and continuing struggle.
53 The worlds revolve like ancient women
54 Gathering fuel in vacant lots.
Through the use of diction, imagery and repetition Eliot conveys an array of moods; from
the desolation and despair in the majority of the poem to the flicker of soft,
compassionate human touch felt briefly in the forth lyric.
The three major methods Eliot utilises to convey his moods and themes are the
introduction of complex persona, precise diction and emphasizing repetition. It is
through these tools the constant struggle between the individual and society is
conveyed.
Matthew Leaver
Sources utilised:
Warren. Understanding Poetry. Holt, USA 1966 (p. 112-5)
Spurr. The Poetry of T.S. Eliot. Glebe, Sydney 1992 (p. 2-10)
Powell. Appreciating Poetry. Malaysia, 1986 (p. 91-93)
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Bibliography
see body