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 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, by his lifelong search for the courage to approach others, by his indecision and its ultimate failure. We say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Modern man is overeducated, thoughtful and clumsy, just like today's onslaught of college graduates. Unlike most people, however, Prufrock doesn't overcome his embarrassment; HR struggles through this issue as he ages. This difference highlights that these challenges in social situations can afflict a person of any age: “there will be time / To prepare a face to meet the faces you will meet” (ln 27). Eliot recognizes Prufrock's fear of people in this passage, as well as his advancing age. The passive sound created by the repetition of "face" is descriptive of the cumbersome nature that is Prufrock's social grace and creates a sense of time passing indicating that Prufrock has seen many people pass in his life, but as expected, he has maintained a role passive in them. In this case, "face" also has two meanings: it signifies both the identity of another person and the challenge it represents for Prufrock to meet them. The song's sing-song quality makes it light-hearted, even if postponing understanding social dynamics to such an advanced age is heavy. Rhyme is also important in bringing to light the nature of Prufrock's dilemma. The minority of lines in the first stanza that do not follow a rhyme scheme grab 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 sets the tone for the rest of the poem. Although it is the evening that is described this way, it is really the narrator who feels this way. He is vulnerable, detached from those around him, and callous. The connection between the heavy evening and the slow evening is drawn from Prufrock into the personification that occurs in this analogy, and only refers back to our narrator. The phrase "to lead you to an overwhelming question" (ln 10) sets the stage for Prufrock's struggle with indecision and the feeling of being "out of his mind." Even when he enjoys a night out with "oyster shells" (ln 7) - indicative of a new love - he still worries tediously about the state of the relationship and the work it will take to maintain it. This phrase also warns us of his tendency to overthink and become confused, placing himself in a state of social paralysis. The repetition of the words "roads", "glass", "yellow" and times of day even "evening" and "morning" serve several purposes; the simple repetition of these words throughout the poem creates the sense of the passage of time. Their function is to contribute to the theme of aging in the poem, as well as highlight the passive nature of the narrator. These words are found as Prufrock is attempting to engage with or understand many things: relationships with women, the nature of eating as a means of survival, and looking out of windows. In particular, the use of "streets" represents the free public arena, a terrifying place for Prufrock, and the mention of "window panes" indicates Prufrock's position as a spectator of the outside world. The recurrence of "window panes" throughout the poem indicates that Prufrock never becomes more than a spectator. Also recurring images ofplaces described as "yellow" are an interesting theme in the poem, especially because it is the color of cowardice. This clearly tells the reader that our protagonist is a coward, but by "rubbing his nose in the glass" (ln 16) it also indicates that he is not happy, and in fact wants much more in life than he is willing to experience. The words "evening" and "morning" work best in describing Prufrock's aging as well as his never-ending battle with social anxiety; It doesn't matter to him what time of day it is or how much experience he has. For him it is not important to have "known" these moments of the day (ln 50), because despite the passage of time he has not learned to behave socially. With the computer age, people suffering from increasingly common social anxiety are able to evade the disorder and feel socially safe by avoiding face-to-face contact with others and maintaining relationships through the Internet and text "chat" on time real. Prufrock achieved the same false social security effect by simply avoiding and sabotaging any deeper level of understanding or commitment he had the possibility of achieving with another individual. Eliot makes this clear by using alliteration of words like “slipped” and “sudden” in line twenty, as it leads to Prufrock's casual decision to abandon the pursuit of a woman, and how he instead finds himself in “a soft night of October / curled once around the house... asleep" (ln 21-22 The protagonist makes the almost deliberate decision to free himself from the person he wishes to woo on this undeniably perfect evening not only by sleeping but by protecting himself). from social interaction within a home that is clearly isolated and fosters his tendency to withdraw. Due to Prufrock's solitary nature, indecision plays a major role in the protagonist's dysfunction: he ruminates on the possibility of committing suicide, or. to try to approach a woman again, and exclaims his problem with decisions by asking the reader to help him decide whether to “eat a peach” (ln 122). Clearly this question is disturbing in light of the seriousness of the others; the fact that the other questions Prufrock raises are significant and sometimes life-threatening indicates his desperate nature and conveys the feeling of being at the end of his tether. Prufrock goes so far as to compare himself to Hamlet (ln 111), a young man who he is not, and who is unable to make decisions only treats him badly. Prufrock also interestingly compares himself to John the Baptist by describing that he is so little desired that no one even asks for his "somewhat bald head brought 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 poses a threat; furthermore, it indicates that even if he were a person of power, he would be powerless due to his terrible inability to communicate. Prufrock's fears revolving around his state of self-embarrassment are explained: "They will say, 'How his hair is thinning!' / My morning coat, my collar that reaches firmly to my chin, / My rich tie and modest, but affirmed by a simple pin-- / They will say: "But how thin your arms and legs are!"." The narrator worries about his appearance and how others will perceive him. He clearly makes an effort to appear presentable and sophisticated, but still doubts himself in the company of others. This feeling of insecurity is similar to that of a rebellious teenager; the teenager feels left aside, unappreciated and misunderstood, as if not even an extreme gesture could give him what he wants. It is this insatiable need for recognition that also afflicts Prufrock. He feels the same way when he asks the reader, “how.