J Alfred Prufrock Wishes example essay topic

Comparison and Contrast of "Miniver Cheevy" and "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" It is human nature to desire things which cannot be obtained. It is also human nature to make excuses for why they can't achieve those things. So it is natural that many writers and poets should choose to write about these desires which, for some reason or another, are never achieved. It is amazing how one writer can create a work completely different from another writer's work, yet it still shares many similarities. The style and characteristics of E.A. Robinson's "Miniver Cheevy" and T.S. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" are similar and different in reference to allusions, the characters' attitudes, and the characters' desires.

In both "Miniver Cheevy" and "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock", allusions are used throughout the poem. In just two lines of poetry, Robinson uses historical, legendary, and mythological allusions: "Miniver loved the days of old / When swords were bright and steeds were prancing" (5-6). Eliot also uses mythological allusions to refer to mermaids: "We have lingered in the chambers of the sea / By sea-girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown" (129-130). Although both authors use allusions, Robinson doesn't use literary allusions like Eliot does in "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock": "To have bitten off the matter with a smile / To have squeezed the universe into a ball / To roll it towards some overwhelming question" (91-93).

Although both characters in these poems use allusions, Miniver Cheevy mainly refers to myth, legend, and history, while J. Alfred Prufrock refers to the Bible and to literary works. The characters Mi vier Cheevy, and J. Alfred Prufrock both have similar attitudes when it comes to life. They both have defeatist attitudes that keep them from succeeding in life. Miniver Cheevy spends all of his time wishing that he were living in another time. He believes that he drinks too much because he belongs in another time: "Miniver Cheevy, born too late / Scratched his head and kept on thinking / Miniver coughed and called it fate / And kept on drinking" (29-32). Similarly, J. Alfred Prufrock wishes to have a relationship with a woman, but never makes a move because he is afraid he will be turned down: "Would it have been worth while / If one, setting a pillow or throwing off a shawl / And turning toward to window, should say / 'That is not it at all / That is not what I meant, at all' " (106-110).

They both want something so bad, but because of their attitudes they never achieve it. And in Miniver Cheevy's chase, he never achieves anything at all. The difference between the two characters is Prufrock at least thinks of ways to achieve his goal, and his goal is realistic: "Then how should I begin / To spit out all the butt-ends of my days and ways" (59-60). Cheevy is unhappy with how things are done in his day, but he never makes an effort at anything: "Miniver cursed the commonplace / And eyed a khaki suit with loathing / He missed the mediaeval grace / Of iron clothing" (22-25). They both sit around and think about how much better it would be if they had their way, but Miniver wishes for something that can never be had. They both can't stop pitying themselves long enough to do anything with their lives.

Their attitudes lead to nothing but pain, and in Cheevy's case, probably cirrhosis. Although Cheevy and Prufrock both wish for things they think are unobtainable, the items they wish for are completely different. Prufrock's wish is to be with a woman. He thinks it is impossible for him to be with a woman because he is undesirable: "And I have known the eyes already, known them all- The eyes that fix you in a formulated phrase, And when I am formulated, sprawling on a pin, When I am pinned and wriggling on the wall, Then how should I begin To spit out the butt-ends of my days and ways?" (55-60) Because of his lack of self confidence, he finds that asking a woman to be with him is an impossible idea. In actuality, he probably could have had a woman, if he had the courage to talk to one. Miniver Cheevy's wish is completely unrealistic, and just plain silly.

His vision of the past is not even reality based. His wishes he were a knight in shinning armor, when in fact, the iron clothes were uncomfortable and impractical: "Miniver sighed for what was not / And dreamed, and rested from his labors / He dreamed of Thebes and Camelot / And Priam's neighbors" (9-12). He also envisions himself as a member of organized crime, but doesn't think about the constant threat of death or imprisonment: "Miniver loved the Medici / Albeit he had never seen one" (18-19). He wastes all of his time dreaming of something that can never happen instead of doing something with his life.

It is amazing how two different poems by two different poets can have so many similarities, and yet, have so many differences. Both E.A. Robinson and T.S. Eliot chose to write on a man who spent all his time wishing for something and never getting it. Both men use clever allusions to paint a picture for the reader. The characters Cheevy and Prufrock are both so different, Cheevy is an alcoholic and Prufrock is afraid of women, but they both share many similarities. Although Prufrock spends his time wishing for something much more realistic than Cheevy, they both think their wish is unobtainable, and both do nothing to obtain it.