I chose this image of a someone dressed as a ninja turtle because lines 34 and 35 state, "The women come and go, Talking of Michelangelo". So yeah, this is the ninja turtle Michelangelo. I know what you're going to say, I'm being stupid and completely missing the point. But the poem was not specific in which Michelangelo it was referring to, even though the ninja turtles were created about 20 years after T.S. Elliot died. But hey, there's some seriousness to this image. Prufrock is completely self-loathing in the entire story, and he wants to be someone that girls admire. He notices that the women come and go, talking of Michelangelo. I'm sure Prufrock would love to have the attention and respect from women that Michelangelo has, and it might stop self-pity that swamped the poem. So yeah, ninja turtles always get the girls, and they're manly men that women was to be with. Also, the guy in this costume is very young, and Prufrock is constantly talking about how he's balding and getting too old to be found attractive. Also, the idea of the costume brings in what personalities we might take on with different crowds, and Prufrock is certainly no exception to this behavior, as he wonders what fascade to take on for the night. Basically, as a metaphor, this picture represents everything that Prufrock lacks and wants: youth, respect from women, the exposure of his inner self, and nunchaku. Also, Michelangelo is totally laid back and somewhat of a comic relief character, and Prufrock is more like depression...enhancer.
This image is of a London Planetree. One of the most visual elements of the story, in my opinion, is the yellow smoke and fog on the window. The yellowness gives me the feeling of distance and intimidation of what's outside, and helps to relate to why Prufrock would talk himself into staying inside. Also, the yellow dirtyness reminds me of his self-loathing. So anyway, about this tree: In my Environmental Horticulture class we had to learn the London Planetree, and my TA mentioned that it was used in London to deal with the pollution, because it does well in pollution. I thought it was interesting that the London pollution had an effect on so many people and so many facets of society. Butterfly effect right? Makes you think.
So, I like this picture because I think it just sums up well the kind of feelings that Prufrock gives and the kind of imagery he presents. In this picture, the viewer feels very detached and distant from his observes, partly due to the overhead perspective, which could be similar to watching passer bys from Prufrock's window. Also, this picture emphasizes the shadow to the point that the shadows seem more human than the people. This represents how Prufrock projects people, always thinking about their shadow, or past actions that follow people, rather than interacting with the real person in real time.
4 comments:
Your analysis of the poem is right on. I totally agree with the fact that Michelangelo is what Prufrock wants to be. Prufrock sees Michelangelo as a hero and as a ladies man. Unlike the ninja turtles whose arch nemesis is Shredder, Prufrock's arch nemesis is his inner mind and his inability to react to the outside world.
Let me just say, the title of your blog post is what got me to read it; I guess because mentioning Ninja Turtles in the context of an English class is so outlandish. Moving on, I really like the third picture you posted for Prufrock. The image is perfect for discribing how Prufrock goes about the day-to-day not really experiencing life or interacting with people. I imagine that all he sees are shadows or sillouetts of people, because he is too concerned with himself.
You show much creativity with your explanation of the reference to Michelangelo in the poem. If Williams' parody combining Yeats' and Brooks' poems is legitimate, then your explanation certainly is. Williams' poem relates poems written about completely different subjects from different cultures. He means for it to be a parody. His parody, of course, is meant to be comical, but it is drawn from some truths in both Brooks' and Yeats' poems. Williams gives the swans in his poem the attitude that the pool players have in Brooks' poem. Also, it can be inferred that, if the swans in Yeats' poem had human personalities, they would have that same attitude. Your comparison to the Ninja Turtles is drawn from the truth that Michelangelo is the most likeable turtle due to his comic relief skills, and that he would indeed merit the most respect from women as a result.
I am sorry for my above mistake. I meant to say Hudgins instead of Williams as the author of the parody.
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