Poetic elements/Literary devices from“The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”: Copy these into

your writer’s notebook.• Epigraph • Irony• Dramatic Monologue• Point of view• Stream of consciousness• Simile• Setting• Ellipses• Symbols• Alliteration• Antithesis

• Repetition • Asyndeton • Polysyndeton• Personification• Allusion• Carpe diem• MetaphorEvidence of topics/subjects:

paralysistemporal anxiety (time)fragmentationdebasement/helltime

Make four columns along two pages of your writer’s notebook…

Devices/Terms Quote Abstract Idea/Topic

Connection to Meaning

“The Love Song…” Device to Meaning Chart EXAMPLE

Devices/Terms Quote

1. Asyndeton and Plolysyndeton

1. “And would it have been worth it, after all, Would it have been worth while, After the sunsets and the dooryards and the sprinkled sheets, After the novels, after the teacups, after the skirts that trail along the floor-”

Abstract Idea/Topic

Connection to Meaning

1. Time 1. Throughout the poem, the speaker explores whether his decision to approach a woman would be “worth it” or if this encounter would end in rejection. As the speaker explores his decision he expresses the thought that “there will be time” while simultaneously feeling as if he is running out of time. T.S. Eliot builds this feeling of time both moving quickly and standing still by having the speaker use an asyndeton and a polysyndeton in the same stanza as the speaker lists all the images that could come from his life with this woman if he does bring himself to the “overwhelming question.” Listing these images first by separating them with “and” and then by separating them with merely a comma gives the reader/listener a feeling first of the long length of life and time and then of the quick passing of time, thus signaling the paradox the speaker feels. “There will be time” but not enough.

Connection to Meaning (from previous slide)

• Throughout the poem, the speaker explores whether his decision to approach a woman would be “worth it” or if this encounter would end in rejection. As the speaker explores his decision he expresses the thought that “there will be time” while simultaneously feeling as if he is running out of time. T.S. Eliot builds this feeling of time both moving quickly and standing still by having the speaker use an asyndeton and a polysyndeton in the same stanza as the speaker lists all the images that could come from his life with this woman if he does bring himself to the “overwhelming question.” Listing these images first by separating them with “and” and then by separating them with merely a comma gives the reader/listener a feeling first of the long length of life and time and then of the quick passing of time, thus signaling the paradox the speaker feels. “There will be time” but not enough.

Now…

• Choose a different device from the poem. • Choose a different quote.• Choose a different abstract idea or topic.• Complete the “Connecting to Meaning”

section.– Remember: This is a paragraph. You should have

a topic sentence. You should clearly explain how the use of the device in the poem communicates a message about the abstract idea.

On the computer…1. Go to my website.2. Open the “Device-to-Meaning Individual Poem”

worksheet.3. Save the worksheet to your H-drive.4. Fill in your name, the title of your poem (IN QUOTATION

MARKS) and the name of the poet.5. Write a synopsis/plot summary of your poem in the

space provided.6. Complete the first section of the chart using your poem.

You can use an device or term you have taken notes over this year or any you were already familiar with.

How to use the chart…

• This chart functions as the foundation for creating body paragraphs within your poetic analysis essay.

• Remember the text-based response model from last semester.

• Topic Sentence – Evidence – Commentary

Creating a paragraph from your chart…• Topic Sentence – Evidence – Commentary • Topic Sentence:– The “Device/Term” column and the “Abstract Idea/Topic”

column will be incorporated into your topic sentence. • Evidence:– The “Quote” section of the chart with a woven sentence

that gives the context for the quote functions as your evidence.

• Commentary:– The “Connecting to Meaning” section is your commentary.

Remember, this is the most important part of your essay. This is where you analyze HOW the devices a writer uses CREATES a message about the ideas present in the writing.

Example

• Let’s look at an example of how to move from the chart to the paragraph.

“The Love Song…” Device to Meaning Chart EXAMPLE

Devices/Terms Quote

1. Asyndeton and Plolysyndeton

1. “And would it have been worth it, after all, Would it have been worth while, After the sunsets and the dooryards and the sprinkled sheets, After the novels, after the teacups, after the skirts that trail along the floor-”

Abstract Idea/Topic

Connection to Meaning

1. Time 1. Throughout the poem, the speaker explores whether his decision to approach a woman would be “worth it” or if this encounter would end in rejection. As the speaker explores his decision he expresses the thought that “there will be time” while simultaneously feeling as if he is running out of time. T.S. Eliot builds this feeling of time both moving quickly and standing still by having the speaker use an asyndeton and a polysyndeton in the same stanza as the speaker lists all the images that could come from his life with this woman if he does bring himself to the “overwhelming question.” Listing these images first by separating them with “and” and then by separating them with merely a comma gives the reader/listener a feeling first of the long length of life and time and then of the quick passing of time, thus signaling the paradox the speaker feels. “There will be time” but not enough.

In “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” T.S. Eliot uses an asyndeton and a polysyndeton within the same stanza to express Prufrock’s anxiety over time. In stanza fourteen, Prufrock says, “And would it have been worth it, after all, Would it have been worth while, After the sunsets and the dooryards and the sprinkled streets, After the novels, after the teacups, after the skirts that trail along the floor-.” Throughout the poem, Prufrock explores whether his decision to approach a woman would be “worth it” or if this encounter would end in rejection. As the speaker explores his decision he expresses the thought that “there will be time” while simultaneously feeling as if he is running out of time. T.S. Eliot builds this feeling of time both moving quickly and standing still by having the speaker use an asyndeton and a polysyndeton in the same stanza as the speaker lists all the images that could come from his life with this woman if he does bring himself to the “overwhelming question.” Listing these images first by separating them with “and” and then by separating them with merely a comma gives the reader/listener a feeling first of the long length of life and time and then of the quick passing of time, thus signaling the paradox the speaker feels. “There will be time” but not enough.