WRFH/Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM - The Poetry Fix: The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock: Do I Dare to Eat a Peach?

Episode Date: September 27, 2024

Today, we finish out "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," watching the final analysis of our narrator's life play out.  The narrator asks himself a seemingly bizarre yet poignant question: Do I dare to eat a peach? The way we choose to answer that question for ourselves might be more impactful than you would think at first glance.

Welcome to the Poetry Fix on Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM. I'm your host, Erica Kaiba, bringing you your weekly fix of poetry from across time. Today we are finishing out T.S. Eliot's love song of J. Alfred Prufrock. This is where we see the final consequences of Prufrock's indecision as he grows into his old age alone. He describes walking along the beach and watching Mermaid sing to one another, with no one to sing to him, and no one by his side. As he begins his meditation on the twilight of his life, Proufrock compares himself to Polonius, a foolish side character from Hamlet rather than the main man himself.

Proofrock has relegated himself to the role of a side character in his own life, whether he takes responsibility for this or not, and he sees how ridiculous he has become. Even in his old age, Proofrock frets about what he will wear and how he will part his hair, ever careful with the impression that he leaves on others. Buried in his wardrobe speculations is a question that defines the conflict of the entire poem. Do I dare to eat a peach? Now, why would someone be afraid to eat a peach? It's an act of pure delight. There's nothing like the burst of flavor you get from biting into a fresh one.

But eating a peach is messy. You risk the juice running down your face. You risk looking silly. Pursuing something that you desire is not a neat and dignified process, but holding back from ever pursuing anything, just because it's hard, might be even more ridiculous, as we see through Proofrock's final analysis of his life. So if there's anything you take away from this poem, I hope it's this. Be ridiculous.

Dare to eat a peach. Whatever that means for you, and whatever it might cost, it's better than walking down the beach alone, only watching the sirens that sing to one another. With all that said, let's dive in. The love song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T.S. Eliot. No, I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be. I'm an attendant lord.

One that will do to swell a progress, start a scene or two. to advise the prince, no doubt an easy tool. Deferential, glad to be of use, politic, cautious, and meticulous, full of high sentence, but a bit obtuse, at times indeed, almost ridiculous. Almost at times, the fool. I grow old. I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled. Shall I part my hair behind? Do I dare to eat a peach? I shall wear white flannel trousers And walk upon the beach.

I have heard the mermaid singing each to each. I do not think that they will sing to me. I have seen them riding seaward on the waves, combing the white hair of the waves blown back When the wind blows the water white and black. We have lingered in the chambers of the sea by sea girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown till human voices wake us and we drown

you've been listening to the poetry fix with Erica Kaiba if you enjoyed this episode consider following the poetry fix on Spotify or Apple Podcasts join me next week and we'll be starting a poem with a very different theme from this one Marie de France's Guijmar Thank you.