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| Illustration by Gemini AI |
“Do I dare disturb the algorithm?” T S Eliot’s
Prufrock would have asked were he living today. But Eliot lived almost a
century back (1888-1965). His best poems were written in the early twentieth
century. The persona of J Alfred Prufrock has remained with me from the time I
read the poem first in my late twenties.
Wasn’t there something of Prufrock in
me? Was that the reason the character stayed with me for a long, very long
period?
Prufrock was quite an ordinary person,
at least outwardly. But within him raged a storm of uncertainty, fear, and
longing. Maybe I didn’t share the depth of his introspection. But I did share
his painful awareness of his own inadequacy. He was very unsure of what he
should do as well as how others perceive him. His life was marked by inaction,
overthinking, and a fear of judgment.
He does move in social circles such
as tea parties “where women come and go / Talking of Michelangelo.” He is
unable to join in the conversations meaningfully, however, in spite of his
intellectual potential. Even the gaze of others puts him on the defensive. The
gaze may be superficial, but it deepens his sense of isolation. When he speaks,
people seem to understand something else. “That is not what I meant at all. /
That is not it, at all.”
Prufrock wants to connect with
people meaningfully. But he presumes that people are just waiting to “fix you
in a formulated phrase.” The mermaids sing to each other. Prufrock doesn’t
“think that they will sing to me.”
He is unable to initiate the
conversation, in fact. Starting a conversation with someone would be like
disturbing the whole universe for Prufrock. “Do I dare disturb the universe?”
He asks himself.
Perhaps, that question means a lot
more than initiating a conversation or a relationship. It may be paraphrased
as: Does anything I do matter? Can I influence the world around me? Prufrock
stands face to face with his own insignificance in the society around him.
How can Prufrock, or anyone for that
matter, be fully human and fully alive in a world that often rewards silent
loyalty and mediocre conformity?
T S Eliot’s poems
raised such
profound questions aplenty. After his conversion to Anglicanism in 1927, he plumbed
certain spiritual depths in order to find answers to his troubling questions.
One of those poems that has stuck in my consciousness is The Journey of the
Magi, which describes the journey of the three Magi to visit Infant Jesus.
The Magus of Eliot’s poem undergoes a spiritual regeneration after the visit.
Perhaps, the answer to most of his questions lay in such a spiritual rebirth.
What if Prufrock was also there with
the Magi? Would he have offered to little Jesus his insecurity, guilt, and
yearning as his gift? Would he have uttered his deliverance: “I should be glad
of another birth / If only I could sense my worth.” Would he actually
experience that new birth somewhere in the depths of his tormented being?
If Prufrock lived today, would he be
wandering the highways and bylanes of the Internet unable to answer the
question: Do I dare disturb the algorithm of the social media?
PS. This post is a part
of ‘Verse Wave Blog Hop’ hosted by Manali Desai and Sukaina Majeed under #EveryConversationMatters.
PPS. Prufrock has appeared in many
posts of mine, the most recent being an encounter between
Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s Little Prince with Prufrock.
Hari OM
ReplyDeleteExistential angst writ large! There are antidotes, but the greatest hurdle is that first one for the anguished... to let go of the security they find in their fear state... YAM xx
Their fear state is a kind of defence mechanism, right?
DeleteHari Om
DeleteFear IS a defence mechanism, provided by the parasympathetic nervous system as 'fight or flight' - it is there to help us pick and choose our battles. For some people, though, it becomes the only mode of response to the world - then fear becomes their version of 'normal' and is no longer about defence but entirely about self-limiting, self-doubting, self-destruction... Yxx
Thanks, Yam 🙏
DeleteSilent loyalty and less than mediocre conformity! That's it! That's the world. And all this happens, without one's knowledge as we live ve in an " Administered world." - to quote Adorno, yet again. We do not disturb the algorithms. They clone us.
ReplyDeleteThe algorithms manipulate us too!
DeleteIf Prufrock lived today, I wonder if he'd be diagnosed with something or other.
ReplyDeleteHe would have been a feast for motivational gurus!
DeleteReading your post, I swear I felt like you peeked into my brain! That “Do I dare disturb the algorithm?” line? GENIUS. Totally Prufrock for the Instagram generation. I’ve sat so many times with my finger hovering over “post,” wondering if the algorithm gods will bless me—or ignore me completely. 😂
ReplyDeleteThe way you tied poetry, tech, and anxiety together was so real and honestly kinda comforting. That bit about offering our insecurities like the Magi? Beautiful. Weirdly made me feel better about all the overthinking I do online. You’ve got such a knack for blending depth with relatability—I’m definitely going to disturb a few algorithms now. Thanks for this!
Some writers like Eliot keep inspiring us all along. I'm glad you liked this. Thanks for your characteristically elaborate comment.
DeleteI think this question lingers around all the people who love to stay introvert, quiet yet they're compelled to go outside and live in a broad spectrum. Also, in your post, something touched a chord: within him, there was raging a storm. It left me pondering. - Swarnali Nath (The Blissful Storyteller)
ReplyDeleteLoved how you wove Eliot’s existential angst into the modern algorithmic dilemma. It’s a timely reminder that introspection still matters, even in a world of instant validation.
ReplyDeleteEliot always marched to the beat of a different drummer. 'The Wasteland' threw up a whole lot of questions when I was doing it for my post graduation. Luckily, we had a teacher who was a fountainhead of information and he made the poem come alive. Prufrock's 'Do I dare to disturb the algorithm?' is so true of many today who wonder if they create even a tiny ripple in the world through their existence. Social media in the present day does not help in the least, and adds on to feeling of inadequacy.
ReplyDeleteI guess all of us can relate to 'The Love Song...' in some way or the other or in some phase of our lives. Your post reminded me of his thought provoking words which turned meaningful much later in life. The last time I remembered Eliot was when I was reading the book Alchemist manyyyyy years ago, it had reminded me strongly of one work of Eliot (but I couldn't remember which one), where he says that 'what we spend our lives looking for and going places to find is right where we are.' I wonder which poetry it was.
ReplyDeleteI really like how you've turned 'universe' into 'algorithm' and made it about the world today. I m trying to recollect the poem with that in mind.
Btw, ' Do I Dare Disturb the Algorithm' makes for a good poetry or prose title... a hint!😉
Only you could have brought out this fantastic connection between Prufrock and social media algorithm. Linking alienation and self doubt to our digital existence is something I'd say modern Eliot would bring up if he were still writing today!
ReplyDeleteExistence as an identity can play several tricks on you, often questioning of the choices and heaviness of why, some wonders do happen when you choose to dare, just need one's own self to be start of the support system.
ReplyDeleteHats off to this incredible comparison!! Now we better dare not disturb the algorithm of the social media ..
ReplyDeleteWhat an incredible way to meet a poet like Prufrock. What you have said about him, it feels deeply relatable to me. In today's algorithm world, I often question my relevance and significance before I'm able to cut out the noise and say let me do it anyway.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure if people like Prufrock existed today, their thought process wouldn't have been the same as expressed by Eliot. Sruck in the social media algorithim, he'd be trying to please other's to gain the maximum likes and forget about empathy or the saying of his own pure heart. Your post made me search about Eliot's Prufrock and I'm thankful to you for the same.
ReplyDeleteReading your blog, I could relate so much to Prufrock's existential dilemma. The question 'Do I dare disturb the algorithm?' is such a brilliant parallel to his fear of disrupting the universe, it made me stop and think about how much our lives are shaped by these invisible forces. Your posts are always thought-provoking and this one was no different. I loved how you wove poetry, technology, and introspection into a seamless narrative.
ReplyDeleteThat “Do I dare disturb the algorithm?” line struck a deep chord—Prufrock in today’s scroll-and-like world feels painfully real. I’ve felt that same pause before hitting post, wondering if anything I say matters. Thank you for putting words to what many of us quietly feel.
ReplyDeleteLove the classic X modern fusion and comparison. In my literature classes I remember discussing Eliot's The Waste Land but your blog makes we want to explore Prufrock.
ReplyDeleteI guess I'm Prufrock! Or maybe all of us who write are. I don't read a lot of poems though I somehow write them when the poet in me wakes up! This blog is so profound!
ReplyDeletePrufrock is so relatable to me personally. His doubts, dilemmas, especially the 'that's not what I meant at all' part, ring true in this uncertain world. Even after a century, the uncertainty never leaves--if anything, it seems to have grown.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I could know about a poet like Prufrock. Of course, what you said is true. In today's world of social media and AI, I question my existence as well. Then I can only imagine what he would have felt.
ReplyDeleteI resonated deeply with Prufrock’s quiet trembling—his fear of 'disturbing the universe' feels all too familiar in our era of hidden algorithms. Your comparison compellingly reminds me how even ordinary souls can long for meaningful impact amidst digital silence.
ReplyDeleteIt’s refreshing to think about resisting the algorithm and owning your online space—makes one want to post with intention, which really should be a priority and not a mere afterthought
ReplyDeletepoetry mixed with the question of the legtimacy of religion. quite an interesting piece.
ReplyDelete