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 conversation...
Cerebrate and Celebrate