| Analysis of the Importance of Speaking Voice in the Poetry of T. S. Eliot
by George Stevenson
November 24, 2005
The importance of the technique of the 'speaking voice' in T. S. Eliot's poetry cannot be underestimated. Poems such as The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, Preludes and Rhapsody on a Windy Night are prime examples of a fictional or devised character portraying the views of the poet, creating a 'dramatic' voice that can be best compared to a Shakespearean soliloquy. It should be argued therefore that the importance of the speaking voice to such poems is paramount in shaping the meaning and effect; it must be considered that the speaking voice enables other styles, of similarly progressive approaches to function successfully, such as allusion, persona and fragmentation, ultimately fusing the notions of disillusionment, debasement and futility. Of the three poems mentioned, it is notable that speaking voice works in tandem with other various techniques to form the poet's implication, with speaking voice being of most importance in Prufrock. For example, the voice of fictitious 'J. Alfred Prufrock' blends a tone of anxiety and hopelessness to form what is less of a love song and more of a paralysed self conscious monologue, toying with the reader and himself, eventually deciding that after effortless deterioration 'we drown,' 'till human voices wake us.' Here the suggestion that it is unlikely human voices shall wake Prufrock - they simply are not interested in him, he is displayed as insignificant. The insinuation is that should voices wake him they will be too harsh and piercing, causing his ultimate demise. The character in Rhapsody on a Windy Night, unnamed, generates an even more negative view of life, as initially the thought is suggested to the reader that the title of the poem may have connotations with a Greek epic story, before continually declining in positive state of mind, as if seemingly bound for collapse - with 'the final twist of the knife.' It is the speaking voice of the poem, the tone or opinion that has allowed Eliot to vent his attitudes in a different perspective, without the risk of sounding too persuasive. For example, in Preludes, Eliot only refers to the first person in the final stanza, as if the previous speaking voice of the poem, the voice of the working classes is finally being represented through Eliot himself, 'I am moved by fancies that are curled.' Prufrock as a character is a stark contrast to the subtlety of the speaking voice in Preludes. Instead, the speaking voice and persona in this poem, whilst still far from direct, is clear in exposing a character in social paralysis. Prufrock is a character in great confusion as to whether 'after tea and cakes and ices / have the strength to force the moment to its crisis?' The speaking voice throughout the poem outlines a passionate debate arguing whether or not Prufrock should act on a woman who he admires despite his unattractive appearance - his 'hair is growing thin' and 'his arms and legs are thin.' To assess the importance of speaking voice, it must be noted the effect of allusion is created by a speaking or dramatic voice. Allusion is the technique operated by the poet by writing a poem assuming the reader has previous knowledge of the subject matter. The effect is that of ambiguity, summarised by Richards 'the best poetry is necessarily ambiguous in is immediate effect' implying the reader feels more involved when they are able to draw their own judgements. For example, as Middleton Murry states on Eliot, 'the reader is compelled, in the mere effect to understand.' It is the speaking voice in this poem, the continual echo or cry of Prufrock, the average middle-aged man, mesmerised by women whom he worries as to 'do I dare eat a peach?' in front of, or 'dare / disturb the universe [over]?' that enables the situation for the crafting of not only the paralysis of a character as an obvious consequence, but also draws the reader in, forming intrigue and uncertainty. Preludes and Rhapsody can be grouped together to mould a particular type of speaking voice, a manifestation of the monotony or urban life in the early twentieth century, using a disillusive tone. However, slight differences prevail. For example, the persona in Rhapsody is far more defined as a character. We are given insights to the toiling nature of the spirit, similar to Prufrock, but with more negativity - the reader realises that this poem cannot in any way be viewed as a supposed 'love song.' The effect of the speaking voice of the persona is such that there is an introduction of 'the insanity' as a theme. The character is depicted as one that has connotations with 'lunar incantations,' representing lunacy rather than simply the moon, that 'dissolve the floors of memory,' suggesting vulnerability and the erosion or gradual destruction of the personality. In contrast the speaking voice in Preludes plays a role in developing an overview of the poem, acting as the 'dramatic narrator,' raising once again the similarity with Shakespeare. The dramatic voice within this poem is one resigned to the position the world has come to by the end of the poem, 'wipe your hand across your mouth, and laugh,' is a concept rather than a message, prompting the reader not even to question society any more but ignore it. It could be suggested that speaking voice in Preludes is actually not that vital, however, one should consider the way a voice or underlying significance enable Eliot to embed a subtle view into his audience, thus defining the importance of such a voice to the poem. For example, the senses are accessed in Preludes in a very deliberate manner with 'the smell of stakes in passageways,' the 'faint stale smells of beer' and 'the lighting of the lamps.' The way such defined details are described enable the reader, through the tone and language of the speaking voice to realise some form of being must indeed be in attendance to detect such senses, thereby allowing the reader to relate to the content, and in particular the theme of setting through the aid of a speaking voice. As Rickwood states, 'Mr. Eliot has been able to get closer than any other poet to the physiology of our sensations.' Again, it should be noted that speaking voice in Preludes is subtle. However, in Rhapsody, Eliot seems less afraid to create clear characters that use speaking voice to articulate the futile intentions of the poet. For example, with the almost structured progression of time in the poem, the street lamp seems to form the main source of speaking voice. In an absurd image, it is stated it 'muttered,' 'said,' 'sputtered' and 'hummed.' It is the street lamp as an impartial observer to the unfolding decline of the central character who is on the midnight walk yet is detached from much of the poem's content, which creates an outline of the poem. For example, it is the street lamp that expresses some of the most crucial lines of the poem, integral to its meaning, such as, 'Regard the moon / She winks a feeble eye.' It is the presence of speaking voice, muck alike to Preludes (both were written around the same time), that builds up a gradual progression of meaning. Rhapsody starts off on a fairly low note, with the concept of vulnerability, before continuing into a more depressive state, whereby even the moon, that in much theology is regarded as a sign of promise and hope - a light within darkness, is seen as 'feeble' whilst her crevices and craters are described with the phrase 'a washed out smallpox cracks her face.' Meanwhile, negative senses in 'the smells of dust' and 'old nocturnal smells' mould, in the same technique Eliot has conducted with Preludes, a backdrop to the poem, a setting containing not only a feeble moon, but negative, defining, smells, associated with simply 'fading away.' This theme links into the presence of ellipses in Prufrock, which transmit the idea of 'trailing off,' signifying both Prufrock and the central character in Rhapsody's lack of self esteem, and, more specifically, the way the reader envisages they are left with a 'twisted' memory, that reveals 'the secret of its skeleton' - the raw and vulnerable state left after gradual torment. Prufrock's speaking voice is of great significance when taking particular consideration of the term objective correlative. This term, in Eliot's words means 'a set of objects, a situation, a chain of events which shall be the formula of that particular emotion.' This is relevant to Prufrock in that a situation and chain of events, in the continual delaying of action by Prufrock, evoke the emotion of pity from the reader. However, just like allusion, the technique simply would fail without speaking voice to narrate Prufrock's fears and anxieties, such as 'when I am pinned and wriggling on the wall,' comparing himself to a displayed insect, open to be examined by anyone, with no ability to defend scrutiny. There is a clear link to fragmentation - the accumulation of various words, images and sounds. Eliot's imagery in particular is specific and symbolic. The comparison between the fog 'that rubs its muzzle on the windowpanes' is an example of this, whilst Eliot's ability to emplace emotional value into 'a pair of ragged claws' is a further example of the use of the objective correlative. Prufrock debates aloud, musing, and interrupting himself, connecting thoughts that seem unrelated. The fragmented style reveals a self conscious and disjointed man. To judge the importance of speaking voice one cannot study it as an individual technique, but as part of an intricate system, blending styles and language to influence the reader in the desired way. Prufrock is destined to meet debasement and hell, but instead of speaking in the first person like in much of the poem, for example, 'Do I dare,' Prufrock begins with 'Let us go then' and finally, 'we have lingered in the chambers of sea,' as if to remind the reader we are drawn down into his self-pitying demise. Like most of Eliot's poetry, the use of speaking voice is absolutely critical in imposing the intended emotion on the reader. A measure of importance of other 'factors' or styles almost seems irrelevant, for little could be achieved without speaking voice in creating the self-wallowing howl of Prufrock, the underlying subtlety in generating setting in Preludes, or the disillusive 'twisted' deprecation of the moon in Rhapsody. Other methods may well be more prominent in Eliot's poetry, but speaking voice is the synthesis of imagery, structure and style to grant the reader the unique opportunity to relate with personas and themes.
Essays on Collected Poems of T.S. Eliot
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