Poetry Slam!: "The Love Song J. Alfred Prufrock" by T. S. Eliot

Considered a masterpiece of English modernism, Eliot’s poem is written in the voice of a troubled middle-aged man considering his life. Read the text here.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. etherize
    anesthetize with ether
    Like a patient etherized upon a table;
  2. tedious
    so lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness
    Streets that follow like a tedious argument
    Of insidious intent
  3. insidious
    intended to entrap
    Streets that follow like a tedious argument
    Of insidious intent
  4. overwhelming
    so strong as to be irresistible
    To lead you to an overwhelming question ...
  5. linger
    be about
    Lingered upon the pools that stand in drains,
  6. indecision
    doubt concerning two or more possible alternatives
    And time yet for a hundred indecisions,
    And for a hundred visions and revisions,
  7. descend
    move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
    Time to turn back and descend the stair,
  8. modest
    marked by simplicity; having a humble opinion of yourself
    My necktie rich and modest, but asserted by a simple pin—
  9. assert
    insist on having one's opinions and rights recognized
    My necktie rich and modest, but asserted by a simple pin—
  10. disturb
    change the arrangement or position of
    Do I dare
    Disturb the universe?
  11. presume
    take liberties or act with too much confidence
    So how should I presume?
  12. formulated
    devised; developed according to an orderly plan
    The eyes that fix you in a formulated phrase,
  13. sprawl
    sit or lie with one's limbs spread out
    And when I am formulated, sprawling on a pin,
    When I am pinned and wriggling on the wall,
  14. digress
    wander from a direct or straight course
    Is it perfume from a dress
    That makes me so digress?
  15. scuttle
    move about or proceed hurriedly
    I should have been a pair of ragged claws
    Scuttling across the floors of silent seas.
  16. malinger
    avoid responsibilities and duties, often by faking illness
    Asleep ... tired ... or it malingers,
  17. crisis
    a crucial stage or turning point in the course of something
    Should I, after tea and cakes and ices,
    Have the strength to force the moment to its crisis?
  18. prophet
    someone who speaks by divine inspiration
    I am no prophet—and here's no great matter;
  19. eternal
    continuing forever or indefinitely
    And I have seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker,
  20. snicker
    laugh quietly
    And I have seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker,
  21. swell
    increase in size, magnitude, number, or intensity
    Am an attendant lord, one that will do
    To swell a progress, start a scene or two,
  22. advise
    give advice to
    Advise the prince; no doubt, an easy tool,
  23. deferential
    showing courteous regard for people's feelings
    Deferential, glad to be of use,
  24. politic
    agreeable and courteous with a degree of sophistication
    Politic, cautious, and meticulous;
  25. meticulous
    marked by extreme care in treatment of details
    Politic, cautious, and meticulous;
  26. obtuse
    slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity
    Full of high sentence, but a bit obtuse;
  27. wreathe
    decorate or deck with wreaths
    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.
Created on Thu Apr 18 16:08:51 EDT 2013 (updated Fri Oct 20 15:15:19 EDT 2017)

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