Ead the excerpt from "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock."

And indeed there will be time

To wonder, "Do I dare?" and, "Do I dare?"

Time to turn back and descend the stair,

With a bald spot in the middle of my hair-

[They will say: "How his hair is growing thin!"]

My morning coat, my collar mounting firmly to the chin,

My necktie rich and modest, but asserted by a simple pin-

[They will say: "But how his arms and legs are thin!"]

Do I dare

Disturb the universe?

In a minute there is time

For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse.

In this stanza, Prufrock repeats "Do I dare?" three times. What does the repetition indicate about his state of mind?

He is indecisive.

Question

English

Diana Terry

23 January, 12:09

Ead the excerpt from "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock."

And indeed there will be time

To wonder, "Do I dare?" and, "Do I dare?"

Time to turn back and descend the stair,

With a bald spot in the middle of my hair-

[They will say: "How his hair is growing thin!"]

My morning coat, my collar mounting firmly to the chin,

My necktie rich and modest, but asserted by a simple pin-

[They will say: "But how his arms and legs are thin!"]

Do I dare

Disturb the universe?

In a minute there is time

For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse.

In this stanza, Prufrock repeats "Do I dare?" three times. What does the repetition indicate about his state of mind?

He is indecisive.

+2

Answers (1)

Know the Answer?

Ada Weber · Answer 1

The repetition of the phrase " Do I dare?", shows the hesitant characteristics of the writer and implies that his state of mind is rather deviated form what would be thought a customary form of mind. His indecisiveness opens doors about his present state of mind, given the fact that humans, in a normal state of mind are supposed to be able to make proper and sound decisions when faced with a problem. Him repeating such interrogative sentences infers that he is questioning his actions a lot, therefore is very unsure about what to do and what not to do.