The Connection Between Brooks and Eliot Anonymous 12th Grade

Gwendolyn Brooks’ poem, The Sundays of Satin-Legs Smith, refers to, alludes to, and shares many commonalities with T.S. Eliot’s The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. Through analysis, it has become apparent that Brooks' poem embodies many of the same thematic elements, literary and rhetorical devices, and employs a similar technical and structural layout and style. Moreover, the poem does so while discussing and critiquing time period specific civilization and social norms.
T.S. Eliot's work discusses the journey of a man by the name of Prufrock, and begins with conveying the theme of social hardship due to the nature of the world the protagonist lives in. Referenced by lines such as, "like a patient etherized upon a table," "restless nights in one-night cheap hotels," and "sawdust restaurants," the reader can understand the despondent nature in which Prufrock genuinely lives. Eliot outlines the condemning nature of society by discussing the hardships Prufrock faced - in short, an environment in which the character is held captive. Twenty-nine years after the publishing of The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, Gwendolyn Brooks published The Sundays of Satin-Legs Smith, which explored a similar theme of captivity by society through...