All poems are not created equal. Poetry has the ability to morph into any type of subject based on the poet's style of writing. That being said, there can also be parallels drawn between just about every poem ever written. Summons by Robert Francis and The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T.S. Eliot have many similarities in their literary elements as well as differences.
T.S. Eliot is known for his rich literary works and provocative writing. In The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, Eliot can make the reader think beyond the words written on the paper and beyond the context it is written in. The same goes for Francis' Summons. In Francis' poem, their is a tone of desire for companionship and love. The tone is very hopeful and optimistic in its diction:"...And let you in and light a light..." and "...Come wake me up. Come any hour of night..." The narrator longs for a companion in which to explore the world with, to conquer fears with, and to be exposed to new cultures with. Much of the same thing could be said about Eliot's work. In Eliot's poem however, there is a much darker and disconsolate tone. Eliot's diction casts a dark atmosphere on the topic of the poem by using phrases like, "...I know the voices dying with a dying fall..." and, "...I have seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker..." (The "eternal Footman being death.) So both poems basically talk of similar topics, but what sets them apart is their underlying tone.
Another way Eliot and Francis are both similar and different is in their perspective about the subject. Both poets had the character's outlook towards the topic made a certain way to force the audience make inferences about them. For example, when Eliot writes "...And time yet for a hundred indecisions, /And for a hundred visions and revisions, /Before the taking of a toast and tea..." he has the audience make the inference that the narrator is an incredibly uncertain person. To be that cautious and calculated for eating toast and tea would lead the reader to believe that the narrator is near the point of having mental issues. When Francis writes, he has his character much more optimistic and definite. With writing like, "...Make me get out of bed..." and, "You know I'm not too hard persuaded." gives the reader assurance that the narrator would definitely go out and do all these things when the opportunity presented itself. Just by changing the perspective of the character, both poets are able to get inside the reader's head to make them characterize the narrators.
Another interesting element to the poem are how both poets insert minute details that would probably go by undetected until further analyzed. For example, the fact that Eliot has the narrator named J. Alfred Prufrock is something special. Usually big names with lengthy titles are seen in celebrities or successful big business owners. A name like J. Alfred Prufrock sounds like the lead singer of a band or a famous author. However, J. Alfred Prufrock has amounted to nothing (according to J. Alfred Prufrock.) There is irony just in the title of the narrator. That's the kind of provocative writing Eliot injects into his work to get the reader to analyze deeper. Francis does similar actions how he titles the poem "Summons." The word "summon" literally means to draw someone forth with authority leading to the idea that the narrator isn't asking for a comrade but rather demanding one. All while maintaining a very congenial and kind tone. Irony strikes again. Minuscule details in a poem are sometimes the most important in an analysis and all poems have them if you dig around deep enough.
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