John the Baptist Reference

In line 82 Eliot says "Though I have sen my head (grown slightly bald) brought in upon a platter," This is a reference to John the Baptist, who was a prophet and the man who Jesus followed. This is why Prufrock said "I am no prophet" on line 83. John was also said to be the man to baptize Jesus. As for the reference of the head on a platter, a woman named Salome was granted a gift by Herod for her dancing. She could choose anything she wanted, so she chose John's head on a platter.

Does Poetry Matter?

I agree with Dana. Poetry is an after thought in our society, a way-after thought if you ask me. The only personal exposure I have had to poetry was in a literature class I took at my junior college and in this class. When you ask me who the great authors are I don't know if I would have listed a poet before this class. I also had no idea that poets hardly get any attention. It really stood out to me when Dana talked about how it took Henry Taylor receiving a Pulitzer Prize to get his poem reviewed. It was also surprising to me to read that Congress and 25 states have put the position of poet laureate in place. I believe that poetry deserves a spot in our society, if not a big one, at least a bigger one than it has already. Thinking about the many people going to college to get degrees in creative writing who are probably not expecting to do much with their work is sad to me.

Iambic Conversation

In listening to everyday conversation, I definitely notice a great deal of iambic conversation. Obviously, it is not all pentameter as some people do not have as much to say as others, but mostly iambic nonetheless. Thinking back, I actually cannot remember a conversation that did not at least have iambic lines in it. However, I was not able to remember any word for word conversations when I got home. So, I decided to write down some lines on a documentary series I was watching called "The Blue Planet."
 /     u    / u     / u   / u   /    u /
 Arctic foxes also rely on polar
    /      u    /     u     /    u   /
 bears to hunt on their behalf                                   Trochee

      /       u     /   u     /   u     /       u
 They're the jackals of the north and
   /     u       / u /          u      /
 scavenge whenever they can.                                 Trochee

 u    / u      /     / u       /
In winter and early spring,
    u / u / u / u /
hey're wholly dependent on bears.                          Iambic

   / u   /   u     /    u      /       u    /    u      /
 Only in the summer when the sea ice melts,
   /     u     / u / u      /        u     /     u       /
 will they regularly catch prey for themselves.           Trochee

       /       u      /      u   /      u    / u      / u      /
 They're not strong enough to tackle adult seals,
   /    u     /  u    /   u       /    u       /      u     /
 but can certainly take newborn pups or birds.         Trochee

   u     /   u    / u / u /   u   / u    u   / u    /      u
 This canny individual is going to bury it's prize,
 /    u      /     u   /  u     /   u  /     u      /      u  /
 it may need it during the uncertain times ahead        Iambic and Trochee

In this documentary, at least in this section about arctic foxes, the narrator uses mostly trochee pentameter. However, this may be because he is british. I don't remember hearing anything in class, though, that english speakers from other countries use something other than iambic pentameter.

The First Date

My palms sweat with nervousness, But she has enough confidence for both of us.