Final answer:
The title 'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock' is ironic because it implies a romantic poem, yet the content is centered on the protagonist's internal fears and doubts, not on love. The poem is a key example of Modernist poetry that defies traditional love song expectations and instead explores existential anxieties.
Step-by-step explanation:
The title 'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock' is ironic because it suggests a romantic theme, but the poem itself is a deep exploration of the protagonist's existential anxieties and insecurities. Rather than a ode to love, T. S. Eliot's poem is a psychological profile of a man paralyzed by hesitation and self-doubt. The irony lies in the juxtaposition of the expectation of a traditional love song and the reality of Prufrock's internal turmoil, his fear of rejection and of death, devoid of the typical romantic elements. The correct answer to the question is therefore 'b)' the poem is not about love but about Prufrock's inner anxieties and insecurities.
During the Modernist era, poems like Eliot's often maintained a traditional structure and form while exploring themes of isolation, religious insecurities, and frustration. This sense of loss and the fragmented reality of the modern world factored heavily into the works of High Modernist poets like Eliot. In terms of this poem, modern readers might find resonance with Eliot's famous line, 'Do I dare disturb the universe?', which encapsulates Prufrock's fear of taking action that might ripple out and disrupt the broader scope of the world around him.