Make Happy and The Love Song Of Alfred J Prufrock

Connection in social interaction is a key portion of the experience that shapes life on this planet.  Connection to a group is how animals thrive and grow, including humans. Because these topics are so central to the development of youth, they are common discussion in all types of media regardless of time. While one may think that the way people interact has changed across generations, the literary work “The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock” by TS Eliot and the comedy show Make Happy by Bo Burnham illustrate that genuine interactions remain sought after by young people in any era.  

“The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock” discusses how socializing lacks the genuine conversation and connection that the narrator seeks. This first-person poem gives readers a look at a 1920’s party through the eyes of young man racked with social anxiety and self-deprecating inner dialogue. The first thought shown illustrates the narrator’s discomfort, “time yet for a hundred indecisions, And for a hundred visions and revisions, Before the taking of toast and tea.” If the reader pays close attention to line breaks, this becomes an important passage. Indecision and revisions are the places that Eliot chose to break the lines. These lines are also repeated in moments of self-doubt for the narrator. An emphasis on the narrator’s desire to change who he is to be accepted by the people around him. Revealing this innate desire is followed by a verse that is also repeated, “the women come and go Talking of Michelangelo.”  Women in the poem preen for attention by bringing up sophisticated topics, something of note to the narrator, as an example of acceptable conversation. This moment, and the “do I dare?” moments that accompany it are again repeated throughout the work. This shows that the narrator is troubled by thoughts of superficial conversations, and fears being judged for attempting genuine dialogue. Repetition then represents this young character’s tumultuous mind of while fighting their anxieties.

Honesty on connection is a topic that Bo Burnham applies to consumerism in the music industry. The 2016 Netflix special, Make Happy, attacks how general songs have gotten through writing a song himself. “Repeat Stuff”, the song, is a popular portion of the special that says, “But more than all of that I love the fact that you are dumb enough, (Swag),To not realize everything I’ve said has been said before, In a thousand ways, in a thousand songs, sung in the same four chords” The more applicable a song is, the more sales the song has. The artist is sacrificing their originality in exchange for popularity and money, rather than put out unique music that could be judged more readily, just as Prufrock fears. The use of the word “swag” in the middle of the verse is also used to represent the monotony of popular songs. There are certain key words that artists can put in their song to attract an audience, an teen nervous for acceptance through the mainstream media perhaps. This is like the generic topics of conversation Eliot discusses. This idea of “cookie cutter music” is  reinforced with an acknowledgement of the perversion of the chorus in modern music, “America says we love a chorus, But don’t get complicated and bore us, Though meaning might be missin', We need to know the words after just one listen so, Repeat stuff, repeat stuff, repeat stuff” the chorus, as he mentions, is intended to impart the meaning of the song and to enforce an idea the artist was working with. This is not the case with modern music, which relies heavily on a catchy tune with a memorable beat rather than content. This is similar to how Eliot points out conversation at the parties Prufrock attends rely heavily on topics deemed to impress. That young people are not comfortable enough express themselves, that they have to be as “cookie cutter” as the music targeted at them in order to relate to others is something both authors discuss.  In addition to referencing pop music today, Burnham references “The Love Song of Alfred J Prufrock” in a satirical fashion, “Love songs used to be so beautiful.."Let us go then, you and I, When the evening is spread out against the sky, Like a patient etherized upon a table." -T.S. Eliot. Nowadays, thanks to corporately-owned pop stars, love songs are even more beautiful.” The reference to Eliot serves as a concrete connection between the two pieces and is an example of the sarcastic tone present in both. The line referenced is not “romantic”. The same biting tone can be found in Prufrock’s references to himself, when he is wondering which way he should part his hair, or comments about his weight. Both recognize that youth are being conditioned to judge other people and the content they consume on the surface. Burnham and Eliot use the sarcasm that they have to cover a point they seem desperate to get across.

Both authors are commenting on the quality of interaction in their time. Whether it be in the social scene or through music, both make it clear that young people (in their ennui) are searching for acceptance. They are in search of authenticity and meaning in the life, despite the difference in time. Their message seems to be that youth of all eras should embrace their uniqueness rather than try to fit into a mold. Judging by their tones, young humans may continue to suffer through the superficial for many generations to come.