The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
Many lines from this Poem can speak to us about the meaning of life, but the most powerful is "Till human voices wake us, and we drown." This is the last line of the poem. It offers hidden interpretations of a human's place within the modern world and how we react to outward influences can define us and the the things we find important in our lives. Th set-up before the quote explained of us lingering int he chasm of the sea -- through the way they have described this environment it is like paradise. With that in mind we feel that the common duties and stresses of today's modern society are portrayed by the "human voices" that wake us -- pull us out of our paradise and eventually, being disconnected form the peace that is meant to be, we drown: smothered by the duties and obligations of today. This could represent the change from childhood to adulthood, suddenly being drowned by the new responsibilities. So what can we hope for in life? What gives it meaning? Whatever it is, it may have something to do with connecting to the people around us, something this man here obviously struggles to do -- hence his depressed attitude.