Question

question 10 of 20
read the following lines from t. s. eliots \the love song of j. alfred prufrock\:
and would it have been worth it, after all,
after the cups, the marmalade, the tea,
among the porcelain, among some talk of you and me,
would it have been worth while,
to have bitten off the matter with a smile,
to have squeezed the universe into a ball
to roll it toward some overwhelming question,
to say: \i am lazarus, come from the dead,
come back to tell you all, i shall tell you all\-
if one, settling a pillow by her head,
should say: \that is not what i meant at all;
that is not it, at all.\
which sentence best analyzes the poets use of allusion in this passage?
a. the speaker mentions a famous painter to show how people pretend to be who theyre not so they can fit in.
b. the speaker refers to lazarus to convey the idea that people should live in the moment because life is short.
c. the speaker compares the universe to a ball to illustrate how difficult it would be to discuss \the overwhelming question.\
d. the speaker refers to marmalade, tea, and porcelain to reinforce his disillusionment with the american dream.

Explanation:

An allusion is a reference to a well - known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art. In the given passage, the speaker refers to "Lazarus, come from the dead". Lazarus is a figure from the Bible who was raised from the dead by Jesus. By referring to Lazarus, the speaker is making an allusion.
Option A: There is no mention of a famous painter in the passage.
Option C: Comparing the universe to a ball is a metaphor, not an allusion.
Option D: Marmalade, tea, and porcelain are objects described in the scene, not an allusion to the American Dream.

Answer:

B. The speaker refers to Lazarus to convey the idea that people should live in the moment because life is short.