I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.
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Answer
Explain the following line: “I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.” [NU: 2017]
The line “I have measured out my life with coffee spoons” is one of the most famous in the poem “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.” T. S. Eliot (1888–1965) wrote it in 1915. The poem presents the inner life of Prufrock, a timid and self-conscious man. It captures Prufrock’s feelings of emptiness, boredom, and routine in modern urban life.
Life Reduced to Routine: The coffee spoon is a small object used daily. By comparing his life to it, Prufrock suggests that his days are filled only with minor, repeated actions. His life has been reduced to small rituals, such as drinking coffee in social gatherings. This image reflects the dull routine of his existence.
Lack of Fulfillment: The line also shows Prufrock’s sense of failure. He has not lived with passion, risk, or achievement. Instead, he has lived cautiously, in small and safe steps. Measuring life with coffee spoons suggests he has never dared to break free or to act boldly. His life feels wasted in trivial details.
Symbol of Modern Boredom: The image has wider meaning beyond Prufrock. It reflects the modern human condition of spiritual emptiness. Life in the modern city is shallow, repetitive, and without purpose. Eliot uses this symbol to show how modern man often lives without depth, meaning, or heroic action.
Thus, the line “I have measured out my life with coffee spoons” expresses Prufrock’s frustration with his wasted life. It shows routine without passion, caution without achievement, and boredom instead of fulfillment. Eliot makes this simple image a powerful symbol of modern emptiness and lost opportunity.