The central theme of the poem is about the feeling of despair at the decline and dissolution of modern civilization. Due to many factors, especially the First World War and the economic depression, many artists and poets felt that modern industrial civilization had lost its sense of meaning and direction. "Preludes" falls within this realm. In this poem, Eliot describes the modern city as a vacuum of meaning and uses imagery to strengthen this feeling.

With smells of steaks in passageways.

The burnt out ends of smoky days." (Preludes, lines 1-4)

The first lines suggest a feeling of decline and despair. The use of "winter" in the first line is associated with a lack of growth and a los

Eliot engages in the use of many techniques in "Preludes" to convey an interesting poem with sounds and structure. He uses longer line lengths, almost creating a story, or the idea of prose. This makes the reader almost feel as if they are engaging themselves in a novel, full of themes, and climaxes. He uses, as well, a combination of alliteration and strong consonant sounds to make the reader hear the poem.

In a thousand furnished rooms." (lines 21-23)

Some common words found in the essay are:
World War, TS Eliot, TS Eliot's, modern society, modern city, , dingy shades, reader feel, modern world, techniques preludes, modern urban, paints picture,
Approximate Word count = 714
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)