T.S. Eliot's Prufrock, Stephen Colbert, and Ben Folds
This activity introduces one of the poem's themes: how we wear masks to conceal our insecurities and identities. The "abridged" document does not include the full text of Eliot's poem. The basic document (called "Colbert and Eliot") includes the full text.
The link takes you to the online recording of the Colbert/Gross interview.
Colbert interview on Terry Gross' "Fresh Air"
Possible Next Steps
- Maker: this can be part of a larger assessment to uncover what masks we wear in our own lives, then pair that to characters who are similarly veiled - in Eliot or in a corresponding texts. Students can even craft masks of their own.