The World is Round for a Reason...Squeeze it!!
Wow! Let's just say this poem contains allegories, historical references, metaphors, and emotions all coming together to make a statement of one man's life. Michelango, Lazarus, Hamlet, Chaucer and John Donne's works all influenced this poem. The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock has 3 lines that left an impression on me (90-92).
"Would it have been worth while,
To have bitten off the matter with a smile,
To have squeezed the universe into a ball"
This shows one's full regret. It contains such strong metaphors to an emotion that we relate to everyday. Everyone regrets something they have done or not done in their life. Everyone has felt like they wanted to "squeeze the unvierse into a ball." This is no far-fetched idea. However knowing that other people can feel the way you have, can make you realize there is time to make up regrets or to live and make no more. Only three lines of a poem can give you an entirely new perspective on your life.
That was philosophical.....:)