he constant movement of time, and with it, the constantly mindless movement of society. The street itself is again characterized by common gestures and recurring actions: "And short square fingers stuffing pipes, / And evening newspapers, and eyes / Assured of certain certainties," (CPP, 13) illustrating the predictability of the world. Eyes assured of certain certainty are never surprised and are subject to the same certainties today, as they were the day before.Certainly one of the most interesting lines within Preludes :"The conscience of a blackened street Impatient to assume the world," (CPP, 13) seems to suggest that the street is "impatient" to serve as an example of the world in general. The portrayal of a "Blackened street" supports the notion that the street is filthy and corrupt. Possibly an example of T. S. Eliots attitude toward the world...blackened and without spirit or soul.Preludes comes to a seemingly contradictory end as two small stanzas give notion to separate outlooks. The first, though slightly out of place when taken along with the sordid images of the street and of society, suggests a new, slightly more kind idea of the street:"I am moved by fancies that are curled / Around these images, and cling: / The notion of some infinitely gentle / Infinitely suffering thing," (CPP, 13). These last lines seem to portray a forgiving vision of society, an almost compassionate attitude toward the filth and the spiritual degradation. Contradicting to an even further extent, the attitude of the work, the final stanza seems to ridicule the previous: "Wipe your hand across your mouth, and laugh; / The worlds revolve like ancient women / Gathering fuel in vacant lots," (CPP, 13). Concerning itself with the world as a whole, the lines utilize a simile to characterize the inevitable persistence of meaningless action, action that sustains persistence, inturn sustaining a spiritually defunct society....
