Modernism & Modern Poem Thinking activity

Thinking Activity : 

            Identify the "Modernist", "Symbols", "Imagery" and "Metaphors"..... from the poems.

* Meaning of Modernism :-

                   Modernism is both a philosophical movement and an art movement that, along with cultural trends and changes, arose from wide-scale and far-reaching transformations in western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. among the factors that shaped modernism were the development of modern industrial society and the rapid growth of cities, followed then by reactions of horror to world war 1. modernism also rejected the certainty of enlightenment thinking, and many modernists rejected religious belief.

                  Modernism is a period in literary history which started around the early 1900s and continued until the early 1940s. Modernist writers in general rebelled against clear-cut storytelling and formulaic verse from the 19th century. Instead, many of them told fragmented stories which reflected the fragmented state of society during and after World War I.

                  Many Modernists wrote in free verse and they included many countries and cultures in their poems. Some wrote using numerous points-of-view or even used a “stream-of-consciousness” style. These writing styles further demonstrate the way the scattered state of society affected the work of writes at that time.

* Characteristics of Modern Age :

• Classical allusion 
• free verse
• Dislocation of meaning
• Loss of faith
• Rejection of old norms
• Meaninglessness
• influence of Marxism
• Art of life sake
• Breakdown of social norms

* Very short Modernist poem :-

1) "The Embankment" - T. E. Hulme

Once, in finesse of fiddles found i ecstasy,

In a flash of gold heels on the hard pavement.

Now see I

That Warmth's the very stuff of poesy.

Oh, God, make small

The old star-eaten blanket of the sky,

That I may fold it round me and in comfort lie.

                 T.E. Hulme was influential poet and thinker in twentieth century.The first Modern English poem. If we most readily associate ‘modern poetry’ with brevity, precision of language, understatement, unrhymed verse, written about everyday and often very ordinary things, then we owe many of those associations to T. E. Hulme. this poem available on internet says: Fallen Gentleman reflects on his pas and how he found pleasure in worldly social activities such as musical gathering and dances. here "Flash of gold heels" represents the beautiful women and "hard pavement" represents the hard and rough side of the society. but the darker side of this phrase "flash of gold heels with hard pavement" is though she is beautiful but she is prostitute as well.

2) "Darkness" - Joseph Campbell

Darkness

I Stop to watch a star shine

in the boghole -

A star no longer, but a silver

ribbon of light.

I look at it and pass on.

In this poem poet talks about the night scene and the importance of stars in the dark sky. Poetry doesn't come much more understated than this. This poem has completed into only 4 lines. According to my point of view I get some thing from title. Darkness also connected with death and something happening bad. Here I can say that Speaker will feel depression. As a part of depression Speaker face mental illness so that speaker don't like to see shining of stars but likes to see light. So that I have to say that this sky may be gives the feeling of boghole.

3) "Image" - Edward Storer

Forsaken lovers,

Burning to Achaste white moon

Upon strange pyres of loneliness

and

drought.

                  The dictionary meaning of "forsaken" is" to give up". Poet is describing here the condition of forsaken lovers. Generally in love both gets calmness through the light of moon. But for them who are forsaken, moon light is like a burning chaste. And it seems that lovers are burning on pyres of lonliness and drought not of wood. 

4) "In a station of the metro" - Ezra pound

The apparition of these faces in 
the crowd;
petals on a wet, black bough

                  This poem is about the hasty life style of modern working people in urban area not in rural, who are so busy in their routines that they are in crowd but can't notice eachother, its like loneliness in crowd as in above poem, image of petals on a wet blake bough suggest that the people are together though they are alone and don't have their individual identity in crowd.

5) "The pool" - Hilda Doolittle

Are you alive?
I touch you
You quiver trembling like a sea-fish
I cover you with my net
What are you-banded one?

                        Whenever we hear the word "pool" then there is only one thing came in our mind and that is a place where we can swim or have fun. but here we can relate "sea fish" with T.S Eliot "The Wasteland" in which he discussed about the unreal cities like "London". 

6) "Insouciance"- Richard Aldington 

In and out of the dreary trenches
Trudging cheerily under the stars
I make for myself little poems 
Delicate as a flock of doves
They fly away like white-winged
Doves.

                        This poem shows the carelessness of people, its also seems like war poem and poet talks about life of soldier as Ajit said earlier in his blog. the metaphor like 'dreary trenches', 'flock of doves' and 'white winged dove' etc used by poet to express his though about lifestyle of people that how they are unaware and don't have any exitement but still they are going on to live their life.

7) Morning at the Window - T.S.Eliot 

They are rattling breakfast plates in
basement kitchens,
and along the trampled edges of the 
street
i am aware of the damp souls of 
housemaid
sprouting despondently at area gates.

The brown waves of fog toss up to me
twisted faces from the bottom of the
street,
and tear from a passer-by with 
muddy skirts
an aimless smile that hovers in the 
air
and vanishes along the level of the
roofs. 

                          This poem written in London, shortly after the outbreak WWI. In the poem context that may be lurk behind the poem's dark, oppressive images of everyday life. it is an rhymed poem according to my opinion speaker watched terrible sight out side from the window at early morning. they have not good clothe. this poem has completed into 9 lines.

8) The Red Wheelbarrow - William Carlos Williams

So much depends
upon
a red wheel
barrow
glazed with rain
water
beside the white
chicken.

                       Here we can say that poet used the word "wheel", "rain","water" and white chicken. the dictionary meaning of wheel borrows is a small, one wheeled cart with handles at one end for transporting small loads.it is like bullock cart but bullock cart is pushed by bull but wheel borrow may be pushed by man for transporting little goods and luggage's. so we can say that it is a poem about the sacrifice of a younger one in this modern age.

9) Anecdote of the jar - Wallace Stevens  
                            

                                  The poem as suggest talks about jar compare with the state "Tennessee" in America, Which suggests its independence that poet placed jar upon hills its tall and its dominion in that area, so its about that state.

10) "I" by E.E. Cummings

"I"

"I (A ...(A leaf falls on loneliness)

I (A

Ie

af

fa

II

S)

One

I

Iness"

                   The poem seems like confusing at first sight but when we carefully read it is line that 'a leaf falls on loneliness', when we look at the modernist structure to write a poem it also look like leaf falls down, it also suggest the feelings or dreams of people after wars that are broken in small pieces. it also suggest the disconnection with nature as science developed in modern age. fall suggest many that fall of civilization and loss of hope for betterment is no longer.

                                        THANK YOU