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Wednesday, September 9, 2020

Modernist poems

Modernist poems: Thinking Activities

Hello readers!

    This blog is the part of assigning the academic task given by Dr. Dilip Barad sir. The task is that to read these small modernism poems and identify the "Modernism" Symbols, imagery and metaphor, and gave your observation. 

      So, before go to the main point of modernist poems. Let's precisely know about the modernism and the characteristics of the modernist poem. 


What is Modernism? 

   A term for the bold new experimental styles and forms that swept the arts during the first of the 20th century. 
     Modernism called for changes in subject matter, in fictional style, in poetic forms, and in attitudes, and experimenting with representation of reality. So, we can said that modernism a break from old traditions.

Features of Modernist poem :

#Emphasis on the experimental
  Art for art's sake
  Organized non- sequentially
  Ambiguous endings open ending which        are seen as more representative of reality.

#Symbolists
  Focus on creating fresh, original symbols      in their poetry.

#The Images
  Strong imagery alone can carry a poem's emotion and message. Motivated some of the greatest 20th century poetry.


10 a very short modernist poems

Identify modernist metaphors in these short poems :

                      The Embankment
                              By T. E. Hulme

Once, in finesse of fiddles found I ecstasy,
In the 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.


 Perhaps this poem depicted poverty of people by using the metaphor like " Fallen gentleman" , " Finesse of fiddles" , " Flash of gold hills", " Star eaten blanket".

  Here, the ' flash of gold heels on the hard pavement', it's may be depicted, the Flash gold heels but on Hard pavement, so, it's may be depicted for poor it's hard to reach there for them.
 In ' the old star' this may be the metaphor of old gentleman near to the death, he have nothing to eat, depicted by eaten blanket of the sky. 


                       Darkness
                          By 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.

A very short piece of early modernist poetry.

 The title 'Darkness' itself suggest a lot. Here the two words 'star' and 'boghole' is very significant words, the 'star' and ' boghole' are opposite word, 'star' signified Brightness and prosperity, some goodness by shine, But 'boghole' it's represent a hole or depression in a land surface having a miry or spongy bottom, where we can see darkness. When we connect both the person by using ' I' he watch the shine star in the boghole, and look at in and pass on, he ignored it because in his land ( civilized world) something went wrong (perhaps world War effect) something went wrong, and he feels disinterestedness towards the illusionary beauty of shine star by saying that ' A star no longer'. 


                        Image
                            By Edward Shower

"Forsaken lovers,

Burning to a chaste white moon

upon strange pyres of loneliness and drought".


Generally the metaphor of love is used, in this poem, poet used the symbol of chaste 'white moon', as it's connected with lovers. But poet here used it in like opposite side that it  burns lovers and they can't chaste with each other, and their loneliness is there thought they are together. So, here we can interpret that modernist thinks that we all are alone in crowd as well as loneliness among the modern people.

             In a 'station of the Metro
                           By Ezra Pound

" The apparition of these faces in a
           Crow
Petals in wet. Black bough"

      Here, through the very short poem of two lines, suggest a lot, like image of mechanism of by setting a station of the metro.
     The poet also use the metaphor of " "Patals on wet black bought".this poem suggest the busy life of city people as well as the people's lives became more alike sheepal, they have to do same work everyday life nothing is newness in life. It's also depicted busy life, which forgot create new things or new way of life.


                       "The Pool"
                              By Hilda Dolittle

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

   When we read this poem, we can see that, this poem is written on modern people's lives, first of all at the very starting of the poem held one question "Are you alive? " By using the metaphor, 'sea-fish', people became more like quiver sea-fish, something make them quiver, we can also see one another metaphor 'net', here net is used for cover or protect the quiver sea-fish, but in real net is used for trap the sea-fish. The very end of the poem ends with again held the question what are you- banded one?.


                            Insouciance
                                 By Rechard Addington

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

   In this poem, poet use the metaphor of 'dove' for freedom, here he also use some words like 'Trudging' and 'cheerily' gives contrasting meanings, how it's possible. Trudging with cheerily, here poet write poetry himself and said that fly away like white-winged doves, here his poetry is compared with dove's white winged as a pure, free, truth or peace and said to be fly away it's symbolized as freedom.

                 'Morning at the window'
                       By 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 housemaids         
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 represents negativity, and create the negative image, by using the words like 'Rattling' means vibrating, skaking plates and 'Damp' means in low spirits from loss of hope or courage. The fog and twisted faces gives negative glimes and an aimless or muddy smile suggests an artificiality of modern civilization.

      The Red Wheelbarrow
                  By WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS, 1883 - 1963

so much depends
upon

a red wheel
barrow

glazed with rain
water

beside the white
chickens.

 This is a very short poem of four stanza is very famous poem by William Carols William. Here by using the two metaphors 'Red Wheelbarrow' and 'White Chicken', this represent the craftsmanship on the modern or Industrial world, of course this is minor things but play a vital role on agriculture as craftsmanship.

            " Anecdote of the jar"
                   By Wallace Stevens

I placed a jar in Tennessee,   
And round it was, upon a hill.   
It made the slovenly wilderness   
Surround that hill.

The wilderness rose up to it,
And sprawled around, no longer wild.   
The jar was round upon the ground   
And tall and of a port in air.

It took dominion everywhere.   
The jar was gray and bare.
It did not give of bird or bush,   
Like nothing else in Tennessee.

        This poem is exaggeration of the picture of jar. And also depicted the industrialization of modern age. By using the metaphor 'jar' poet provides as a vision to look at nature in a good manner.

                        "I"
                         By E. E. Cummings

       The poem is too short but it has too deep and various meanings, here we can see the central theme of loneliness or isolation, here a leaf fall only because of loneliness we can also said that leaf falls with loneliness, loneliness is only company of him.

Thank you.... 

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