- Meaning of Modernism :-
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.
But According to my opinion i think Modernism doesn't means something contemporary which talk about modern fashion, culture and something new it's call modernism. Another way i have to say that modernism is a opposite side of tradition. It means that Broken all thing, culture, traditions it's call modernism. Here I will put example of Wordsworth and Coleridge for better understanding. Both are wrote new way and create new form for writing. They also wrote against tradition and system.
Every new inventions once upon a time criticize. Same as Modernism also criticize by many writers. During modern time creatively created new form of story, poem and structure by modernist poets. We know that literature is mirror of society and Literature always connected with society,religion,politics...etc. whose give perfect shaped literature. Parent's of Victorian age doesn't happy from that literature. " The Wast Land " written by T.S.Eliot is best example of modern poem.
- Use of allusions and paradoxes
- Use of myth and classical references
- Isolation
- Brokenness
- Nothingness
- Disintereste
Very Short Modernist Poems:-
1) " The Embankment" by T.E.Hulme:-
T.E. Hulme was influential poet and thinker in twentieth century. He revolutionized the way English poetry approached issues of rhyme,meter and imagery. " The Embankment" is one of the best known poem. This poem has completed into 7 lines. According to my point of view In this poem has may be central thought is lust and falling of man. How any types of lust leads man towards the decayed. This types of addiction became man's life completely weak and dull. So that this types hopeless people prays to god for shelter. It means that here arise question of existence. Here I will add one more thing that in the poem may be that man wants to decide to die because he doesn't bear himself and may be he wants to hide himself everywhere. In the poem I found some key points and Symbols like as,
* Embankment:- Hopeless people
* Gold Heels :- Ambition, Prostitution
* Blanket :- Shelter, Hide, Protection
2) " Darkness" by Joseph Campbell:-
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.
Campbell was an Irish poet writing a similar kind of poetry to Hulme at around same time. 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. Here I found some key points like as,
* Darkness :- Depression, Death, Negativity, Evilness, dullness
* Boghole :- Which can't sustains the weight because of the softness.
A hole or depression in a land surface having a miry or spongy bottom.
* Silver Ribbon :- Mental illness
3)" Image " by Edward Storer:-
Edward Storer was clearly influenced by Japanese form such as the haiku, This poem has completed into only 3 Lines also.According to my point of view in the short poem seems like as an image. We can't bind in one certain idea about any Image. but here may be the Image of Sorrowful condition and everything looks like varnished. I can imagine that situation is became like as land of desert with full moon light. There are somebody on pyre and due to the lake of love and everyone certainly has payed the price.
* Moon :- As a land of Desert with full moon
* Pyre :- Bad happening, Death, Drought,Loneliness
4) " In a station of the Metro":-
Pound arrived at this two lines poem after writing a much longer draft which he then cut down, line by line. The poem describes the sight of the crowd of commuters at the Paris Metro Station. In the poem using vivid and original image. So that this poem also based on imagination As the title suggested the image of Metro-station. There are crowded people and everyone rushing. This poem has completed in only 2 lines. In the poem Faces are compared with the petal of the black and wet bough. It means that after the rain when branches becomes black. Here I found some point like as,
* Apparition :- Ghost, Imagery
* Petals :- Flowers, Faces
* Black and Wet Bough :- After the rain
5)The pool- by Hilda Dolittle
"Are you alive?
I touched you
you quiver trembling like a sea fish
I cover you with my net
What are you banded one?
Very first line of the poem, 'Are you alive? arise the question of existence which is one of the important aspect of modern literature. People of modern time became like sea fish that they are controlled or bound by some chain that they can't free from them. The title "Pool" is also symbolize the stillness like water store in it which don't have flowness which is most important things in the life to flow from one to another.
Similar lines can be found in the poem "The Wasteland" by T.S.Eliot -
"Are you alive or not?
Is there nothing in your head?" - Part 2
6) "Insouciance"- By 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 dovesin
Thy fly away like white-winged Doves.
This poem speaks about how people were living in modern age. The word dreary trenches presents the loneliness in the life of modern people. In that isolation they try to relief themselves by writing down their feelings in a words. As poet says that, ‘I make for myself little poems’ through this poet express his feeling in isolation.
* Imagination & Metaphor:- Dreary Trenches, Flock of Doves, White winged dove
7) " Morning at the Window" by T.S.Eliot:-
Compared to Romanticists, its language & selection of word is totally different.The word 'Rattling' means vibrating, shaking plates and 'Damp' means in low spirits from loss of hope or courage.Their soul has become like Damp; lifeless.'Fog' is also negative word; it doesn't allow you to see the things clearly.'Twisted faces' also connotes negative sides 'tear' , 'Muddy skirt', 'Aimless smile' Most of the words are negative. This poem gives images and symbols of the dead spirit in people, doing everything aimlessly. Death of spirit can be seen.
* Basement
* Trampled edges
* Damp Soul
* Twisted faces
* Muddy Skirts
* An Aimless Smile
8) " The Red Wheelbarrow" by William Carlos Williams:-
It is most difficult poem for understanding. We can't say properly that this poem about for that.This poem is best example of Imagination and metaphor. " The Red Wheelbarrow " Which used in farming and for transferring something. Here poet try to used rural imagery. Here In the poem bird of White chicken comes near for look beauty of wheelbarrow. This poem has completed into 8 lines.
* Red Wheelbarrow
* White Chicken
9) " 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.
Like a John Keats’s “The Grecian Urn”, this poem is also a exaggeration of the picture of jar. Thorough this poem poet also mocks on the industrialization of modern century. By using the metaphor jar poet provides us a vision to look at nature in a good manner.
* Jar :- Art,
* Bush :- Recreation, Wilderness
10) " l " by E.E.Cummings:-
“A leaf falls with loneliness”
This poem appeared in 1958 in Cummings' collection 95 poems, so it's really a late modernist work. Although it's nine line long, it's only contains four words - cleverly arranged so that 'a leaf falls' appears parenthetically within the word ' loneliness'. It was creative poem with imagination. In the poem few lines but it's gives the feeling of loneliness. It's good idea about one single leaf fall on the ground which make poem very interesting.
* loneliness
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