Modernist Poems : - Identify Modernist Metaphor in short Poems

Hello Readers ,

          The  literature of the 20th century can, in fact , be read as an attempt to deal with the discovery of the hopelessness of courage and fallibility of mankind in the face of war. so the modernist literature is all about 'Realism'. In which all writers and poet , artists shows that time and the impact of war on the people.

            So, this blog is my classroom activity and here i try to interpret these 10 poems  of modernist literature as per my views.

(1) The Embankment by T.E. Hulme

             Embankment is an area of  London . In this poem poet recold their happy days of past. ' Flash of gold heels ' but then suddenly he prayed a God that he want one blanket because he want warmth in cold nights. Here ' star - eaten blanket' metaphor used. Here star used in negative sens. God provide this blanket for star not this poor man, so we can find out that what is the social  condition of poor or homeless people.

(2) Darkness by Joseph Campbell

                The title of this poem it self suggest that this poem is about darkness, because the time of this poetry is after world war so the dark impact of these world war easily we can saw in poet's mind through this poem. Poet wants to watch stars  but he can't so he just find only the light of the stars. so ,how this night is looking dark without stars, generally night is always beautiful with stars and moon. So, darkness symbolically represent and it's sagest the condition of that time.

(3) Image by Edward Storer

Forsaken lovers,

       Burning to a chaste white moon

       Upon strange Pyres of loneliness and

       drought.

   

        This is love poem. ' Forsaken lovers' means the people, who became helpless, because of Victorian time's problems like racism, poverty, unemployment or disease, sexual perversion and nothingness. so, here poet say that the ' Burning to a chaste white moon' means their heart burn and they felt loneliness and drought. so this poem 'Image' is image of  modern time.

(4) In a station of the Metro by Ezra Pound 

         The title of the poem it's suggested the modern life, because during 20th century entertainment , industry, television, radio, cinema became popular aspect of modern life. poet beautifully explain all things with the examples of natural elements ' tree'. we all live in same civilization like one tree, but tough we are different like various parts of tree. Here poet gave the examples of petals and wet black bough. we can't stay any particular one place for long time same like petals and bough falls down. So we can say that poetry talks about robotic life of people .

(5) The pool by Hilda Doolittle 

         Water is not free moving , but stored at one particular place, and the water became spoil  so same way the life of is not free and that's why poet ask question that ' Are you alive?'. people live with a lots of fears . " Sea fish " means people ,it's a modern metaphor , and fish is covered with net same way people also under the dark impact of war and Victorian time so they controlled not free. They trapped under social, political and religious rules and regulation. On the other side we can said that poet talked about the women condition also, and that's why she ask " Are you alive"?

(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 doves

       They fly away like white-winged

        Doves.

           " White winged doves" is modern metaphore. This poem about the freedom. poet wants freedom and fly away because he faces the dark time of wars. Here poet talked "dreary trenches"    dreary means  dark and trenches means hole then " Trudging cheerily" means ch earful long walk so here poet portray dark and bright side of life.

(7) Morning at the Window by T.S. Eliot 

           This poem talked about poverty, but the when we read  first title " Morning at the window" it suggested good or positive so the title and poem both are completely different. " Muddy Skirts", " Twisted Fad faces", " Basement Kitchenes"  these all words shows the poverty and slum area. so poet shows the miserable and pathetic condition of people. They can't fulfill their primary needs also. Poet talks about the layman's life.

(8) The Red Wheelbarrow by William Carlos Williams
 
            This poem has various agriculture metaphors like " Red wheel", "rain", " white Chicken" so, it's talked about farming. poet deny the old style of farming, because 20th century is the time of technology and perhapes this person or farmer don't know how to use new technique in farming. That's why  he was very much depended on rain, bull-cart and etc.

(9) Anecdote of the Jar by Wallace Stevens 

             Tennessee is the state of America.  In modern age poet used symbol well, and here in this poem also Jar - man made symbol used. and on the other side poet put this jar on the hills .so at the end or ultimately nature win. so, the natural elements or symbols  are more powerful. Poet very well elaborate the beauty of jar.

(10) Leaf fall on loneliness by E.E. Cummings
 
             The structure of the poem is very different, but is directly connected the situation and the time of war and that's why poet wrote poem in broken words. Poet gave an example of " Leaf Fall" means here he talkes about the loneliness or isolation.

 

            

                                                                                         Thanks.