1. Modernist Poetry “Make it new!” Ezra Pound In a Station of the Metro The apparition of these faces in the crowd; petals on a wet, black bough.

2. Modernist Poetry Background: “The English novelist Virginia Woolf declared that human nature underwent a fundamental change ‘on or about December 1910.’ The statement testifies to the modern writer's fervent desire to break with the past, rejecting literary traditions that seemed outmoded and diction that seemed too genteel to suit an era of technological breakthroughs and global violence.”

3. Traits of Modernist Poetry: Poetry between 1890 and 1940 (Work after 1940 is called Post Modern) Despite often lacking structure, many poets felt they were harkening back to classic Greek, Japanese and early European artists. Speakers in the poem often seem uncertain of their feelings. Speakers often question the value of the “self” and feel alienated from society. Focus is on the self, not the audience. Often dedicated to a moment and everything related to that moment, but nothing else. Birth of Imagism (Absolutely no words used that are not 100% necessary) Several long, disjointed poems (The Wasteland) Romantic/Victorian Modernist Orderly Chaotic Optimistic Pessimistic Meaningful Futile Faithful Unfaithful Moralistic Immoral

4. Understanding Poets A poet is, before anything else, a person who is passionately in love with language. W. H. Auden -To successfully read and comprehend poetry you need to look at nearly every word as being important to the poet. -Additionally, you need to notice the placement of the words and the types of punctuation used to separate words within a given line.

5. Hugh Selwyn Mauberley By Ezra Pound Is part of a long, disjointed poem. The speaker (similar to a narrator) is a persona that reflects Pound’s views, but may not exemplify exactly how Pound demonstrated those views in real life. “In fact, the poem can be read as a staged conflict between Pound’s earlier aestheticism and his growing awareness of politics.”

6. Hugh Selwyn Mauberley By Ezra Pound IV-Stanza 1 Begins with THESE in all capital letters. The capitalized letters puts importance on the people being discussed, but the impersonal pronoun shows the speaker’s understanding of how anonymous all of the people dying in war really are. some believing signifies the idea that not everyone bought into the reasons for war. pro domo, in any case attests to both Pound’s reflection on older styles and historical significance as well as the concepts they professed (Reference to Cicero) Lines of poetry that end with an ellipsis tend to signify an ongoing or incomplete idea, not a specific leaving off of information. Having moved from THESE to some fosters the speaker’s understanding that there is a lack of congruity among those involved in conflict.

7. Hugh Selwyn Mauberley By Ezra Pound IV – Stanza 2 Anaphora-regular repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases or clauses. Six of the seven lines begin with some, and only the first is capitalized. A decreasing value of the reasoning behind a willingness to fight. None of the reasons provided seem to be appropriate to the speaker. The fact that line six ends with an ellipsis again indicates a questioning of reasons and/or of what exactly had to be learned later. Line seven is a little ominous but rather honest. Realizing that some in fear, learning love of slaughter; is a pretty brazen way to suggest that some grow accustomed to the violence and even yearn for it as a result of initially being terrified.

8. Hugh Selwyn Mauberley By Ezra Pound IV-Stanza 3 Beginning lines seem to question the false idea of romaticizing war. “It is sweet and right to die for your country.” walked eye-deep in hell is imagery suggesting the view soldiers had fighting in trench warfare. The remainder of Stanza 3 is filled with diction lies, unbelieving, lie, deceits, old lies, infamy, liars that demonstrates the speaker’s feeling of betrayal towards the idea that war is glorious. In particular the liars in public places stands out as a particularly personal issue. Usury seems unusual, but apparently presents an emphasis for Pound’s political agenda.

9. Hugh Selwyn Mauberley By Ezra Pound IV-Stanza 4 Emphasizes loss at all levels: wastage as never before/Young blood and high blood, fair cheeks and fine bodies. laughter out of dead bellies presents an ending to the stanza that is decidedly ironic and pointedly condemns the reasons for war. never before is repeated four times in the stanza and is often cited as being another statement of betrayal.

10. Hugh Selwyn Mauberley By Ezra Pound V Epitaph: short text honoring a deceased person. THERE dies a myriad seems to address the millions killed in war. Myriad suggests the variety and levels of the dead. Dead does not have to be literal, people can die on the inside. Lines three and four are particularly brutal condemnations of Britan. Lines five and six present subtle imagery of the dead again, mocking their romanticized deaths. For begins the last to lines again addressing the ridiculous reasoning behind involvement in war.

11. The Wasteland by T.S. Eliot I. The Burial of the Dead The Unreal City is viewed as London in the aftermath of war. I had not thought death had undone so many is a nearly direct quotation from Dante’s Inferno. This line is interesting as in Dante’s work, Dante is initially deeply saddened to see 1) so many people have died and 2) so many people died in sin. His learning and understanding through experience create the allegory of the epic poem. The same can be seen in Eliot’s work. The “dead” in Eliot’s poem are also seen as the living dead. dead sound the final stroke of nine may be another allusion to The Inferno as there are nine circles of hell that include the living dead. Second half of the excerpt reference past and present elements of English/European history. Eliot ends the stanza with imagery of the dead in trenches “That corpse you planted last year in your garden,” Eliot enjoys using allusions to other works. The reference to the dog in lines 74 and 75 is a reference to a wolf in a work by Webster. The wolf digs up the buried dead.

12. The Wasteland by T.S. Eliot II-A Game of Chess Part 1, lines 111-138 is a conversation between a male and female.. Imagine a conversation between a distraught veteran and the woman of his affections. This is not a woman similar to Brett who “knows” of war, this is one unaffected by war. Consider how at odds that would put a couple. Notice that the female speaker’s lines are in quotation marks and the male speaker’s lines are not. Could signify a lack of importance. Typical to this type of relationship, the spouse desperately wants to live while her husband seems distraught and unable to find reasons to do so. Notice that most of his responses are short and have a tone of reluctance and a lack of confidence or power behind them. Lines 125 to 130 are another example of Eliot alluding to another work, this time Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Even though Eliot reveres the work, for the husband, it seems unimportant. While the wife continues to be disturbed by the lack of life, the husband finishes this portion with a reference to routine, everyday life. Normalcy.

13. The Wasteland by T.S. Eliot II A Game of Chess Part 2, 139-172 is a conversation between two female friends. Imagine the female friends, sitting in a bar or restaurant and discussing how one of them has a spouse who is returning after his military service. Lil’s female friend is the speaker in this portion. Lil’s friend is concerned that if Lil does not look her best, make yourself a bit smart, if she isn’t prepared to please him he wants a good time, their marriage will not work out, And if you don’t give it him, there’s others will. A refrain or repetition occurs four times. Presents the triviality of their discussion. HURRY UP PLEASE ITS TIME. Many see this as a seize the moment reference or allusion to To His Coy Mistress. It’s them pills I took to bring it off, Lil is stating that pills she took for an abortion have made her less attractive. A lack of liveliness, a sense of sterility is common among modernist works. Finally, Eliot ends with one last allusion, this time to Hamlet. As the new insane Ophelia struggles with the world around her, she leaves one scene stating, Good night, ladies, good night, sweet ladies, good night,/good night.