Vocabulary

Mood & Symbolism • What does it mean? The feeling or emotion that the piece

of work gives off.• How is it used in modernism and imagism?

To try to get the audience to feel the same emotion as the artist feels (through poetry)

• What is a symbol? An object or an idea that has another meaning that the author is trying to convey through the reader.

• How is symbolism used in modernism or imagism? Symbols are sent sublimely through modernist work often;

but in most of the poetry, the symbols are apparent.

Imagery

• An image is anything that can be perceived by the sense.

• Images is modern poetry produce a sudden reaction

• A presentation of intellectual and emotional complex instantaneously.

Other Vocabulary• Motif: a recurring element that has symbolic meaning• Free verse: a form of poetry that is free of consistent meter

patterns or rhyme• Monologue: a speech by a single character (normally aloud) • Sonnet: a type of poem consisting 14 lines• Metaphors: a figure of speech that uses an image to

represents an intangible idea or quality• Allusion: a brief reference to a person, event, or place (real

or fictitious) or to a work of art• Stanza: an arrangement of a certain number of lines

(usually 4 or more)

Modernism

Imagism within Modernism

What is Modernism (1910-1945)?

• Modernism was bold, new, and experimental styles and forms that swept the arts. It reflects a loss of faith in traditional values and beliefs, including “The American Dream”

Centers of Modernism

• Stylistic innovations- abandons traditional form• Artist’s self-consciousness about questions of

form and structure• Obsession with primitive materials/attitudes• International perspectives of cultural matters• Breaks away from patterned responses and

predicable forms• Important motif of alienation

Social & Political Changes

• World War I (1914-1918)• Great Depression (1929-1932)• Prohibition Law (1919)• Harlem Renaissance• Women’s Right to Vote (1920)• World War II Begins(1939)

Cultural Changes

• Painters such as Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso explore new was to represent reality and imagery

• The rise of socialism directly opposes American system of capitalism

• Sigmund Freud, founder of psychoanalysis changes the way we see ourselves

Harlem Renaissance

• Centered in Harlem, NY during the 20s• Flowering of African American art, music, and

literature• The birth of Jazz Music• Poets: Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, and

Claude McKay

What is Imagism?

• A movement in early 20th century American poetry that focuses of the precision and clarity of images and sharp language.

• Key Figures/Imagists: Pound, Eliot, Williams, Doolittle, & Lowell

• Years: 1910s-1920s

Imagism

• Modern poets experimented, especially image.

• The image = central to poetryT.S. Eliot’s “Prufrock”Ezra Pound’s “In the Station of the Metro”William C. William’s “The Red Wheelbarrow”

Poets chose everyday words over sentimental language

What is Imagism, according to Pound?

• Pound's definition of the image was "that which presents an intellectual and emotional complex in an instant of time." Pound defined the tenets of Imagist poetry as:

• I. Direct treatment of the "thing," whether subjective or objective.II. To use absolutely no word that does not contribute to the presentation.III. As regarding rhythm: to compose in sequence of the musical phrase, not in sequence of the metronome.

Ezra Pound (1885-1972)

• Considered the poet most responsible for defining and promoting a modernist aesthetic in poetry.

• Responsible for the development of Imagism• Style: Stressing clarity, precision, and forgoing

traditional rhyme and meter. “Make it New”• Poems: “In a Station of the Metro”, “A

Virginal”, “L,art, 1910”, “Cantos”

In a Station of the Metro

• Poet: Ezra Pound Published: 1913• Exemplifies Imagism’s precise language • Breaks the uses of pentameter• Poetic device: visual spacing • Poetic terms: sonnet• A set of images that shares emotion

A Virginal

• Poet: Ezra Pound• Illustrates the poet’s unique style of imagery,

symbolism, and eclectic form,• Explores the notion of love (perfect/imperfect

world)• Poetic terms: sonnet• Poetic devices: the use of metaphors

T.S. Eliot (1888-1965)

• Known as one of the dominant figures of 20th Century literature and thinking

• His literary works seeks to put the reader off balance, counteract disorderliness, and the mind is the perfect place for numberless feelings, phrases, and images.

• Style: disconnected images/symbols, rhythm of free verse, and flexible tone

• Poems: “Prufrock”, “The Waste Land”, and “Hollow Men”

Prufock

• Poet: T.S. Eliot Published:1915• Marked the beginning of Eliot’s career• Alienation theme (mortality, regret, worry) • Poetic device: symbolism and allusion• Poetic terms: dramatic monologue

The Waste Land

• Poet: T.S. Eliot Published:1922• Considered one of the most important poems

of the 20th century• Prophetic theme (discussing the war)• Poetic device: allusion and quotations• Poetic terms: interior monologue, disjointed

structure• All sections total to 434 lines

William Carlos Williams (1883-1963)

• Known as an experimenters, innovator, and revolutionary figure in American poetry

• Often considered a “difficult poet”• Focused on empathy, sympathy, and emotional

identification• Style: detailed, clarity, renew language, his

subject matter were everyday issues• Poems: “The Red Wheel Barrow” & “The Rose”

The Rose

• Poet: W.C. Williams Published:1923• Brilliant opening line• Enthralling images and mathematical beauty• Based on a collage by Cuban painter, Juan Gris• Poetic device: symbolism and images

The Red Wheelbarrow

• Poet: W.C. Williams Published:1923• Considered the masterwork of William’s

poetry• Composed on 1, broken sentence• Poetic device: imagery, artistry, symbolism• Poetic terms: free verse, unusual stanza

breaks