Thinking Activity task

 Ten small modernist poems and its metaphor, symbol and imagery

♧ Poem 1

The Embankment by T. E Hulme

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

The title of the poem " The Embankment " portrays the very harsh picture of London's people who lives in this area. " Embankment is an area well known for homeless people sleeping rough. In this short poem the poet used metaphors like, " Finesse of fiddles, flash of gold heels on the hard pavement, moth eaten blanket." First metaphor suggesting musical gathering such as dancing and beautiful women probably a prostitute. A fallen gentleman reflects on his past and how he found pleasure in social activities. But his luck down and he became homeless and now sleeping rough on the street. He realises that warmth is what really matters. The poem ends with a heartfelt entreaty to the heaven with the poem's speaker beseeching God to make a blanket of the starry sky, so that speaker's wish for warmth might be granted. 

♧ Poem 2

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.

The title " Darkness " itself suggests the negativity. Most of the modernist writers wrote the poems on the cultural and civilization of modern times. Here in this poem Joseph Campbell indirectly satire on civilized people through the metaphors of Boghole, Silver ribbon and stars. The Stars are the symbol of brightness and beauty. If one looks at the stars in the night may they sit and admire for beauty but in this poem, the poet don't want to sit there but he wants to just look at the stars and pass on. May it reflects disinterestedness of the modern people. Here the metaphor of Silver ribbon may suggest the hope. The beauty of the stars may die but the hope will remain alive.

♧ Poem 3

Image by Edward Storer

Forsaken lovers,
Burning to a chaste white moon,
Upon strange pyres of loneliness and drought.

The very short poem " Image " reflects the picture of civilized people who feels loneliness and disillusionment. Through these three line the poet Edward storer draws the attention of people toward those civilized people of that time. The metaphors are used here : Forsaken Lovers. Here burning means we can say greed and isolation. Those civilized poeple suffered from loneliness especially after the world wars. They were lived with fear. A lot of people died in the world war. So, they might be feel loneliness. 

♧ Poem 4

In a Station of the Metro by Ezra Pound 

The apparition of these faces in the crowd:

Petals on a wet, black bough.

The title of the poem " In a Station of the Metro " again portrays the picture of harsh life of people. It is Paris metro station. Here the poet used the metaphors of " Apparition, Petals and black bough." In the time of Industrialisation the life of people is like machine. They all are going for work daily but without any happiness and enthusiasm. They are living but like dead people. Petal is used for people and black bough for a culture of living dead. 

♧ Poem 5 

The Pool by Hilda Doolittle 

Are you alive?

I touch you.

You quiver like a sea-fish.

I cover you with my net.

What are you—banded one?

" The Pool " is one of the most famous and widely discussed imagist poem. The setting of the poem is Pool like a rock pool. The speaker of the poem carrying a net, spot something in the pool, touches it, wonders if it is alive, making the thing quiver like a fish. She covers the thing with a net. On the basis of the description of the poem we can say that may it is the poem about self discovery. Water symbolises the purity. The flows of water always be considered as a pure and good but here the water it is in the pool means rotten. So, here we can compare rottenness of civilization. It reflects the image of lifelessness people who are like fish caught in the net and they lost their lives.

♧ Poem 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.

In this five line poem the poet used metaphors like, " Dreary trenches, flock of doves and white winged doves." These all metaphors gives contrasting images. Two World war put highly effect on the mind of people. They witnessed that very dangerous war. So, they lived with fear and without any enthusiasm and willingness. In this poem the poet used Dreary trenches for ups and down in life. Flock of dove symbolises brightness while white winged doves symbolises aggressiveness. The poet looks toward the struggling life especially after the world war. He doesn't want to live in the atmosphere around him but he has to. So, he made a little poem for him.

♧ Poem 7

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 housemaid

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.

In this poem " Morning at the Window " the poet used metaphors like, " rattling breakfast plates, damp souls, brown waves of fog, muddy skirt, hovers in the air etc." Through these all metaphors the poet portrays the picture of the condition of the poor people. The poet at the window. So, may he saw the activities of poor people at the early morning. He may be visit certain houses in the area where poor people live. The poor people are rattling breakfast plates early in the morning. It is an obligation for poor people to go to early and work till late. Such housemaids are appearing one after another at the city gate. The brown fog may symbolises the pollution of city air. The focus is on poor servant girl whose souls themselves are " damp."

♧ Poem 8

The Red Wheelbarrow by William Carlos William 

so much depends

 upon

a red wheel

barrow

 glazed with rain

water

beside the white

chicken.

The metaphors of the poem are : A Red Wheelbarrow, rain, water and white chicken. What is the meaning of these all ? The poem is quite confusing and complicated. We can not catch the word and meaning directly as well as we can't understand easily what the poet wants to say. Because Wheelbarrow means the little cart which has one wheel at the front and two supporter wheels and two handles at the rear. Barrow means an ancient burial mound. The words rain and water are contradictory words which symbolises both negativity and positivity. The other two words Red and white are also contradictory words. May the poem is about the child who is dying. 

♧ Poem 9

Anecdote of the Jar by 

Wallace  Steven 

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.

May this poem is basically about the relationship between everyday and commercial Jar and the wilderness surrounding it. Here the poet used metaphors like : Jar and Tennessee, hill etc. We take nature in the form of food and process it, selling it on in Jars and of course America is the birthplace of Consumer Capitalism. A jar is among other things, a symbol of this. The repetition of the words - ' round, surround, around, ground ' emphasis not only the round shape of the Jar but also the difference manmade Jar and the wilderness of nature. 

♧ Poem 10

I (a'  by E. E Cummings 

l(a... (a leaf falls on loneliness)

l(a

le

af

fa

ll

s)

one

l

iness

May the poem is about inevitably death. The poem is very beautifully arranged. The metaphors of the poems are : leaf, tree, loneliness. The poet wants to say that Loneliness and depression prevalent in Europe during 19s. The word " loneliness " shows isolation. It means leaf falls on loneliness. The tree become barren when the last leaf fall.