Pound connects images of petals and boughs to a mass of humanity linking a manmade metropolitan scene with the cycles of nature. Discussion on pounds in a station of the metro youtube. Pound s anger and resentment of capitalism and the british government was forged by the bloodshed of. In a station of the metro by ezra pound the apparition of these faces in the crowd.
What are the historical contexts of in a station of the metro. Roger mitchell 1991 notes that the general term of mo. Ezra loomis pound 18851972 in a station of the metro. Pound drew inspiration from japanese poetry throughout his career, and in a station of the metro is an excellent example of that influence. An american poet and critic of the early modernist movement imagery is the use of figurative or descriptive language that can help the reader better. As he surveyed his surroundings, a beautiful face emerged from.
In a station of the metro by ezra pound poetry magazine. In a station of the metro poem by ezra pound poem hunter. In a station of the metro by ezra pound flashcards. He was an early champion of a number of avantgarde and modernist poets. In looking at in a station of the metro from the points of view of poet and recipient, we are lucky to have pounds report on how he composed it, a report that confirms some of the observations made earlier. After making hundreds of broadcasts for the italian facist regime, he was tried for treason, judged insane, and held in a mental hospital for over ten years. Why did ezra pound reduce in a station of the metro from 30 lines to two. This short piece illustrates his imagistic talent because the entire poem deals with images alone. This is the only ezra pound poem that many people will read in their lives. In a station of the metro seeks to capture a deeply moving experience that ezra pound encountered in paris when exiting the metro. Pounds poem stays with us because it yokes unlike things, allows us space to move, and it refuses to make a direct statement, which would determine the reader it forces us to remain in the position of interpreter to something that is perpetually open. Black is the color of the bough as the color of the. Why did ezra pound reduce in a station of the metro from 30.
He worked in extremes and either wrote minimalist works that consisted of two lines or he wrote epic works that consisted of hundreds of lines. Alexanders eng 250 class fall 2015 in a station of the metro lyrics. In a station of the metro, written by ezra pound in 19, is the imagist poem par excellence. An analysis of ezra pound s poem in a station of the metro. Get an answer for what are the major themes of in a station of the metro by ezra pound. In a station of the metro is an imagist poem by ezra pound published in 19 in the literary magazine poetry. Ezra pounds in a station of the metro uses a variety of literary techniques to express the poems meaning, an important focus being the fast paced rhythm, which guides the reader through the poem. Dec 05, 2014 in this clip, modpo tas amaris cuchanski, max mckenna, molly oneill, and dave poplar discuss ezra pounds in a station of the metro as part of the modpo live webcast that took place at the. In a station of the metro poem summary and analysis. Pounds twoline poem is a famous example of imagism, a poetic form.
He wanted to make the poem more concise and direct. The petals on the branch, and the subway stop itself, are both symbolic of the transitory nature of our lives. Yet, this apparition exists in the daily real world of the subway. Essay on in a station of the metro by ezra pound 637. The poet wandering in the underworldthe only one alive in a world of the deadis a familiar theme in classical poetry. In a station of the metro is a poem by american writer ezra pound, originally. The beautiful human faces are, pound suggests, like petals. Ezra pound s in a station of the metro, which he described as a hokku, is one of the most famous englishlanguage poems of the twentieth century. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools.
In a station of the metro by ezra pound the difficult forms. The petals set against the black bough illustrate the feeling the poet had when he saw beautiful, vibrant faces against the cold, colorless backdropp of a station of the metro. However, its not just that the poem is so short its also that pounds other, famous poems. Analysis of in a station of the metro by ezra pound. Pdf the japanese sources of ezra pounds in a station. Pound, ezra 18851972 controversial american poet, editor, and critic who had a major influence on 20th century literature. In a station of the metro by ezra pound about this poet ezra pound is widely considered one of the most influential poets of the 20th century. Pound could have just called the poem, in a metro station, but he chose to make the title longer maybe because he wants to highlight the word station. A station is a stoppingplace, a place where things stand still. Iii a roseyellow moon in a pale sky when the sunset is faint vermilion in the mist among the treeboughs art thou to me, my beloved. Pounds use of living metaphors adds to the fleeting tone of this poem. This in a nutshell already contains more syllables than the entire poem. The poem in a station of the metro puts pound s imagist theory into practice. The poem itself is a kind of station, because it freezes all the bustle of the metro and the crowd into one lasting image.
These lines originated when descending into a metro station in paris in 1912, the year before he published in a station of the metro, pound was struck by the stark contrast between the ugliness of the metro station and the beauty of the human faces he saw there. Pounds short poem provides us with a solid example of how he took an ancient traditiontwo actuallyand made them into something yup new. In a station of the metro by erin mcgovern on prezi. What are the major themes of in a station of the metro by ezra pound. In a station of the metro ezra pound analysis appunti di. Lustrain a station of the metro wikisource, the free. In the poem, pound describes a moment in the underground metro station in paris in 1912. I like a gondola of green scented fruits drifting along the dank canals of venice, you, o exquisite one, have entered into my desolate city. What two things does pound compare in the poem in a. Ezra pound, in a station of the metro haiku terebess asia. Dec 06, 2016 pounds 19 poem in a station of the metro demonstrates his imagistic motif in a couple of lines. This is a simple poem that uses economy of words, so i will try to do the.
A short analysis of ezra pounds in a station of the metro. Ezra pound in a station of the metro pdf writing english. In a station of the metro, by ezra pound in a nutshell this is the only ezra pound poem that many people will read in their lives. On in a station of the metro academy of american poets. Flowers and trees, like human beings on a metro, are constantly moving, growing, and changing. Lustra 1916 by ezra pound in a station of the metro. Pounds twoline poem is a famous example of imagism, a poetic form spearheaded by pound that focuses above all on relating clear images. Reasoning because the poem is a metaphor, it expands the meaning of the poem and is able to relate to many different social aspects it makes it sound more deep and realistic by saying they are petals. However, instead of giving each musical phrase in the. What are the major themes of in a station of the metro by. So far we are still feeling for a drift in pound s title, which seems to be approachable with at least two cadences. Ii the blue smoke leaps like swirling clouds of birds vanishing. Apr 01, 2017 in a station of the metro is a masterpiece of precise technical execution that deploys rhythmic, syntactic, acoustic, and semantic effects to create the impression of a transitory moment frozen in time.
Like hemingway in prose, pound turns away from the emotional slither and abstract rhetoric of romantic and victorian writers toward an emphasis on precision and concision in language and imagery. In just two lines, pound distils the entire manifesto. The article offers poetry criticism of the poem in a station of the metro by ezra pound. Download this entire guide to in a station of the metro as a printable pdf. Complexity of thought and imagistic 87 birth of modernism the term modernity describes the outcomes of the period of philosophical, scienti. In the poem, pound describes a moment in the underground metro station in paris in. The station must be pretty full, because there is a crowd. Pounds juxtaposition of a paranormal experience within a normal setting presents a contrast that.
Despite the wealth of scholarship devoted to this poem, however, pound s source for his interest in. In the poem, pound describes a moment in educational foundations an anthology of critical readings pdf the. Summary of in a station of the metro of the poem in a station of the metro. Pound created a poem that strikes an immediate chord to the aware reader. Sep 15, 2000 surely in a station of the metro wakens pound s mastery of this talent and suggests that eliot was not without justification in calling him il miglior fabbro. Ezra pound reduced his poem in a station of the metro from 30 lines to two because he was a modernest. In a station of the metro predates all of this, however it was published in 19 in a literary magazine, and was written based on an emotion pound had felt during a moment standing in a paris underground metro station in the previous year. In the foot notes, pound mentions that he wrote the poem as a response to an experience he had in the paris metro where he saw suddenly a beautiful face, and then. In this quick poem, pound describes watching faces appear in a metro station. In a station of the metro is a poem by american writer ezra pound, originally published in 19. Apr 12, 2011 ezra pounds poem in a station of the metro is only two lines, making it hard to decipher what exactly is going on.
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