Ginsberg

Allen Ginsberg and his poetry is a true definition of the post modernism time period.  He was a very ecclectic and non traditional writer.  His poems were demonstrated to almost "protest" the America he lived in because it stifled his free spirit and in his own words his "madness".  His poem "America" describes this.  It is ironic that he is speaking of America in this sense of imprisonment, when really America is supposed to be this land of opportunity and imagination, but really it was full of restrictions and rules that had to be met and followed.  Allen was not one to follow rules.  Many of his poems speak out against the conformity and traditionalism that was slowing starting to be broken during the 50's and 60's. 

Mina Loy

Mina Loy's poetry is certainly a piece of modernism.  I enjoyed her poetry because although it was somewhat light, unlike T.S. Eliot, it was also very powerful with meaning.  Sort of had the best of both worlds.  In her poem, "Branscusi's Golden Bird" she eclectically describes a sculpture by Branscusi.  While she is describing something, her poetry still doesn't quite fit in with imaginism.  Her poetry uses maybe harsher language than would be described in an imaginist's poems.  Particularly in lines 9 and 10, where she uses the word "naked" to describe the sculpture.  The word "naked" is a very raw word that, in my opinion strikes out to the reader.  Modern poets definitely preferred vocabulary that was taboo or different than the diction used in previous literature.  I enjoyed these poems, particulary because they were easy to read and understand but still different in the sense of being modern.

T.S. Eliot The Wasteland

Eliot's The Wasteland was one of the most influencial and important poems of the modernism period.  The random structure and prose style of it holds true to the modernist time period in which it was written.  The style and structure, let alone the content, is a testament to the new and upcoming break away from tradition that was modernism.  The poem was quite difficult to read.  It was filled with allusions and references, which in my opinion, is what makes the poem.   The sporadic stories and allusions are what make it so puzzling and interesting.  It sets it apart from poetry and literature that had been seen before, also making it a staple in modernism.  The poem, which seems to be set in the time period in Europe following WW1, is broken up into different sections and stories that all tie together the idea of this corrupted society that has now become a "wasteland".  The first section, "The Burial of the Dead", sets the stage for the mood of the poem.  The somewhat confusing, and rigid words and sentences he uses sort of sets an eerie tone or mood like you would feel in a "wasteland" of nothingness.  This section seemed to be the most important part of the entire poem.  The heavy presence of death reiterated the image of a corrupted land in which minds and bodies were being expelled, figuratively and literally, at the  expense of its inhabitants'.  The death and corrupted ideals expressed fit with the post war era that might leave a sort of "wasteland.  Also in this first section he identifies human fear and loss of faith, which is one of the main ideas in modernism.  In the second section, "A Game of Chess", he addresses the concept of sexual corruption.  He alludes to stories about unnecessary and unwanted sexual acts, all expressing and adding to the corrupted game of society that's left after the war.  The third section seems to explore the same area of sexuality and corruption, warning against using sexuality as a sort of an outlet for ones personal problems.  In the fourth section, "Death By Water", Eliot enlists the help of the story of Phlebus the Phoenecian, who, while handsome and popular and self-thought to be invincible, drowned.  This idea that "everyone dies no matter who you are", goes back to his  first section in which he focuses on death and fear of death.  There is nothing to fear about death, it is inevitable, particularly in this post war wasteland in which most seem to be "dead" anyway.  The final section, "What the Thunder Said" tells about a drought.  This drought could be seen as a metaphor and symbol for the wasteland itself.  The dried up land of a drought could be symbolic of a dried up society.  In this section he also speaks about death and dying frequently, similarly to the first section, so as to come full circle with his idea of death, fear, corruption, and the "wasteland" his society has become.

J. Alfred Prufrock

T.S. Eliot's J. Alfred Prufrock is a very interesting poem.  It seems to be about love,  but not a positive or hopeful side of love.  It is very dreary, pessimistic and self defeating.  The beginning of the poem quotes a piece of Dante's Inferno.  I think thhis is a good way to represent to the pessimism and dispair expressed by J.  Alfred Prufrock thought the poem.  Dante's Inferno, which talks about the 7 levels of hell, seems to be an appropriate introduction to this down poem.  It also could be construed as a parallel to the struggles of love and the whole "man this sucks im stuck now" idea that some people feel when falling in love and developing a long term relationship and commitment.  Perhaps he feels anxiety about finding love because in some ways it is like going through another ring of hell.

Preludes

I really enjoyed T.S. Eliot's poetry.  His poem Preludes is beautifully written.  I couldn't seem to decide what it could be portraying.  I either found it to be an account of a relationship or love of his, or in complete contrast, about a prostitute.  His first stanza describes a city street as it gets late, and in the second one describes the coming of morning.  Eliot uses imagery, but in a less intricate way.  His short lines in the opening stanza sort of set a simplistic picture.  Something busy, yet still.  In the third section of the poem, what I percieved to be a girl is described in a very tell-all way.  It seems like a portrait of her.  It is unclear of who she is, but it seems that it is a lover of sorts.  I really enjoyed the way this poem was written as well as the content.  It's hard to put my finger on exactly what spoke to me in the poem, but I think it is one of my favorites.

Langston Hughes

I enjoyed Langston Hughes' poetry very much.  I thought it was skillfully written as to evoke a certain feeling in the reader.  In his poem "the Negro Speaks of Rivers", he exhibits this characteristic exactly.  He writes historically, speaking about slavery or the inequality among blacks and whites.  Throughout the stanzas, he develops a picture of African pride within the subject of the poem.  This could be thought of as a somewhat light poem, if read as though the subject is connecting with his or her heritage.  Although, it could also be taken in a dark manner, as if the subject is realizing and accepting that he is a slave or unequal and always has been.  I enjoyed this poem it was particularly crafty and well written in order to make the reader contemplate it's true meaning.

Ackland and Warner

I particularly enjoyed Sylvia Townsend Warner's poem "Ornaments of Gold".  Though somewhat simplistic in style, I thought the message was somewhat heavy.  The stanzas, which are just a few lines alternating the speaker, make it more as a conversation and less as something complex and more so a bold statement.  The ending of the poem where she says, "yes child, you may depend/woman-kind shall go thus to our world's end" leaves sort of a bitter taste in your mouth.  Considering the time period, women were not nessecarily allowed to live freely. There were norms and unspoken rules that women adhered to, such as the way of dress Warner describes, as well as the earrings and the ring.  She is making her audience aware of the suffocating social placements of women, and what it is they are "supposed to" do.  I found this poem to be powerful, yet somewhat dark since it seems Warner is speaking from oppression.