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. 

Lawrence

Lawrence's poetry seems very nostalgic and personal.  His poem "Piano" is a very sweet poem in my opinion.  It is obvious it as memoir or memory of either his mother or someone elses.  I guess it could be seen as a metaphor for things that could havve been going on in history and the point in time, but to me I took it is a memory of his mother.  It seems like the woman playing the piano is the gateway for his thoughts and memories of his mother.  I also particularly enjoyed "The English Are So Nice!".  It definitely put a smile on my face.  Although potentially offensive, I found the part about the Americans, French, and German were sarcastic and humorous.  It seems as though his sarcastic and fecetious nature comes out the most in this poem to show his true feelings about "the big picture" type problems going around during that time period.

imagism

In these poems it seems as though a lot of imagery and detail is used, which coincides with the imaginist time period in which they were writing.  Ezra Pound and Amy Lowell both rely on heavy distcriptive accounts and imagery to portray their subject and meaning with their poems.    Amy Lowell's "The Pike" follows suit with this term almost to a T.  She writes in a free verse style and very eloquently describes the surroundings and attributes of this Pike.  She uses contrasting colors to particularly describe certain elements. "Silver-sheened in the sunshine..." is an elaborate use of imagery and also alliteration.  She uses attention grabbing metallic color to describe this fish's action of swimming throughout the water from some one else's perspective.  These thoughtful and detailed used of imagery are used to convey the subject of the poem in a simplistic, yet beautiful way.  I particularly enjoyed these poems because of how thought provoking and descriptive they were.  It made them easier to read and enjoyable.

War Poets
The war poetry was nice to read, just because I am particularly interested in the history of wars and the literature surrounding it.  Sassoons poems, "The General" and "Blighters" were nice because they were simply written, not too long and no sort of intricate pattern, but somewhat mysterious or whimsical.  Although a heavy topic it almost seemed light, perhaps in a mocking way toward the seriousness of war?  I enjoyed his poetry because while not entirely metaphorical or symbolic, it still kind of made you think of something beyond the words there in front of you.  I also enjoyed Gurney's poem "First Time In" alot.  It was a bit longer, and more intense and descriptive, but I feel like his writing style was a very realistic account of war and it's components, which in itself was beautiful.  "Dolce et Decorum Est" was odd but interesting since it is about a gas attack.  Its strange how something so terrible was able to be captured and put into something as eloquent as poetry, while still keep it's subject matter.

After the two poems I read from Edgar Lee Masters, I don't think I had much to say.  They were written about a person, maybe a historical figure, in somewhat of a memoir.  "Hamilton Greene", seemed almost like a mockery of the person.  I liked these poems okay, they just felt random and left me sort of confused.  Unlike Frost's poetry, which I thoroughly enjoyed, Masters' seemes to write more precisely and directly.  Robert Frost's poems seem extremely metaphorical.  In "After Apple Picking", which was my favorite one, the apples are a metaphor for something.  I believe that the "apples" are to be perceived to each individual seperately.  I thought maybe the apples were representing women and the "pane of glass" he was looking through was maybe describing him as shallow. The line where he says, "there were ten thousand fruit to touch/cherish in hand, lift down, and not let fall..." seemed to be a consideration to stop sleeping around or womanizing and settle down. The sleep could describe his relationship status.  "The Road Not Taken", is also very metaphorical, subliminally telling the reader that one should make a new path for oneself and not conform to certain "go with the flow" aspects.  Sandberg and Robinson's poetry I enjoyed reading but Robert Frost's style and content was what I particularly enjoyed.

Thomas Hardy's Poetry

I enjoyed Thomas Hardy’s poems.  Though dark, I thought they were quiet interesting.  I enjoyed “Neutral Tones” the most.  I gathered that it was about a break up, or dead love.  I thought it was really intriguing the way he tied in the feeling of a break up with bland, neutral colors. I really liked the first paragraph of the poem where he describes their surroundings by a pond with neutral colors.  His style seems overall pretty straightforward, but metaphorical and representative through specific words.  Also, in  his poem “The Darkling Thrush”,  he talks about a winters day with gorgeous similes and metaphors, particularly speaking of the land as a “corpse” and the aspects of the day as certain qualities of this corpse.  Both of these poems, as well as his others, are similar in style while the content differs.  I’d say his poems are relatively dark, but eloquent and purposeful. 

A.E. Houseman's Poetry

A.E. Houseman’s poetry seems a little lighter, and simpler.  “Lovliest of trees, the cherry now”, seems somewhat lighthearted.  He writes his “To an Athlete Dying Young” poem in an AABB rhyming scheme, which I also perceived as light, though the topic is not as joyful as maybe the style of writing lets on.   However, both are easy to read and understand.  I think the simplicity of the perceived message is due to possible personal experience or observation of Houseman.  I enjoyed both poems.  I like Houseman’s style of writing in both poems, it definitely reflects that his writing is the medium between his thoughts in the world.  While “Lovliest of Trees, The Cherry Now” seems somewhat hopeful, and “To an Athlete Dying Young” seems more borderline depressing, they are both written in such non chalence.  Houseman, to me, seems to have a more carefree, bouncy writing style which I found to be more entertaining and helpful in understanding his poetry.

Edward Thomas' Poetry

Instead of metaphorical sonnets, Edward Thomas seems to write more realistically and descriptively.  His poem “February Afternoon” seems to, obviously, be about a warfront.  Just at first reading, it could potentially be a first hand experience, or just a general idea of what the war would be like.  His descriptive stanzas entice the reader to imagine what he is specifically talking about so they can create their own visual images via his poetry.   Also, “Adelstrop” seems to be written in a first person, descriptive manner.  It seems instead of writing symbolism and metaphors, he is telling an account of a vivid memory or idea.  This writing style is seen in both of Thomas’ poems assigned.  I think this fashion of writing seems to entertain the reader and encourage thought-provoking stimulation.