Identifying modernist metaphor / symbols/Images in short poem.

Identifying modernist metaphor/ symbol/images in short poem.


 This blog is a part of my classroom activity given below:

Let us analyse and identify modernist metaphor / symbol / images in from the given poem:



1) "The Embankment" - 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 fantasia of a fallen gentle man on a cold bitter night.In this poem a 'Fallen gentleman' reflects on his past and how he found pleasure in worldly social activities and beautiful women probably courtesans or probably courtesans or prostitutes.We show in this poem modernist metaphor and image like 'old star eaten blanket' , 'stuff of poesy' , 'flash of Gold hill' ,' fitness of fuddle.

2)"The Darkness"-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.


        In this poem title it self reflect the image of ' dawn fall ',and unther modernist symbol of ' star' is a symbol of prosperity and brightness means that there was some goodness in civilization but now it's all dark .'Star' is something in positive energy and positive energy but here poet takes it as a star no longer,bu a silver ribbon of light.


3)"Image" -Edward Storer
 

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


             In this poem title it self reflect the modern metaphor.In this poem the lovers are burning to white moon and they are forsaken and lonely.These are use like a modern metaphor used by poet.
  

4)"In a station of the metro"- Ezra Pound

The  apparition of these faces in the crowd;
Petals on a wet,black bough

             In this poem poet describe Metro station.Poet used metaphor that "petals on bough" ,petals grown on flower not on bough and black and wit bough used as a symbol in this poem give the poem tone very sad.


5) "The pool" -H.D( 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?

             in this poem pool gives us an image of water and water in pool can't move ,also poet use unther metaphor like people who are lost in the monotonous life like sea fish.There is symbolize rootness of the civilization.

6)"Insouciance' - 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 poem use metaphor like dreary tranches .Trudging cheeritly.Here these two words "trudging" and " cheerity" gives the image of life,also in his poem poet can be fly away like white winged doves,like gives symbol of he want to be free.

7)"Morning at the window" - 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 housemaids 
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.

      This whole poem has use of negative words.the word "Ratting " means vibrating shaking plates and "Damp"means in low spirit from loss of hope of courage.Unther negative symbols use in this poem symbols like'Dumb soul' , Fog , twisted face , muddy skirts, Aimless smile.

8)"the Red Wheelbarrow" - William Carlos Williams

so much depends
upon

a red wheel
barrow

glazed with rain
water

beside the white
chickens.

 This is very short poem but many symbol use as a positive and negative .Symbols are 'Rain water ','Wheel barrow'.Also use color symbol like use in dual way 'Red' and 'White'.

9)"Anecdote of the jar" - Wallace Stevens

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.

         Anecdote of the jar is an imagist poem in which poet question of the superiority between  art and nature.Modernist metaphor like beautiful "jar" it was a round jar, reminding one of the Grecian urn of Keats .This poem can be seen as a small story of the jar the state of Tennessess.

10)"I" - E.E.Cummings

l(a

le
af
fa
ll

s)
one
l

iness

      In this poem poet captured the image of falling leaves.Here compare fall of leaves with life of leaves with life of people.