Modernist Essay Modernism became known as an outcome of changes that happened in the years before, during and after World War I. Writers were found struggling to find new ways to produce art that reflected these massive changes, including technological advancements and devastation of the Great War. Writers began to take more chances when it can to style. Readers started to witness more literature with fragmented plots, rather than the respected stories with lucid beginnings, middles, and ends. Strange adjustments to time and order, perspective, point of view, form and new focus on irony were a few impacts the Modernist authors. For a first-time Modernist reader, these modifications can have the story seem like it is going absolutely nowhere. …show more content…
“I have outwalked the furthest city light” (Frost 3). The man has isolated himself from all possibilities of life, where he has found himself in a pitch black forest. “I have passed by the watchman on his beat / And dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain (Frost 5-6). The speaker is stating to not ask him where he is going, for he has no idea. He is forcefully describing he knows what depression feels like. However, as the title states he is familiar with the night and is almost at peace in the cold, dark and somber vibes of a forest during the night. The speaker has accepted the fact that he is so incredibly lost when wandering alone that he might as well become a friend of the …show more content…
The elderly are trapped in their old age and lose all flexibility of thought and ability of grow open to new ideas. e.e cummings indicates two different poems with the use of parentheses. The aspect of the poem relating to the older population is found closed in parentheses, symbolizing how the already are boxed in and closed off to new ideas. “old age sticks up Keep Off signs” (cummings 1-4). Old age will abide by the rules, where eon the other hand the young people enjoy being rebellious. The advanced in years are always aware of their limitations. “old age scolds Forbid / den Stop / Must / n’t Don’t” ( cummings 15-16). Old age will always be telling you what you can not do. It is almost a boundary that is permanently in your life once you adopt the unchanging ways of parochial older humans. The title provides an important clue to the poems overall meaning that there is no way to reverse the process of growing old and all that comes with
These lines demonstrate the stage of adulthood and the daily challenges that a person is faced with. The allusions in the poem enrich the meaning of the poem and force the reader to become more familiar with all of the meaning hidden behind the words. For example, she uses words such as innocence, imprisonment and captive to capture the feelings experienced in each of the stages. The form of the poem is open because there are no specific instances where the lines are similar. The words in each stanza are divided into each of the three growth stages or personal experiences.
become older, and how they look back at their youth. Without similes like this, the
When You are Old, by William Butler Yeats, represents and elderly woman reminiscing of her younger days. A past lover whispers to her as she looks through a photo album. Basically, Yeats is showing that as the woman gets older, she is alone, but she does not have to be lonely. She will always have her memories for companionship.
ThThe notion of getting older, one day has too frightened me. I wonder what could I have done in the past to change the future. I reminisce of all the things I have done with the people that I love. But, at the end the day, I look forward to getting older. I look forward to the memories that I will make, which one day will be stories told between two friends or family members about their crazy grandmother Gabriella. E.B. White 's essay represents the fears that adults, but mostly parents, face when seeing children grow up and experience life the same way they once did. These nostalgic moments turn to fear of losing their youth. I believe that White 's essay is a manifestation of a mid-life crisis that fails to show what life has to offer after
He feels that growing old is not tied in with a negative context of falling apart physically, but about the positive aspects of growing emotionally and spiritually. From my perspective, this quote signifies that the person you are at the end of life is an accumulation of all the years compressed together, continuing to flourish with the knowledge of life’s experiences. Only with personal experiences come wisdom and
In the modernism there was no focus on the plot events, instead the writers focused on characters' consciousness. Ambiguity and complexity were valued at that time. Modernists often work towards open endings and used the narrative gaps. In the early modernism the technique of Stream of Consciousness was widely used to know more about the human sense. Modernism was influenced by naturalism and realism. Its social content is characteristically avant-grade (Drabble 682). Moreover, the 20th century is one of the most important periods in English drama. New ideas, terms and styles have been introduced as a result of the atmosphere. Writers on that time expressed their anger and scorn as a result of the wars and the revolutions. There were many social changes at that time and the playwrights started to tackle that in their plays (Innes
The modernist style of writing is one of disillusionment, frustration and loss of hope. The modernist writers did not try to point out silver linings or brighter futures, instead they explored the depths of the sorrows of life in the time of the great depression and the long road to recovery from it. Most of these writers blamed the modernization of America for the stock market crash that brought on the great depression. Likewise, modern politics drew America into not only one, but two world wars. At the same time, modern intellectual advancements challenged or usurped traditional beliefs and values.
...s strived to create pieces of literature and art that challenged American traditions and tried to reinvent it, used new ways of communication, such as the telephone and cinema, to demonstrate the new modern social norms, and express the pain and suffering of the First World War, during the American modernism period of literature. Langston Hughes and Countee Cullen shed a new light into the African-American social groups and a new age of art, music, and literature was formed. Poets, like Pound and Elliot, shaped American poetry to fit the outlandish ruin in the First World War and the Great Depression. In novels, like The Great Gatsby, the American dream of success and hope was shattered through the stock market collapse and the Great Depression. Through all these attributes, American literature changed significantly into a literary period called modernism today.
“Its deserted streets are a potent symbol of man and nature 's indifference to the individual. The insistence of the narrator on his own self-identity is in part an act of defiance against a constructed, industrial world that has no place for him in its order” (Bolton). As the poem continues on, the narrator becomes aware of his own consciousness as he comes faces nature and society during his walk. He embraces nature with the rain, dark and moon but he also reinforces his alienation from society as he ignores the watchman and receives no hope of cries for him. The societal ignorance enforces our belief that he is lonely on this gloomy night. “When he passes a night watchman, another walker in the city with whom the speaker might presumably have some bond, he confesses, ‘I… dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain.’ Likewise, when he hears a voice in the distance, he stops in his tracks--only to realize that the voice is not meant "to call me back or say goodbye" (Bolton). The two times he had a chance to interact with the community, either he showed no interest in speaking or the cry wasn’t meant for him. These two interactions emphasize his loneliness with the
Modernism can be defined through the literary works of early independent 20th century writers. Modernism is exp...
One attribute of Modernist writing is Experimentation. This called for using new techniques and disregarding the old. Previous writing was often even considered "stereotyped and inadequate" (Holcombe and Torres). Modern writers thrived on originality and honesty to themselves and their tenets. They wrote of things that had never been advanced before and their subjects were far from those of the past eras. It could be observed that the Modernist writing completely contradicted its predecessors. The past was rejected with vigor and...
... Therefore, instead of losing mental stability because of old memories, one should try to embrace sanity and perpetuate it in life. Moreover, the poem emulates society because people fantasize about looking a certain way and feeling a certain way; however, they are meddling with their natural beauty and sometimes end up looking worse than before. For instance, old men and women inject their faces to resemble those in their youth, but they worsen their mental and physical state by executing such actions. To conclude, one should embrace her appearance because aging is inevitable.
Our wisdom will eventually be passed on to our children and our children’s children, until one day we are only a memory, but until then, we are only aging. Becoming older isn’t necessarily a bad thing. While it may mean that we will begin to loss our hair, our eyesight or even our youthful good looks, becoming old also means we become better versions of ourselves each day, which is something that I truly value. As my grandmother has said before, “I may be old, but I don’t feel old and that’s all that matters.” One may be of old age, but that doesn’t mean they need to consider themselves old. Aside from this, we each have our own definition of what old is. In reality, however, we all have a different definition and age in mind of what we consider old to be. As we age our idea of old may continue to
The Modernist period was a time in history when there were many changes. These changes varied from the American Dream to the literary styles and techniques. The American Dream became less complex and was more flexible than ever. It varied from the changing lifestyles to the change in literature. Helping to shape the nation into what we see today. People were focusing more on themselves and wanting to be known, and they also wanted to have money. Living life with an optimistic viewpoint.
The modernist period was a time of change. After World War II many people found themselves unhappy, lonely, and depressed. With the groundbreaking influences of Karl Marx, Freud, and Nietzsche, many people began to question their own reality. What did it mean to exist? What was life, and what was death? The modernist author reflected this change, and confronted these questions with enthusiasm. Together modernist artists became the representative voice of the people. This voice transcended all forms of art, but was most successful in the written word. Through the experimentation of language and form, the modernist author managed to convey the meaninglessness felt by many, and created a light in the darkness of an uncertain world. Ernest Hemingway's short stories titled "A clean well-lighted Place", and F. Scott Fitzgerald's "Babylon Revisited" are two notable examples of literary art during the modernist period.