Postmodernism Poetry

Poetry Essay

The modern poem, “Of Modern Poetry”, and the two postmodern poems, “Words” and “Losing a Language” all embody the central theme of the usage and style of a particular type of language. They all show how poetry can successfully personify the feelings that one feels and how poetry should be written. What sets apart the poetic style of both modernism and postmodernism is that both attempted to diverge from the traditional proses of 19th century, specifically, from realism. Both also tend to form around the philosophy of subjectivity as both explore the inner emotions of characters and thus use it to develop ideas and conceptions in the reader’s mind. A sense of order and generalized opinions are left behind in both modern and

Both modernism and postmodernism deviate from the classical guidelines for writing good poetry and take an approach that advocates for a more personalized style in which writers write about their lives and stray away from imitating the standards or rules of classical good or worthy writing. Personal styled language is emphasized among many modern and postmodern works and thus allow the reader to reflect upon his or her own identity and beliefs. Even though the shift from modernism to postmodernism brought changes in the works of many authors, there were still common shared features left in both philosophical movements such as the use of a particular type of language and it’s impact on the readers perspective and the author’s ideology. This system of writing embodied in both modern and postmodern writing illustrates language as a fundamental element that embodies one’s individuality, uniqueness, and the underlying apparatus that allows for the expression of one’s values, beliefs, attitudes, and personal growth. Postmodern poet Sylvia Plath exemplified this stance in that she wrote about her own experiences and the way that language could be used to detail

Much of his work served as examples for other poets and writers of the time period. His work was fundamental in the development and advancement of modernist work. In his poem, “Of Modern Poetry”, Stevens writes about the way that poetry should be written and how it is vital for poetry to change from traditional methods to the modernist style and how by doing so would help the reader understand the contemporariness of the era. The first two lines in Steven’s poem set the theme, topic, and tone. Stevens writes out the ways that poetry must conform to changing times and he uses the rest of the poem to expound on his first two lines. Stevens believed that poetry should be written about personal lives and the emotions and mindsets that one has; he wanted people to write about how they lived their lives. Stevens believed poetry “must Be the finding of a satisfaction,” thus poetry should be easier to write and understand (Stevens). Poetry must give one faith and courage in a cruel and unjust world filled with darkness and evil. Poetry should be written about how writing poetry gives one hope and the beauty of the nature of poetry is shown through that writing. Stevens was writing during the time of World War II and this made a huge impact on his writing because he was writing on how to fill in the gaps made by the changing world. In a way, poetry was a type of medication to cure one from the vile world