The poet is watching faces appear in a crowded metro subway station. A short analysis of ezra pounds in a station of the metro. In a station of the metro by ezra pound the apparition of these faces in the crowd. In a station of the metro the apparition of these faces in the crowd. Dec 06, 2016 pounds 19 poem in a station of the metro demonstrates his imagistic motif in a couple of lines. In a station of the metro and this is just to say poem. In a station of the metro ezra pound alex johnson stephen perez mike devereaux in a station of the metro the apparition of these faces in the crowd. But the elements are difficult to see at first, hidden behind a superficially simple structure. According to pound, it was inspired by a moment he experienced while waiting for the subway in the paris. In a station of the metro by ezra pound the difficult forms. In a station of the metro, written by ezra pound in 19, is the imagist poem par excellence. Yet pound employs a modernist approach to in a station of the metro, using only a few descriptive words and no verbs among them to successfully get his point across. Pound wrote it after having a spiritual experience in a paris metro subway station. Ezra pounds in a station of the metro uses a variety of literary techniques to express the poems meaning, an important focus being the fast paced rhythm, which guides the reader through the poem.
Imagisms enabling text, in a station of the metro, appeared in the april 19 issue of poetry and in a slightly different form in lustra. In the poem in a station of the metro, written by ezra pound, one of the themes that are presented is modernization. Videos of poem recitations a view videos of poem recitations from competitions. There were a few people and groups, up and down the quay, quietly waiting. Pounds twoline poem is a famous example of imagism, a poetic form spearheaded by pound that focuses above all on relating clear images. Essay about poetry analysis in the station of the metro.
Reasoning because the poem is a metaphor, it expands the meaning of the poem and is able to relate to many different social aspects it makes it sound more deep and realistic by saying they are petals. Apparition is linked to something related to light and it is also linked to these faces. There, you can accomplish the following objectives. Whenever i return to this poem i always have the sensation of being in a new york subway, the car doors opening. Ezra pound is widely considered one of the most influential poets of the 20th century. Earl miner has spoken of it in terms of discordia concorsin j. So what i want is to see if other people can get the true meaning behind it. It takes us a shot, or two, or three to fully understand the meaning of it or at least have your own interpretation. This research paper is aimed at a comparative analysis of these poems, with particular regards to their thematic concerns and stylistic features. In a station of the metro by ezra pound poem analysis. In a station of the metro is a poem by american writer ezra pound, originally published in 19.
Ezra pounds in a station of the metro is a poem that capitalizes on the tension between similarity and polarity as extremely as ever a couplet has. Faces are appearing in the crowd, emerging from the background. In a station of the metroby ezra poundthe apparition of these faces in the crowd. He was an early champion of a number of avantgarde and modernist poets. In the original version pound spaces the words apart and stops the first line with a colon. In a station of the metro poem summary and analysis. So try and solve it, whoever gets the meaning right gets the best answer. A striking element of in the station of a metro is that it is written entirely without verbs. I wrote a thirtyline poem, and destroyed it because it was what we call work of second intensity. Is in a station of the metro by ezra pound written in free. In a station of the metro by ezra pound poetry magazine. In the poem, pound describes a moment in the underground metro station in paris in 1912. The academy of american poets is the largest membershipbased nonprofit organization fostering an appreciation for contemporary poetry and supporting american poets. In a station of the metro is an excellent example of imagism because of its direct treatment of its subject, its lack of unnecessary words, and its avoidance of the metronome of meter.
What are the major themes of in a station of the metro by. In a station of the metro poem by ezra pound poem hunter. The poem is more than a mere comparison, more even than a vivid metaphor. This poem is also a clear example of the imagist style. Subway systems, a relatively new technology at the time in a station of the metro was written, were a powerful sign of dynamic social changes. The first sentence describes a sence of the morden life, that happens in a station of the metro, it is very common as a single sentence. In the introduction of the norton anthology of american literature volume d, it states.
In a station of the metro by alexander johnson on prezi. In a station of the metro by ezra pound although the poem is not your standard flowery, romantic, descriptive or lengthy work it is a poem, written in a modernist approach to. On in a station of the metro academy of american poets. In truth, this is my favorite poem and it has a truly unique meaning behind it. What is the tone of the poem in a station of the metro. Both, eliots prufrock song and pounds metro poem, deal with the similar contemporary issues in a critical tone. The poem displays precise technical execution, like a finely tuned machine. In a station of the metro representative poetry online. Train number 9, the northern zephyr, destined for rivers end, is now boarding.
A critical reading of a classic imagist poem in a station of the metro, written by ezra pound in 19, is the imagist poem par excellence. Summary and analysis in a station of the metro published in 19 by ezra pound is the best example of imagist poetry that contains just 14 words reduced from thirty lines which depict the precision of language. Ezra pound was a rebel and wanted to do things his way in regard to poetry and so he did. It marks pounds first use of juxtaposition as a structural device in his poetry. It does have an assonance rhyme at the end of its two lines, but is still in essence a free verse poem, an example of pounds imagist art before he forsook the movement he helped create and founded vorticism. Pdf exploring pounds in a station of the metro lisa koen.
Oct 22, 2015 in a station of the metro is an imagist poem by ezra pound published in 19 in the literary magazine poetry. The one image poem is a form of superposition, that is to say it is one idea set on top of another. This is perhaps the most famous poem written by ezra pound. In a station of the metro poem ezra pound poems best poems. In a station of the metro by ezra pound famous poems. This is a word that usually hints at the supernatural, especially ghosts. Victorian poets would frequently use an abundance of flowery adjectives and lengthy descriptions in their poems.
Sep 15, 2000 surely in a station of the metro wakens pounds mastery of this talent and suggests that eliot was not without justification in calling him il miglior fabbro. Despite being a very short poem, ezra pounds in a station of the metro explores a number of major themes. Hulme had earlier called dry, hard, classical verse. You wouldnt know it only from reading the poem, but were in paris, which means that everyone looks really nice. When we read poems, we dont exactly interpret the meaning of it automatically. In the poem, pound describes a moment in the underground metro station in paris in. Whats the meaning behind the poem in a station of the metro. In a sentence without action, nothing happens in imagist poetry especially, this is a strength. In a station of the metro published in 19 by ezra pound is the best example of imagist poetry that contains just 14 words reduced from thirty lines which depict. The only question i have here is are there only certain faces standing out of the multitude of people in the metro, or are all the faces of equal beauty and importance. Apr 01, 2017 in a station of the metro is an imagist poem by ezra pound published in 19. The poet is living the situation, he is attracted by the faces even if there is a lot of people crowd. Ezra pounds poem in a station of the metro is only two lines, making it hard to decipher what exactly is going on.
Dec 25, 2016 in a station of the metro ezra pound analysis. In a station of the metro by erin mcgovern on prezi. The title locates the poem within the metro station, underground. The paris metro, which did not exist at all until 1900, had 10 subway lines by the time pounds poem was published in 19. In a station of the metro from lustra ezra pound pound, ezra 18851972 controversial american poet, editor, and critic who had a major influence on 20th century literature. Pounds 19 poem in a station of the metro demonstrates his imagistic motif in a couple of lines. This talk was given by mark doty at the academy of american poets online poetry classroom summer institute. In a station of the metro poem summary and analysis litcharts. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. The second sentence depicts a view of a nature, that happens after a rain. Pound suggested that the faces of the individuals in the metro were best put into a poem not with a description. If you create using your ipad, be sure to screenshot the poem s. I found it useful in getting out of the impasse in which i had been left by my metro emotion. Download this entire guide to in a station of the metro as a printable pdf.
Sullivans ezra pound 235, others of an interrelationship of subjectiveobjective imagery, and many have struggled for. This poem is one of the verbless poem among the very few. From a 31 line poem, pound was constantly deconstructing a moment at the metro station in paris until he created this verbal moment. It is unclear whether he is writing from the vantage point of a passenger on the train itself or on the platform. The first noun, the apparition condenses the bidirectional tension of this poem. Surely in a station of the metro wakens pounds mastery of this talent and suggests that eliot was not without justification in calling him il miglior fabbro.
Train number 7, leaves blown by, bound for the color. Essay on in a station of the metro by ezra pound 637. The setting is paris, france, and as he describes these faces as a crowd, meaning the station is quite busy. Black is the color of the bough as the color of the metro. Ezra pound in a station of the metro pdf rutortweet. In 1916, pound wrote about the process of writing the poem pound, gaudierbrzeska, 1916.
All ticketed passengers please proceed to the gate marked evening. The poet is trying to get us to see things from his perspective, and the word apparition suggests that the faces are becoming visible to him very suddenly. To find out more about ezra pound, visit the lesson on his poem, in a station of the metro. The poem appears to be set in some kind of wooded subway in the springtime where there might be ghosts. Pound first campaigned for imagistic, his name for a new kind of poetry. Pounds twoline poem is a famous example of imagism, a poetic form spearheaded by pound that focuses above all on relating clear images through precise, accessible language. I followed the signs, and descended the stairs to the quay. After making hundreds of broadcasts for the italian facist regime, he was tried for treason, judged insane, and held in a mental hospital for over ten years. In a station of the metro ezra pound analysis appunti di. In just two lines, pound distils the entire manifesto for imagism into a vivid piece of poetry, what t. The short poem in a station of the metro is an example of pounds artistic theory of imagism, which he advocated for a brief while in his career and which had a lasting impact on his. An in depth analysis of the economic, social, technological, architectural, psychological and. I think the secert of the poem lies in the connection between the two sentence. In a station of the metro 19 this twoline poem was originally published in 19 and later collected in lustra.
In this analysis, i want to focus mostly on the technical execution of. In a station of the metro is an imagist poem by ezra pound published in 19. This short piece illustrates his imagistic talent because the entire poem deals with images alone. The last line of the poem also conveys a sense of inexact meaning as the poet contrasts a citylife image of the subway with a natural image of petals on a wet. If you create using your ipad, be sure to screenshot the poems.
His idea was to create the sense of the japanese moment in wordsfeelings, to bring balance as though creating a painting with a visual. This slideshow guides students through an analysis of ezra pounds poem, in a station of the metro and william carlos williams this is just to say. May 26, 2010 in truth, this is my favorite poem and it has a truly unique meaning behind it. It is an epiphanyas in joycea spiritual insight that comes through a union of disparates as he glimpses the commonality of human facesall equally part of nature, soft and lovely like petals. The most famous poem 19 from the early twentiethcentury movement known as imagism. In a station of the metro by ezra poundthe apparition of these faces in the crowd.
Whenever i return to this poem i always have the sensation. American literature, satiric criticism, comparative analysis, critique of the modern world. It is designed to introduce advanced analysis by explaining imagism and comparing these two poems against each other. In the foot notes, pound mentions that he wrote the poem as a response to an experience he had in the paris metro where he saw suddenly a beautiful face, and then another and another, and then a beautiful childs face. Pounds in a station of the metro 19, occurs, he explains, when in paris he saw suddenly a beautiful face, and then another and another.
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