Apr 17, 2012 in a station of the metro by ezra pound is short two lined poem that could potentially have a variety of interpretations. A criticism is presented for the poem in a station of the metro by the poet ezra pound. This page was last edited on 5 december 2015, at 23. Ezra pound is often described as one of the most influential imagist poets, and. Despite the wealth of scholarship devoted to this poem, however, pound s source for his interest in. Whats the meaning behind the poem in a station of the. Pound could have just called the poem, in a metro station, but he chose to make the title longer maybe because he wants to highlight the word station. Ezra pound s 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. Ezra pound was a rebel and wanted to do things his way in regard to poetry and so he did. Sullivans ezra pound 235, others of an interrelationship of subjectiveobjective imagery, and many have struggled for.
In a station of the metro is a poem by american writer ezra pound, originally. In the poem in a station of the metro, what is the effect of describing faces in the crowd as. In a station of the metro, for example, is two lines. Although it does moderately follow the rules of the japanese style of a haiku. I finally managed to analyze it and get the true meaning behind it. An analysis of ezra pound s poem in a station of the metro. Meanwhile, in a station of a metro by ezra pound conveys a way of looking at an.
In a station of the metro by ezra pound flashcards. There heros wits are kept in pondrous vases, and beaus in snuffboxes and tweezercases. In a station of the metro by ezra pound the sunday times. In the essay imagism, the second rule of imagistes is said to be to use absolutely no word that did not contribute to the. Dec 05, 2015 lustra 1916 by ezra pound in a station of the metro. So what i want is to see if other people can get the true meaning behind it.
This twoliner poem is a clear example of how poetry becomes effective through the images it paints. An analysis of ezra pounds poem in a station of the metro. Two illustrations inspired by the american poet ezra pounds famous and famously short poem, in a station of the metro, first published in 19. Pound takes advantage of these two uses of the word to confuse the reader into thinking that the faces in the subway might be ghostlike. This is perhaps the most famous poem written by ezra pound. 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.
In a station of the metro, written by ezra pound in 19, is the imagist poem par excellence. Aug 02, 2010 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 pound s imagist art before he forsook the movement he helped create and founded vorticism. The second line is notable because it doesnt contain any reference to the supernatural. Topics discussed include pounds relationship to the imagist poetry movement, the depiction of the matro, or subway, located in paris, france in the poem, and the rhythm of the poem. Hulme had earlier called dry, hard, classical verse. I have no experience with chinese and japanese brush painting, and it is known as a technique that takes at least a whole lifetime to perfect, but its the idea that. 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. Blackbird merges both realms together by raising up the presence of the. Earl miner has spoken of it in terms of discordia concorsin j. Lustrain a station of the metro wikisource, the free. In the introduction of the norton anthology of american literature volume d, it states.
The poems brief form allows it to combine both forms of perception one. In 1916, pound wrote about the process of writing the poem pound, gaudierbrzeska, 1916. This difficult individual, ezra pound by eustace mullins. Ezra pound s in a station of the metro before this week, i had never read any poetry by ezra pound. Its structure does not follow the rules of iambic pentameter or of a sonnet. The art form is filled to the brim and beyond with every imaginable idea under the sun, and throughout time, various poets have tried out just about everything. It is a short and very much tothepoint poem, and is also notable for not containing any verbs, creating a true rarity in the realm of written works. Apr 04, 2017 two illustrations inspired by the american poet ezra pounds famous and famously short poem, in a station of the metro, first published in 19. Written in haiku and describing the presence of unexpected beauty in a city environment, the poem displays how pound went beyond the limits of using standard imagery by evoking the spontaneous reaction of sensory and mental association.
Why did ezra pound reduce in a station of the metro from. In a station of the metro by ezra pound about this poet ezra pound is widely considered one of the most influential poets of the 20th century. Appunto inviato da siux93 5 appunti di inglese 1 pagine formato pdf pagina 1 di 2. I was assigned to analyze this poem in class a couple of weeks ago, and honestly, it was the hardest poem to analyze. Pound suggested that the faces of the individuals in the metro were best put into a poem not with a description. In a station of the metro is a poem by american writer ezra pound, originally published in 19. Ezra pound is widely considered one of the most influential poets of the 20th century. A letter, in a station of the metro, william carlos williams, the red wheelbarrow, the great figure, this is just to say, poem, h. In a station of the metro ezra pound analysis appunti. The poem itself is a kind of station, because it freezes all the bustle of the metro and the crowd into one lasting image. Apr 12, 2011 ezra pounds poem in a station of the metro is only two lines, making it hard to decipher what exactly is going on. Pound s use of living metaphors adds to the fleeting tone of this poem.
Pound connects images of petals and boughs to a mass of humanity linking a manmade metropolitan scene with the cycles of nature. Throughout the history of english poetry, there seldom is a poem like ezra pounds in a station of the metro hereafter referred to as metro poem that has been endlessly researched by scholars, literary critics, and poets alike 1. In a station of the metro by ezra pound by rebecca published october 20, 2012 updated january 2, 2014 in a station of the metro. Flowers and trees, like human beings on a metro, are constantly moving, growing, and changing. Ezra pounds in a station of the metro, which he described as a hokku, is one of the most famous englishlanguage poems of the twentieth century. Ezra pound, in a station of the metro haiku terebess. 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, and then another beautiful woman.
That being said, there is a lot going on within the few words we get from ezra pound. Pdf the japanese sources of ezra pounds in a station. Wallace stevens and in a station of a metro ezra pound. It was the work of a poet too ambitious, too afraid of being cramped, to work according to a plan. Early cantos ixli here begins the great unwieldy poem, all light and mud, to which ezra pound devoted much of his life. Is in a station of the metro by ezra pound written in free. In a station of the metro poem by ezra pound poem hunter.
Discussion on pounds in a station of the metro youtube. In the poem, pound describes a moment in the underground metro station in paris in 1912. Rather than describing something an object or situation and then generalizing about it, imagist poets attempted to present. This talk was given by mark doty at the academy of american poets online poetry classroom summer institute. In a station of the metro by ezra pound 19 two illustrations inspired by the american poet ezra pound s famous and famously short poem, in a station of the metro, first published in 19. Whats the meaning behind the poem in a station of the metro. Download this entire guide to in a station of the metro as a printable pdf. Principles of imagism, imagism, ezra pound, a few donts by an imagiste, the rivermerchants wife.
Analysis of in a station of the metro by ezra pound. Although it exceeds the standard limit of 17 syllables, in a station of the metro captures the strange rhythm and mood of a japanese haiku as well as any poem written in english. We might have expected the poem to follow up on the hint of ghosts provided by the word apparition, but instead we get a short but really specific image of the natural world. In a station of the metro by ezra pound the difficult. Pound first campaigned for imagistic, his name for a new kind of poetry. In a station of the metro by ezra pound excellence in. Ezra pounds in the station of the metro, poetry is associated to subtlety and strength of the image. The famous poem in a station of the metro is translated using the same. Ezra pound and the rhetoric of science, 1901 1922 ucl discovery. On in a station of the metro academy of american poets. Ezra pound, in a station of the metro haiku terebess asia. Ezra weston loomis pound 30 october 1885 1 november 1972 was an expatriate american poet and critic, a major figure in the early modernist poetry movement, and a fascist sympathizer.
Black is the color of the bough as the color of the metro. See the bibliography bk3 for notes about what this poem has to do with japan, bk4 and bk12 for pounds own explanation of the matter, and ezra pound and the invention of japan for a critical overview of pounds japanese interests among more than 100 titles by pound that are in print are several that contain work related to his japanese interests. Oct 20, 2012 in a station of the metro by ezra pound the apparition of these faces in the crowd. Pound, however, is able to combine the historically. Analysis of in a station of the metro by ezra pound, essay.
He was an early champion of a number of avantgarde and modernist poets. In the essay imagism, the second rule of imagistes is said to be to use. Ezra pounds in a station of the metro before this week, i had never read any poetry by ezra pound. In truth, this is my favorite poem and it has a truly unique meaning behind it.
In looking at in a station of the metro from the points of view of poet and recipient, we are lucky to have pounds report on how he composed it, a report that confirms some of the observations made earlier. His contribution to poetry began with his development of imagism, a movement derived from classical chinese and japanese poetry, stressing clarity, precision, concision, and economy of language. In a station of the metro is an imagist poem by ezra pound published in 19 in the literary magazine poetry. Christian herter, under secre tary of state, in a letter to dr. Title is important because it provides the setting. Ezra pounds poem in a station of the metro is a masterclass in the use of simile. In a station of the metro by ezra pound ezra pound. I have no experience with chinese and japanese brush painting, and it is known as a technique that takes at least a. Despite being a very short poem, ezra pounds in a station of the metro explores a number of major themes. I think the secert of the poem lies in the connection between the two sentence.
Pounds use of living metaphors adds to the fleeting tone of this poem. Image is about the relationship between two ideas where no complete merger will. What are the major themes of in a station of the metro. There broken vows and deathbed alms are found, and lovers hearts with ends of riband bound, the courtiers promises, and sick mans prayrs, the smiles of harlots, and the tears of heirs, cages for gnats, and chains to yoke a flea, dryd butterflies, and tomes of casuistry. Despite being a very short poem, ezra pound s in a station of the metro explores a number of major themes. A station is a stoppingplace, a place where things stand still. Dec 06, 2016 ezra pound was a rebel and wanted to do things his way in regard to poetry and so he did. The second sentence depicts a view of a nature, that happens after a rain. So, when in a station of the metro by ezra pound is introduced, it shouldnt even be that surprising that. In a station of the metro by ezra pound abstract this. Whenever i return to this poem i always have the sensation of being in a new york subway, the car doors opening, and suddenly theres a scene framed.
Ezra pound 18851972 was an american expatriate poet who spent the majority of his adult life in london, paris, and italy. Instead of a plan, pound devised new cantos out of his schemes to make. 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. Underground, the poet notices how pale faces in a crowd are like blown petals. In a station of the metro by ezra pound is short two lined poem that could potentially have a variety of interpretations. Ezra pounds in a station of the metro 603 words 123. In a station of the metro by ezra pound the apparition of these faces in the crowd. Alexanders eng 250 class fall 2015 in a station of the metro lyrics. In a station of the metro by ezra pound the difficult forms.
I noticed immediately that many of the poems are very short. Pound s twoline poem is a famous example of imagism, a poetic form spearheaded by pound that focuses above all on relating clear images. He was a critic of the early modernist movement in american poetry. 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. The worlds poetry archive 2 a girl the tree has entered my hands, the sap has ascended my arms, the tree has grown in my breast downward. Ezra pounds in a station of the metro 603 words 123 help me. Daniel albright university of rochester early cantos ixli here begins the great unwieldy poem, all light and mud, to which ezra pound devoted much of his life. Ezra pounds poem in a station of the metro is only two lines, making it hard to decipher what exactly is going on. Pounds translations were often loose and experimental. In a station of the metro by erin mcgovern on prezi. Earl miner has spoken of it in terms of discordia concors in j. 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.
Published in the cambridge companion to ezra pound. In just two lines, pound distils the entire manifesto for imagism into a vivid piece of poetry, what t. The poem is instead formed by combining two sentence fragments, each with a subject, but without an. What are the major themes of in a station of the metro by. A short analysis of ezra pounds in a station of the metro. At first blush, in a station of the metro seems impossibly easy.
Is in a station of the metro by ezra pound written in. Pound wrote it after having a spiritual experience in a paris metro subway station. Rowling does the same thing in the harry potter series by saying that characters can apparate. In a station of the metro poem summary and analysis. So, when in a station of the metro by ezra pound is introduced, it shouldnt even be that surprising that what makes this particular poem stand out is that it is fourteen words long. Dec 05, 2014 discussion on pounds in a station of the metro. May 26, 2010 i was assigned to analyze this poem in class a couple of weeks ago, and honestly, it was the hardest poem to analyze. In a station of the metro by ezra pound poetry magazine. Sullivans ezra pound 235, others of an interrelationship of subjectiveobjective imagery, and many have struggled for conclusive characterizations of its metaphorical nature. 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.
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