The apparition of these faces in the crowd;
Petals on a wet, black bough.
In a Station of a Metro, by Ezra Pound, represents the aesthetic and political dichotomies of modernity. For this reason, the form and content of the poem can be interpreted as both pro-modernity and anti-modernity. At first glance, the poem has a pro-modernity form and content. We know that Pound uses the form of the poem to introduce a new form of poetry: Imagist poetry. The poem itself is composed of no more than two non-rhyming lines, which leads us to believe that Pound is not only breaking the conventional forms of poetry, but also the standard rhyme schemes. In this respect, In a Station of a Metro can be interpreted as both a rejection of past forms of poetry, and a quest for a distinctive modern approach to poetry. This interpretation can be further supported by analyzing the content of the poem. It is arguable that “the apparition of these faces in the crowd” represents the “apparition” of this new style of poetry within conventional poetry. In this analogy, the “faces” stand for Imagist poetry, and the “crowd” for conventional poetry. The poem, after all, talks about the apparition of these faces. The word “apparition” makes the reader think that these faces appeared suddenly, like Imagist poetry. In addition, Pound refers to these faces as “petals on a wet, black bough”. Again, representing Imagist poetry as the petals, and conventional poetry as the wet, black bough. It is arguable that Pound makes this analogy in order to describe the relationship between Imagist and conventional poetry. As the poem describes, Imagist poetry stands in conventional poetry as petals in a black bough. The images and sensations that Imagist poetry creates are capable of catching the attention of the reader and deviate it from the form and rhyme of the poem, just as petals are capable of catching our attention and deviate it from the wet, black bough.
It is important to notice, however, that Pound uses the form and content of the poem to represent the aesthetic and political dichotomies of modernity. In other words, it uses form and content not only to argue in favor of modernity, but also against it. In the case of this poem and the Imagist movement, Pound does it to analyze the influence of modernity in aesthetic value and its political implications. Under careful observation, one realizes that the poem also has an anti-modernity facet and therefore interpretation. It is arguable that, by presenting a poem composed of two non-rhyming lines, Pound is not only challenging conventional poetry, but also new forms of poetry, such as Imagist poetry. This argument, however, may not convince the skeptical. After all, why would Pound question the new form of poetry he is trying to establish? In a sense, by questioning the Imagist movement and offering an anti-modernity facet of the poem, Pound manages to present the dichotomy of good art and bad art, of acceptable forms of poetry versus non-acceptable forms of poetry, of the aesthetically valuable and valueless in a modern context. By raising this dichotomy, Pound makes the reader wonder about the nature of poetry and its foundations. This is important when one thinks of Imagist poetry as the true foundation of any conventional form of poetry. Under this view, Imagist poetry is not the result of a quest for a modern approach to poetry, but rather of a desire to go back to its foundations and basic elements. Since poems are composed of words, whose purpose is to construct images that convey emotions, it is arguable that images are in fact the foundations of poetry. In this respect, it seems feasible to maintain that what Pound is rejecting is actually modernity, which appears to prioritize words, metric, and rhyme over the quality of the images in the poem and the emotions produced by them.
It is important to notice, however, that Pound uses the form and content of the poem to represent the aesthetic and political dichotomies of modernity. In other words, it uses form and content not only to argue in favor of modernity, but also against it. In the case of this poem and the Imagist movement, Pound does it to analyze the influence of modernity in aesthetic value and its political implications. Under careful observation, one realizes that the poem also has an anti-modernity facet and therefore interpretation. It is arguable that, by presenting a poem composed of two non-rhyming lines, Pound is not only challenging conventional poetry, but also new forms of poetry, such as Imagist poetry. This argument, however, may not convince the skeptical. After all, why would Pound question the new form of poetry he is trying to establish? In a sense, by questioning the Imagist movement and offering an anti-modernity facet of the poem, Pound manages to present the dichotomy of good art and bad art, of acceptable forms of poetry versus non-acceptable forms of poetry, of the aesthetically valuable and valueless in a modern context. By raising this dichotomy, Pound makes the reader wonder about the nature of poetry and its foundations. This is important when one thinks of Imagist poetry as the true foundation of any conventional form of poetry. Under this view, Imagist poetry is not the result of a quest for a modern approach to poetry, but rather of a desire to go back to its foundations and basic elements. Since poems are composed of words, whose purpose is to construct images that convey emotions, it is arguable that images are in fact the foundations of poetry. In this respect, it seems feasible to maintain that what Pound is rejecting is actually modernity, which appears to prioritize words, metric, and rhyme over the quality of the images in the poem and the emotions produced by them.
What is important to notice is that, by introducing this anti-modernity facet and making the reader wonder about the nature of poetry, Pound makes the reader susceptible to accepting a new form of Poetry such as Imagist poetry. This is because Pound introduces modernity, not as the rejection of the past, but as the desire to go back in order to discover our true foundations.
Resources
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