Imagism: Post 1

Colton Evans

Fountain

October 9, 2018

Imagism 

“In a Station of the Metro”

The goal of an Imagist poet is to rid their work of the unnecessary and leave nothing but the image. Ezra Pound does exactly that in his work In a Station of the Metro. Concrete information is all that is needed to get the job done. When I say concrete, what I mean by that is the external elements are all that is present in the poem. I often like to think of this style of poetry as a sort of medusas head. The goal being to capture a single moment in time, a single precise image, that the reader will be able to see as if time itself is at a stand still and what lies before them is the place in which the poet is trying to take them in the poem. A crystal clear scene right before their eyes with no feeling or emotion displayed. It is the job of the reader to create meaning and attach their own sense of symbolism to the work. This is what allows Imagism to stand out, the fact that it is so abstract yet freeing to the reader. The poet acts as a photographer, every pen stroke acts as a snapshot of something specific on a camera, and the end result is a person left to look upon the finished peace and let their mind wander freely. Gazing upon the poem like it is a picture, jumping from each detail and observing it like the parts of a picture. Attaching meaning to whatever they see fit or talks to them the most. But interpretation is entirely up to them. 

Ezra Pound uses a mere 14 words in this poem. Yet he makes each one count with charged word choices such as "apparition." I liked his use of this word to describe the people of the metro because it creates a sort of gloom amidst the people. Adding to this is the petals that sit on a, "wet, black bough." The word bough refers to the main branch of a tree. So the image painted inside the mind of the reader is a cluster of people with lifeless faces, in this metro that acts as a main branch of society. The metro connects society to all the different places in which people need to go. So if the majority of society is here then that creates a sort of dull, unhappy negative attitude for how society as a whole is looked upon. A sort of daunting experience being a part of society. The “frozen in time” aspect is able to visibly take place in this poem due to there being no verbs in this poem. If there is no action taking place within the poem itself, the image is able to have an even more hard, clear, definite appearance to it. Much like the medusa effect as I was speaking of earlier. 

The Semicolon indicates a gap between major elements in a sentence, so the a brief separation between the, "faces in the crowd," to observing their resemblance towards the petals might act as a sort break in the mind of the observer in the poem, maybe it is their sort of moment of reckoning in which they come to make the connection in their mind of what the scene represents to them. Petals represents the individuality of each person, yet they are all clinging to the same branch just trying to hold on for as long as they can. Concentrating on the small details is what makes Imagist poetry what it is, taking in the sights of an environment in its entirety. So from the Petals and their being on a black wet bough, to a thousand faces in a metro, one can use these details to create meaning to this scene from the image created in their head. I would argue that it is this process, the mental connections of the poem that represent it. Yes the images presented are what led to the connections, but isn't this what is always taking place within us. A scene unfolds before us and then suddenly we are drawn to a very specific aspect of it which leads to us being taken elsewhere far away in our mind.Ezra Pound not only completed the task of writing a poem with the Imagist form in mind, but ended up writing one that would be an important representation of what Imagist poetry is supposed to be like. For fun after reading the poem I replaced the words "apparition" and "bough" with their meanings and came up with "The lifelessness of these faces in the crowd; Petals on a wet, black branch of society." The overall tone and image displayed here is quite powerful and leaves a dark cloud looming over the scene. Really loved the outcome of doing this simply because it shows the importance word choice plays in poetry. Two words were able to pack quite a punch into this simple scene created with only 14 words.  Word Count: 847

Prufrock's First Date

William Wordsworth defines poetry as “the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings,” which aligns with the idea behind T. S. Eliot’s “The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock” as an expression of youthful angst. Today, youths full of angst still use poetry as a way to express their feelings, but in a different light.  A popular outlet for this angst is through YouTube and the performance of slam poetry. This can be demonstrated in Sabrina Benaim’s poem, “First Date” that she performs on the Button Poetry channel. There are many parallels between “First Date” and “The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock” as they both express these youthful feelings of angst and use the form of poetry but they differ in means of expressing those feelings according to the time period in which they were created.

Both Eliot and Benaim’s poems highlight youthful feelings of angst, but their feelings are fitting to the time period in which they are written. In “The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock,” the speaker of the poem appears to be “etherized” by the women in the room of a party. His own self-consciousness gets in the way of his ability to speak to the women he is intimidated by and and compares it to disturbing the universe (45). He is concerned with the way he is dressed, his bald spot, and his body composition thus inhibiting him from engaging with the women in the room. “First Date” shows similar self-consciousness, but more in the way that she carries herself. She writes, “I wouldn’t say I am sensitive. I would say I am highly susceptible to feeling a lot,” exposing her insecurities about her feelings (12). She compares them to Forrest Gump’s box of chocolates analogy, but instead of not knowing what you get, she says she would rather eat them. This mentality of “eating one’s feelings” is a common expression when people are experiencing feelings of angst or anxiety. These hyperbolic statements are expressions of youthful angst and are reflections of the period in which they are written.

In addition, both Eliot and Benaim use the form of poetry to describe their feelings of angst. Eliot uses imagery and repetition to emphasize his main points throughout his poem. The refrain of his poem is “In the room the women come and go/ Talking of Michelangelo” which is meant to highlight what it is that is giving him feelings of angst (13-14). The women in the room intimidate him and the women are again brought up in the last lines of the poem in the form of sea-girls. Using the form of sea-girls, Eliot demonstrates a sense of disillusionment with the imagery that these women will drown him once reality sets back in. Yet, he also couples this with the idea of romance not being a reality, but rather a myth beside the sea-girls. Benaim, on the other hand, uses spoken word poetry and rather than using meter and rhyme, her method of delivery is in the delivery itself. The way she delivers a line and the rate at which the words flow from her mouth are what give emphasis to her main points. She speeds up just before a key line and slows down to get her audience to think about what it is she is saying. She uses onomatopoeia and repetition to bring attention to a specific line and use of short, sensory words create a child-like image in the audience’s mind. For example, when Benaim fluctuates the rate in her words for the lines, “Snap, Crackle, or Pop, me? Pop! I mean I got this violent tendency to see a bubble and want to pop it, which is to say I have held love. But I popped it and locked it, then dropped it and lost it. I don’t mind,” she is showing her angst in knowing that she once had something of value, yet does not mind that she has lost it (17-18). For, it is common in today’s time to nonchalantly act as though love does not hurt. Instead, we must show strength and patience as she also says the she “learn[s] love like ‘wait for it’” (21).  The use of poetry both in early twentieth century and current twenty first century is a common expression of youthful angst, but the styles of poetry differ.

These two poems differ in delivery and demonstration in the display of youthful angst. “The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock” is organized, it has stanzas, formal rhyme pattern, and is meant to be read on paper. Whereas “First Date” shows none of these attributes and is focused on delivery and references to pop culture to demonstrate its points. Both of these works represent youthful angst surrounding romance and are effective in their goals to deliver such feelings. They do so in ways that are representative of the time periods in which they were written and appeal to the audiences of such times.

"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" and "Pretty Pimpin"

T. S. Eliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” and Kurt Vile’s song “Pretty Pimpin” both exemplify ennui and angst in their themes of dissatisfaction and idleness. Both of these works present a narrator that has remained highly hesitant to act on something they want throughout their lives. Eventually both of them lose their chance as time catches up with them. Time is the main thing that connects these two works as it reveals the narrator’s growing lethargic distance from reality. At the same time, while “Pretty Pimpin” shows the narrator startled and humored to see time catch up to him, the narrator in “Alfred Prufrock” eventually admits to himself that he was purposely keeping himself from acting on his desires.

In “Alfred Prufrock,” the speaker begins by proposing a stroll through the streets. Immediately, we notice in the first stanza words such as “etherize,” “half-deserted,” “restless,” and “tedious.” These words allude to a lack of motivation, which then leads to the speaker’s first excuses to delay his intentions. He would rather lead us first through sketchy streets and prolong the conversation instead of getting to the point of his invitation. Through the repetition of the word “time” in the fourth and sixth stanza, he introduces the concept as his main excuse for putting aside everything he wants to do and say. The narrator seems to believe that if he repeats and lists the limitless opportunities time gives, he may somehow remain in control of his future. While he appears idle for the majority of the poem, this lack of motivation to go through with any of his plans also reveals a dejected feeling person. In the end, instead of a blessing, time is a death sentence. Looking back to the words from the first stanza, we see this depressed outlook from the start — “etherize” and “half-deserted.” His anxiety grows in the sixth stanza as he wonders if he would ever dare to act on his wants. He mainly struggles with how to proceed when it comes to women; however, he seems to focus on the sexual relationship with the woman than an actual romantic one. He repeats the line, “And how should I presume?” through stanza 7-9 until he finally asks how he should even begin and, in stanza 12, if he has the strength to “force the moment to its crisis” (80). He finds the idea of courting too much work and surrenders to his idleness. Eventually, the narrator admits that he was never really trying to proceed with anything he fantasized about. He let himself age and wither until finally he gives in to death.

In “Pretty Pimpin,” the narrator is in a state of confusion when he looks at himself in the mirror and realizes time has now aged him into a man. He decides to find humor in his situation, but can not help but only see himself as a stranger from then on. This shows a lack of awareness on his part, and his relaxed reaction to the revelation that he’s losing time shows a different kind of idleness from the one in “Alfred Prufrock.” While Prufrock becomes anxious towards the end of his life, the narrator in “Pretty Pimpin” accepts it with laughter and ignores it unless he is forced to look at himself. Eventually, he begins to lose the ability to tell time when he reveals that he can not remember what day of the week it is. His first guess is a Monday, eventually he settles on a Saturday, but once again he wonders, as he peers at his reflection, “Who’s this stupid clown blocking the bathroom sink?” He sees the stranger before him in disappointment, but rather than dwell on this feeling, he distances himself from his reality. Yet he admits that he always wanted to have fun and become a man, but instead of traveling and being “thousands of miles away” while staying true to himself, he has let his mind stray while remaining physically in place. Towards the end of the song, the speaker stops referring to himself as “I.” He calls himself a boy and speaks of himself in the third-person which shows a loss of a grip on his reality. The speaker finds forgetting time exists easier than admitting, like Prufrock, that he was just insecure and full of uncertainties. Out of the two, it seems that Vile’s song displays a character that never actually had dreams so his lamenting is not as strongly worded as Prufrock's. Nevertheless, both narrators embrace a toxic idleness rather than confront their main problem head-on.

Blog Post #1

"Before the Law" by Kafka
In group discussion, it was decided that the reasonable approach to be take was the psychological approach because the story made the readers questions the motives of both characters. Although this approach is logical, I believe that the correct approach for this particular reading is to take a Marxist approach. The main argument made by my classmates was that the initial motives of both characters lead the readers to approach this reading psychologically. Questions such as “Why does the country man want to pass so bad or what really stopped the man from passing if the gatekeeper specifically said that he wouldn’t stop him? Though these are good questions, I believe it is more important to think more critically and assume that this society chooses who can go to “the law.” It demonstrates the capacity of how social status plays a big role in life and how one can achieve more if they have more.
From the beginning, Kafka introduces a character and instantanly specifies that he is a “ “man from the country.” By doing so, I think this translates to the idea of classism: making it known to the readers that this man is not of social status or of wealth. The second character mentioned is the gatekeeper.” Indirectly stated, this gatekeeper is of higher status when placed against the man because the gatekeeper is what keeps the man from passing the said to be gate that is “before the law.” This can be interpreted with a Marxist approach because of the idea of Classism that explains the dynamic between the two. It is written in a way that makes the readers feel the distinction between both the gatekeeper and the countryman in a sense of power. It also makes it clear that the countryman knows this fact as well and chooses to accept that they are impotent against the gatekeeper. In a classless society, the idea of levels is not something that prevents someone from achieving more. Though it is not mentioned that this is the situation here, it is a given because it relates to how people behave and think. Taking a Marxist approach, it exemplifies how the man was shaken by the idea of passing the gatekeeper because of the lack of wealth or maybe social class.
Another reason why I believe this reading should be analyzed through a marxist approach is because I believe this reading supports the idea of a socialist society. The whole passage was structured to believe that the man could not pass because of all the different levels of gatekeepers and how each level of gatekeepers would be harder to pass (Kafka). I think this was to represent how in a capitalist society, wealth and social background is important to have because it could open many doors for you and how it could be an easy passage that way. The man struggled to pass because the gatekeeper’s warning. If the countryman was of more wealth or status, this fear would not be taken into account. In a psychological approach, this fear is something to think about closely, but by viewing in a Marxist viewpoint, it is easy to understand why this was a fear.
To redirect back to the idea of a socialist society, I think that it suggests that the efforts of the man was good enough and should have been given passage like how everything is rather equal in a socialist society . Kafka states, “The man, who has equipped himself with many things for his journey, spends everything, no matter how valuable, to win over the gatekeeper.” Without much, it makes it clear to the readers that any attempt and any object that the countryman had or did, was for the the opportunity to get somewhere better. In a socialist society, everyone is to be the same and not many attempts like the countrymans is ever needed. It can also be interpreted as how people in a non socialist society are faced with capitalism and have a social-economic divide between the people.
Overall, the reading itself demonstrates many social economic traits that make it more reasonable for me to take a Marxist approach rather than a psychological one. It is useful to also thinking critically in a psychological way in this case but I think that the motives of these characters are too infinite to be able to have a full solution of what is happening. By taking the Marxist approach, classism and social status is easier to read and understand as a principle because it gives some sort of resolution or understanding.

Blog Post #1

Though critics have struggled for decades to interpret the ending of Franz Kafka’s “Before The Law”, many are in agreement that one must use the Marxist approach when analyzing this text. This story tells of a countryman traveling to a gate and asking the gatekeeper for entrance to the law, until eventually the countryman must accept defeat and dies. The gatekeeper warns the countryman, “‘I am only the most lowly gatekeeper. But from room to room stand gatekeepers, each more powerful than the other. I can’t endure even one glimpse of the third’” (Kafka). Right from the start, the text affirms how a clear power dynamic exists between the countryman and the gatekeeper, with the former man inferior to the latter man.


Kafka portrays the idea of divisions in economic structures in this reading, and no matter who the gatekeeper represents, we the readers are led to believe the gatekeeper possesses all of the riches and security while the countryman possesses nothing. The poor countryman believes the gatekeeper’s claims to power and vows to give anything to the wealthy gatekeeper to gain access to the law. This system creates a social wall between the countryman and the gatekeeper, where each following gatekeeper is more wealthy and, subsequently, more authoritative. Though hesitantly, the man demands entrance to the law; each request is met with rejection. Marxism teaches this exact idea of the powerful oppressing the weak, making this approach a well-founded manner in which to read this text.


Another way that we can interpret the text is by using the psychological approach. Perhaps the gate represents a mental barrier, and the countryman purposely chooses not to dethrone the gatekeeper due to fear. The countryman is aware that the first gatekeeper is only the lowest gatekeeper, signifying the most lowly insecurity of the man. With each gate comes one mental battle after another, and the man consciously decides it is better to live with his insecurities constantly in the background of his mind rather than fight to eliminate his fears. We also observe this when the man contemplates how ridiculous it is for him to stand by for admission to something so simple, but “as he now looks more closely at the gatekeeper in his fur coat, at his large pointed nose and his long, thin, black Tartar’s beard, he decides it would be better to wait until he gets permission to go inside” (Kafka). The countryman becomes intimidated by the gatekeeper, and realizes submission might be the key to his success.


We question later whether the gatekeeper has any real power over the countryman, yet the countryman subjects himself to his loose rule since poverty has made the countryman desperate. Years go by without any progress for the countryman, and it appears he has completely forgotten about the succeeding and more controlling gatekeepers: “this one seems to him the only obstacle for entry into the law” (Kafka). This represents how mental battles take charge of an individual in the same way, becoming so intense and overbearing until they render a person useless. The countryman’s own mind has caused him to lose track of what really matters to him: getting to the law.


A psychological approach undoubtedly makes sense to use in deciphering “Before The Law”, but a Marxist approach is far more direct and applicable to the story as a whole. From the first meeting of the countryman and the gatekeeper, we understand the countryman might one day be allowed to come into the gate: “‘But not now’” says the gatekeeper (Kafka). We watch the countryman spend his entire life waiting patiently for the all-powerful gatekeeper to grant him access to the law, until the countryman is in his final moments. We notice something rather peculiar here--the countryman has become feeble and weak while the gatekeeper remains young and healthy. As the countryman waves to ask the gatekeeper one last question, “the gatekeeper has to bend way down to him, for the great difference has changed things to the disadvantage of the man” (Kafka). This establishes the inequity of economic status in terms of old age--the poor are doomed to shrivel and die while the rich have access to more resources which prolong their life. The countryman’s last memory on Earth is realizing his destiny was predetermined by his social class and success was never in his favor. Analyzing these socio-economic structures in the form of literature furthers our comprehension of global economic strifes and fabricates a sense of empathy towards those less fortunate.

"In a Station of the Metro" by Ezra Pound

Ezra Pound’s brief yet ambiguous poem, “In a Station of the Metro,” conforms to the ideals of Imagism through its simplistic and concrete language that in turn, paints a clear image of the narrator’s vision. The Imagist Manifesto movement aimed at creating precise and sharp expression through the illustration of clear imagery. Imagism is characterized by exactness and clarity, that still manages to paint a portrait through its diction and tone. Although Pound’s poem is short, only two lines, the rhythm is not choppy but instead, it is paced steadily and evenly. The poem’s form and meter mimic a variation of the Japanese haiku, a style of poetry that conforms to Imagism, through the pacing of the syllables within the lines. Like a haiku, which juxtapositions two images or events, Pound attempts to fuse the two contrasting images of the ghostlike faces on the metro beside the seemingly beautiful petals on the branch. This creates an image that parallels the cold urban reality alongside the beauty and warmth of the natural world.

Furthermore, Pound’s diction embodies the clarity of Imagism through his precise language. His diction carefully constructs the simplistic image of the people in the station. He uses the word “apparition” to illustrate the phantom-like qualities of the faces in the crowd that seems to come and goes suddenly within the station. Pound employs the word “these” when referring to the faces on the metro as if to place the readers directly into his perspective and point at the faces. This creates a vivid image in the reader’s head of what “these faces” look like among the crowd. Pound immediately then starts the next line with, “petals on a wet, black bough,” turning the poem into a metaphor. Unlike a simile which would utilize “like” or “as," Pound maintains direct diction that explicitly fuses together the two images of the face and the petals. Without directly stating that the collective faces on the metro resemble petals on a bough, the implication itself remains sufficient. Part of Imagism is to always employ “the exact word” and never the “decorative word.” Pound satisfies this aspect of Imagism as he does not directly insist that the faces are like the petals, but rather that they just are. This direct treatment of the language reflects the clarity of expression that Imagism encompasses.

As for the meaning of the poem, Pound could be commenting on the juxtaposition of urbanization and the natural world. The “apparition” of the faces on the metro could represent the constant blur and movement of everyday life, and how time is fleeting. In contrast, the petals could be interpreted as being stuck by the wetness onto the bough, remaining in a stable, natural position. Without a connecting phrase to explicitly imply that “these faces in the crowd” are in fact the “petals,” Pound seems to suggest a parallel that is not in need of a direct comparison and is instead evident. Although the two images are contrasting, Pound creates an image that mirrors one another. The faces within the metro seem to blend into petals as the reader suddenly reads the next line. The poem could also reflect the natural life cycle, with the petals eventually wilting and dying, and becoming the ghosts of the fleeting faces. This connection between the two images could, however, unveil the shared beauty between the two. Pound could be commenting on the beauty of the phantom faces within the metro, and that although life is fleeting, it is still beautiful. The petals which lie upon the “wet, black bough” could be envisioned as a mirror in the water that reflects back to the ghostlike image of the faces at the metro. The choice of the word “black” heightens the contrast of the gentle and frail petal against the dark backdrop of the bough. Similarly, the blurred image of the faces is envisioned as the delicate petals against the seemingly monochromatic scene of the station. Pound maintains the Imagist aspects because although the meaning seems abstract and infinite, it is still contained within two lines through the use of careful diction. The briefness of the poem almost seems to reflect the ephemeral undertones that the poem touches upon, echoing the constant change within the metro that creates the image of apparitions. The direct and simplistic aspects of the poem’s Imagism seem to signify the clarity that is the cycle of life. Like the people on the metro that are constantly changing direction within the station to the point of blur, the petals remain as a reminder of the beauty that remains within a changing society.

Blog Post #1: Kafka's "Before the Law"

     The story, “Before the Law,” by Franz Kafka narrates the conversation between a man, who seeks to gain entry into the law, and the gatekeeper, who guards the law and refuses to allow the man to enter. While there are several lenses through which we can read this story, our group decided that the Marxist critical approach is the most useful critical style to analyze the text and interpret its meaning. As although the story’s open-ended plot makes it possible to utilize the reader-response approach, the Marxist approach is most convincing when addressing the story’s primary focus on the difference in power between social classes.

     Our group pointed to the several instances wherein the depicted class struggle and a hierarchical society fittingly aligned with the Marxist critical style’s primary tenet that “socioeconomic forces (...) affect people’s lives” (Gardner 170). In the story for example, the gatekeeper, despite repeated requests, constantly denies the man access to the law. This relationship between the gatekeeper and man shows how the gatekeeper, who is of a higher socioeconomic class, asserts his power over the man “from the country” (Kafka), mirroring the relationship of an oppressive regime exerting complete control over the common citizen. The man struggles to rise up and enter the law, however is never allowed to by the powerful gatekeeper. Furthermore, the inequality between the gatekeeper and the man is highlighted as the gatekeeper is shown to remain powerful and healthy throughout the plot as the man ages. The man’s aging reflects the Marxist idea of reification, “the process whereby oppressed workers lose their individual sense of humanity” (Gardner 170). In this case, the man’s gradual loss of eyesight, hearing, strength, and eventually death parallels this idea that when a subject is in a constant state of oppression, his or her identity as an individual human being will fade. In addition to the relationship between the gatekeeper and the man, the gatekeepers themselves have a strict hierarchy, as “from room to room stand gatekeepers, each more powerful than the other” (Kafka). The extent of the difference in power is emphasized as the first gatekeeper says that he “can’t endure even one glimpse of the third” (Kafka). This hierarchy in which the different levels of the guards drastically affects the power he possesses reflects the stratified class structure that is a focal point of the Marxist critical style.

     As the Marxist critical style was deemed the best approach with which to analyze this text by our group, the use of the reader-response theory also has some merit due to the ambiguous nature of the story. The reader-response theory views a text by analyzing how different readers, from various backgrounds and time periods, would “make meaning of the words on the page” (Gardner 175). In this story, different readers may have distinct interpretations of what it means to “enter the law” due to Kafka’s unclear definition of what the “law” is. For instance, one may view “entry into the law” to mean access to basic rights such as voting or fair trial. Another interpretation could be that the man seeking to enter the law actually desires to be above the law, and that the gatekeeper is an officer who prevents the man from doing so in order to protect the law. These interpretations are the “gaps” associated with reader-response criticism, which are the “things that the text doesn’t tell us, that we need to fill in and work out for ourselves" (Gardner 175). Furthermore, the reader-response theory analyzes how the process by which a reader interprets a text is affected by his or her background and time period. For example, a modern day reader living in a democratic society would view “entering the law” as access to the government. A law student may choose to see the story as a man trying to pass the bar to become a lawyer. Likewise, a symbolist may choose to see the man waiting by the gates for years to be a symbolic representation of time passing, as opposed to interpreting it in the literal sense.

     Ultimately, both schools of critical style can be useful in analyzing this story. The reader-response theory is valid due to the extent with which the text is open to interpretation. However, the Marxist approach is more convincing for this text because the entire plot revolves around political and socioeconomic relationships. Moreover, while there are several interpretations of this text that give the reader-response theory some merit, many of these possible interpretations are still political in nature and have an underlying theme that relates to the Marxist style’s ideologies. This is because the idea of what the “law” in this story is open to interpretation, the story at its core is still about how this law affects two characters of two different standings in society. Therefore, I argue that the Marxist approach is best suited for this text due to its emphasis on the distinction between men of different hierarchical classes and how those in a high class have greater power than those in a lower class.

(Word count: 844)

"Before the Law" Literary Criticism Analysis

The ambiguity present in Franz Kafka’s “Before the Law” creates the opportunity for a variety of interpretations and interactions with the text through the use of literary criticisms and literary theories. When discussing the contents of the story with my group, the unanimous decision was that the Marxist criticism was the better-equipped approach to deciphering the story; however, one could argue that the psychological theory is equally as qualified in responding to Kafka’s work. This post will examine the strengths of both theories in response to the conflict in “Before the Law” and will present an argument as to why the Marxist criticism is better suited in the comprehension of the story.

In our group discussion, we noted the multiples ways the Marxist theory explained why the man never passed the gate and the ways the theory coincided with “Before the Law”. The Marxist criticism emphasizes that human progress is based on the struggle of power between different social classes; this relationship between progress and power is the prominent conflict within the story and explains the man’s tragic ending. We began by noting the clear distinctions in the status of the gatekeeper and how they contrasted with the image being presented of the man. The gatekeeper is described wearing a fur coat, which is often a sign associated with wealth, while the man is described in simple, mundane traits.  This distinction sets the foundation for the difference in power that both characters hold. In comparison to the gatekeeper, the man does not have much wealth or power thus immediately placing him at a disadvantage where the gatekeeper has a complete authority. Our group then analyzed the words and traits associated with each figure that further illustrated the power and status differences between the two. When Kafka describes the gatekeeper, he uses phrases such as “powerful” and “great men” to highlight the power the gatekeeper possesses and to continue the dominant image being developed of him. As the gatekeeper’s powerful image continues to grow, the man’s subordinate persona is repeatedly presented to the reader through associating the man with “childish” and “weak” features. Aside from way in which the characters are presented, the distinction in status is immediately noted within the first lines of the poem. The reason the man does not enter the gate is because the gatekeeper prohibits him and warns the man not to disobey him or else the man would face serious consequences given the gatekeeper’s abilities. This immediate denial of entrance establishes that the reins of power are being held only by the gatekeeper. As the story progresses, the man waits on the gatekeeper’s permission and does a multitude of things, most notably giving all his valuable possessions to the gatekeeper for the sake of entering the gate. The simple notion of the man having to ask for the gatekeeper’s permission and continually begging him for entrance solidifies who holds the control. Towards the end of the story, we drew our attention on the way the man fades with time yet the gatekeeper remains unaltered. This detail coincides with a central component in the Marxist theory, reification, which is the process where opposed workers lose their sense of individual humanity. The man withers away and loses himself more and more as time passes for the sake of appealing to the gatekeeper because of that continual emphasis in the idea that the man can only ever make progress if the gatekeeper, who is of higher status, allows him to.

 Despite the strengths that lay within the Marxist criticism, the psychological theory also holds value when trying to comprehend “Before the Law.”  This theory directs the emphasis on the internal mental states of the characters and what motivates and dictates their desires. The central question in regards to this story is why was the man never allowed into the gate if the gate was intentionally made solely for him? Approaching the question from the psychological theory standpoint, the reason why the man was never able to enter the gate was that he psychologically allowed himself to be deemed inferior to the gatekeeper and in doing so, blindly accepted the gatekeeper’s decisions. Taking into consideration what the gatekeeper represented, power and strength, the man felt mentally and physically inferior to him because, through the perspective of the man, he did not possess those grand qualities that he associated with authority and control. The intimidation led to the man feeling subordinate so much so that he believed and accepted that he was inferior to the gatekeeper. With the acceptance of inferiority, it allowed the gatekeeper to repeatedly mistreat him and deny the man entrance but more importantly, it allowed the man to accept those actions without question. The power held by the gatekeeper did not actually come from the attributes that he possessed but rather from the control the man gave him because he psychologically believed he was inferior to the gatekeeper.

Between the Marxist theory and the psychological theory, I believe the Marxist approach is better suited to aid the meaning behind “Before the Law.” The central struggle, at its core, is the difference in power between the man and the gatekeeper. The gatekeeper is presented as a powerful, strong, almost godly figure while the man is depicted as a mundane, weak human. There is uneven power distributed between the characters which make them unequal. It is this inequality that leaves one man at the mercy of the other. If one character had the sole control of the situation, then the other character has no choice but to accept what the other dictates. The man has no choice but to accept what the gatekeeper decides because the man is at an inferior status compared to the powerful gatekeeper, which is the essence of the Marxist theory. The psychological theory explains why the man and the gatekeeper did what they did, essentially due to inequality of power held, but the Marxist theory explains where that inequality comes from and in doing so explains why the characters acted the way they did and why the ending was what it was.  

Total word count:1,019

"Before the Law" and The Giver

In Franz Kafka’s “Before the Law” there is not just one theory that fits the story. While in class my group and I all had different ideas and views as to what the short story was trying to convey, while I said psychological, someone else said Marxism, another said formalism and the last one said post-structuralism, which honestly, all fit into the “theme” of the story. Overall, once discussing and arguing all of our sides of the story, we felt like there was no right answer as to what the general theme of the story was, but we could all agree that Marxism was one of the best fits because the story showed the idealism that physical objects will fade away and when we pass, everything that we thought was valuable will be nothing, we cannot exactly be buried with everything that we own, so why worry about possessions when we can enjoy what we have now and just hope that all of the materialistic idealisms that we deal with go away. Also, the guy in the story was under a power dynamic, he does not feel like he was strong enough to go through the gates, he had this idea that giving up all of his material items would be able to persuade the gatekeeper that he was worthy of going through the gate, but because he himself does not feel ready to go through the gates he never went through and died waiting for the gatekeeper to let him in. A story that I find relates to this story would have to be The Giver by Lois Lowry is a perfect example of Marxism that captures the essence of Kafka’s “Before the Law”. In The Giver, there is a power play where people are not allowed to feel emotions, because it would make them do crazy things, like give up everything they have. When the giver is giving the receiver all of the knowledge that he has, it is a power play because the receiver can only take so much before he starts losing his mind with all of the new emotions he is feeling after he stops taking his daily shot of emotion neutralizers. In both The Giver and “Before the Law” we see how having nothing does not make a difference in status. Jonas, the main character in The Giver stops taking his mood stabilizers realizing that it is dwindling his ability to think for himself and stand up for what he believes in and to his superiors. Jonas, like the old man in “Before the Law”, both desire nothing valuable, they desire the knowledge of something that is so far out there that they cannot get because they feel like they do not have the mental strength to get there. Unlike the old man, Jonas is able to escape his dystopian society and break the barrier that stops the effects oMarxismsm, whereas the old man, just dies trying to break the boundary of his own mind. Personally speaking, I feel like The Giver is a more convincing reading than “Before the Law” because it actually tells a detailed story of a dysfunctional society that believes they are doing what is best or their people, when in reality they are just oppressing them and their minds. However, there is the fact that in the novel the theory of marxism does not exist, they do not have a capitalist government, but it just has that broader approach that leads up to there being an idea of a capitalist government. In the novel, Lowry clearly identifies the levels of the “hierarchy” that exist within the society. In the short story, we see how desperate the man is to get within the gates, giving up his materialistic items is a power play on himself. His mind believes that he would be able to gain entry into something that seems so pure and greater than life itself, but because he believes that he cannot get into the gates it kind of shows the power that the gatekeeper has over the old man and the assumption of authority that the gatekeeper has. In the novel, it has a similar dynamic with the assumption of power, except for the fact that because everybody believes that the person who assigns what everyone’s career is going to be is the symbol of authority nobody questions it. Both stories all in all have their own view of marxism, but personally speaking, The Giver just portrays the power dynamic a lot nicer and a lot more detailed, meaning an actual story.
Word Count: 767
*PSA to whoever reads this, this makes sense in my head, but if it sounds confusing let me know! I will try to clarify it without it sounding anymore confusing. I also really hope you understand at least somewhat, the point that I am trying to make.*

Blog Post 1 - "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"

T.S. Eliot’s poem “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”, presents the angst and ennui of a man trying to talk to a girl. The barrier being the overeducation and anxiety of being judged by the public. Prufrock’s monologue, asserts the complications that oneself can bring into a situation. Such as overthinking and thus letting go a desire. The poem also shows the urge of Prufrock to let go of all this strains, not just his own strains but the ones impose by other people, such as the girl she wants. For instance, in lines 10 to 12, Prufrock thinks “To lead you to an overwhelming question…./ Oh, do not ask, “What is it?”/ Let us go and make our visit”, which illuminates the desperation of Prufrock to forget every little detail and just vanish, let go of any restrain and prejudice.

Similarly, the film “Dazed and Confused” directed by Richard Linklater, a coming-of-age movie about a group of friends in their last days of high school, the film perfectly assembles and claims the youthful angst. In one particular scene, one of the characters discusses his change of mind towards going to law school, for he claims and concludes that he actually hates people. His friend that is listening then asks him “so, you're not gonna go to law school? What do you wanna do?” and he replies “I wanna dance”. This reflects on the confusion and tiredness of the youth. Which similarly, adjusts to the main message of “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”, by which both the poem and the film expresses the angst, the confusion. The insecurity of a person, yet the secureness of thought. In other words, the impossibility to do what is expected, and either do what you want, or stay in confusion. Which pretty much summarizes how youth feels, confuse.

Additionally, both the poem and the film, interact with time to portray this urge to simply do what is desire, yet there is restriction, which most likely is oneself. For example, in the poem, Prufrock states “Do I dare/ Disturb the universe?/ In a minute there is time/ For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse”, which illustrates the blame towards time, yet the one imposing time as an excuse to avoid “daring” is Prufrock himself, for all his insecurities and confusion. In comparison, in “Dazed and Confused”, one of the characters says one of the most important pieces of dialogue in the film, “I’d like to quit thinking of the present, like right now, as some minor, insignificant preamble to something else.” which proves the youthful angst towards life. Which includes the fear of the present and the future. For youth, as represented in the film and the poem, is hard to get around. Simply because it's hard to take decisions and the opportunities offered, the reason being that as we face the youth phase we are afraid to make mistakes and being judge.

As a result, dazed and confused cinematically adds to the genre of coming of age films, that represent the decadency, angst, and confusion of growing up. Mainly through the dialogue shared between characters. Similarly, "The Love song of J. Alfred Prufrock" poetically, adds to the urge, desperation and confusion towards a situation. Both inherit the stance of daring, of doing what one wants, though they have different results. For it seems that in the poem, Prufrock will never be able to understand that the “time” is now, that daring should be at the moment. While in the movie, the characters understand the reliance of the feeling, or the mood of the moment, yet they are as confused as Prufrock, they feel in a state of limbo, which means to stand tall, or fall to one side.

In conclusion, there is a state that almost every human being faces in life, which is the hardness of growing up, youth. For it is the time where we overthink things, decisions, and opportunities, instead of going with the hunch. The reason maybe because we are thoughtful towards other peoples thought towards us. In youth, we become confuse, indecisive, and though we want to believe that our decision is final, we still doubt the outcomes. Thus, “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”, portrays the instability and insecurity of a person towards talking to a girl, simply because he overthinks stuff and magnifies everything that he hears, while thinking that everything is directed towards him. In “Dazed and Confused”, the actors suffer through youthful angst by acknowledging the possibilities of their future, and though they accept what they want to do, you can feel their insecurity by their acting.

"In a Station of the Metro" and its relation to Imagism

"In a Station of the Metro" by Ezra Pound

The apparition of these faces in the crowd;

Petals on a wet, black bough.

Ezra Pound’s poem “In a Station of the Metro” has been regarded as a pinnacle of Imagist poetry with its unique, condensed form and pervasive imagery, but does it truly conform to the conventions of the Imagist manifesto? Written in 1913, the poem appears a product of urbanization provoking a loss of human individuality and homogenization of culture. The ambiguous “In a Station of the Metro” title implies a lack of identity, as if this could take place in any industrialized area. The setting affirms a redundancy in modern society either reflecting or causing the overall uneasiness of the images evoked in the poem’s two lines.

To begin, Pound maintains the imagist custom of producing ‘hard and clear’ poetry. The short format allows for a clean read, one that grants both the lines and title to be closely examined and thought out. The pace remains even and the pauses created by the semicolon, “The apparition of these faces in the crowd;”, and comma, “Petals on a wet, black bough,” allow for further clarity and concentration. Pound follows the canon of clear, concentrated writing through his use of a metaphor “Petals on a wet, black bough” rather than a simile, creating a focused image of the exact impression he wishes to manifest. Although, in alternative readings discussed later the second line may not be read as a metaphor describing the “faces,” but rather a unique clause on its own. The short nature forces Pound to utilize every word to its core, following another tenet of the Imagist manifesto.

Although Pound’s diction allows for vivid imagery, the manifestation may vary upon reading, contrasting the Imagist’s idea of using only the ‘exact words’ to convey an exact experience or moment. The “apparition” adds to an eerie, somber tone suggesting both the impermanence and ambiguity of the faces in the crowd. The line could be read to suggest a ghost-like sight, perhaps referring to the thoughts of men abroad sacrificing their lives in the start of World War 1; it could also suggest the impermanence of human contact and interaction with the rush of urbanization. Perhaps this was Pound’s intention, to purposefully leave the imagery vague and subjective with regards to his implying of the triviality of modern life. Even so, we cannot objectively decide whether the words are the ‘exact’ to convey the scene. The second line may be perceived multiple ways as well. The “Petals on a wet, black bough” may be seen as a vital image with the bright petals glowing against the deep, dark background. This could also be seen as a somber image suggesting the petals cling to an all-consuming darkness or emptiness. Although Pound’s images appear clear, they in fact deliver ambiguous meanings but do convey an underlying experience of disillusionment.

The poem offers multiple interpretations, both stylistically and thematically. In earlier analysis, the petals were thought to represent the impression of faces; but, when considering the formal usage of a semicolon, one must question whether the last line was intended as a metaphor or rather its own independent statement. This possible analysis throws the poem into ambiguity asking how these two lines truly relate if not to describe the other. It could be interpreted as a free form characteristic of modern writers where stark imagery creates the tone rather than the actual ‘image.’ The poem could also be analyzed by including the title, creating a three line poem. In this form the poem appears to take on a vague haiku-like style with the simplicity yet intensity characteristic of the classic poetic form. This may go against the Imagist cry for new forms for new ideas, although it could be perceived as an innovation of an old style bringing it into the context of modern culture. In addition the thematic understanding could be spun to either reflect a sinister view of current society losing a grasp on individuality or may rather reflect the speaker’s personal ennui and skewed perception. Either way, the images reveal some insight into the consciousness of the high modern period.

In conclusion, Ezra Pound’s poem does reflect the overarching ideas proposed in the Imagist manifesto but does not strictly conform to its tenets. Pound utilizes the idea of a clear, innovative form but varies in the clarity of images and intentions of experience. In any given reading, all six of the rules proposed by Amy Lowell in “On Imagism” may be applied, but it is the sheer existence of these variant understandings that obscures “In a Station of the Metro” from being purely Imagist.

Word Count: 760

In the metro by Ezra pound

Jessica Ward

    The poem In a Station of the Metro by Ezra Pound, builds on itself and the word choice of the author creates a very well structured imagery. Seeing that the poem is only two lines, the author puts a lot of meaning in just a few lines as seen in the following: “The apparition of these faces in the crowd; petals on a wet, black bough.” We are able to see that the poem creates a type of flow from one image to the next. For example, the first line of the poem says “the apparition of these faces in the crowd.” From this phrase we are able to gather a lot of evidence of what the poem is trying to say, such as the choice of the word apparition which means “the ghost or ghostlike image of a person” (Google.com). The author choose this word to describe the people in the crowd because their faces are like a reflection of who they are. The people in the crowd seems to be imitating “ghosts” in some way because they are “gliding” across the walkway in the metro or even just standing there lost as a ghost would be. The author also continues to say that , “petals on a wet, black bough”; the author choose to describe bough in a very simple way because he could have described it in a ways, such as a dark bough or even a very dark black bough. As a result of Pound choosing his wording very carefully, it leads the reader to have this simple description in their mind of a tree at night after the rain has stopped, which also started to bloom flowers. The way Things are described in this short poem it helps the reader to make the connection of people feeling invisible among a crowded place while having them recall how it also feels to be invisible.

    Based on the word choice of the author we able to see how things flow and come together’ even though the poem is only two lines. However, Pound carefully choose his words and puts a lot of thought and meaning behind each word, which makes the poem interesting to read. Such as when Pound hints that the narrator of the poem may be uncomfortable around crowded areas or wishes to not become like everyone else. The structure of the poem helps with the meaning and word choice because having a short poem one must get their point across in a very direct why which Pound has done very nicely. The poem also does a nice job of falling within the confines of the imagist manifesto. It falls within the imagist manifesto because the poem presents an intellectual and emotional reaction that people could relate and react to. Pound had managed to get the reaction he was hoping for by writing in such a complex way which makes the reader stop and take the time to think about what the poem could possibly mean.

Even though the poem is written in Japanese haiku style and has no rhyme to it, it is still able to portray its meaning though the description of nature. Reading over the poem at least once, one is able to tell that it gives an appropriate description between people and nature while also comparing the two. Pound compares two distant things in such few words as possible in a way that had the reader go back and find the meaning which was described above. Something that is also interesting that Pound has done was that very word has at least one vowel or two, which creates this rhyme of how he wants the words too flow within the poem but also with one another.

Word count: 631

ENL 010C Blog Post 1

            In “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” writer T.S. Eliot illustrates the mindset of an anxious young person’s mind, as the titular narrator makes his social anxiety known to the audience. The story begins with Prufrock, hopeful and eager to socialize at a party, but when he arrives, he is too preoccupied with what others will think of him to do as much as say hello to anyone. As he stands on the sidelines, awaiting the right moment to introduce himself, Prufrock's worries take hold of him, and he finds himself trapped in a self-made state of limbo, effectively removing himself from the scene. Interestingly enough, a more recent story follows a similar chain of events that depict teenage anxiety: “Watamote”, an animated series following an introverted high school student named Tomoko who repeatedly tries to socialize with others and fails due to an incessant fear of rejection and her own preconceived ideas. The series provides an interesting and arguably tragic perspective on living with social anxiety, despite the fact that it is coupled with comedy which can be crass and more discomforting than humorous. When closely examining the two, one can find that both Prufrock and Tomoko share the same self-destructive personalities and follow similar courses of events.

            Initially, both Prufrock and Tomoko are fueled by an eagerness to join their peers in order to live their visions of a happy social life. Despite their expectations, they instead isolate themselves from everyone else because of an overwhelming nervousness, with Prufrock’s stemming from a mental need to make himself presentable to others and Tomoko’s resulting from a misunderstanding of how social interactions regularly occur. For evidence of this, the first stanza of Eliot’s poem features lines such as “do not ask, 'What is it?' Let us go and make our visit” (Eliot, lines 11-12) to imply that Prufrock is excited, but his enthusiasm slowly dissipates when he begins speaking lines such as “there will be time to prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet” (Eliot, lines 26-27), signifying his decline into a state of mind in which he is too comfortable to converse with others. In this way, Prufrock fails to enjoy the party because he refuses to be the initiator.

            Tomoko mirrors Prufrock as early as her introduction, confident that her first year of high school will be an improvement over her past of isolation. However, she quickly finds that people will not speak to her directly, and even when they do, she is hardly capable of mustering a response, speaking in stammers and whispers. The series has multiple examples of her difficulty with speech: a scene from the first episode shows Tomoko unable to reply to a teacher who amicably says goodbye to her, and another scene where she orders food from a restaurant shows that she has trouble making eye contact with people. Coupled with her lackluster communication skills is the fact that she is a large consumer of media such as video games and films, many of which portray unrealistic interactions. Due to her antisocial nature, she uses these as her only prompts for how to act in the company of others, and it is because of this that her efforts always fail. Tomoko's state of being is similar to Prufrock in that she is afraid of rejection, and this is taken a step further since her problems are rooted in her inability to socialize.

            Another detail which prevents the protagonists from changing their ways is a denial of their own self-worth. Prufrock and Tomoko consistently belittle themselves because they fail to be the versions of themselves they want to be, and both grimly come to accept that they can never have perfect lives as they envisioned. Prufrock is arguably the more defeatist of the two due to his assumptions of how other people view him and how he views himself after attending the party. His opinion of himself at the party is that he does not belong there, as he imagines the other attendees quietly gossiping about “how his hair is growing thin” (Eliot, line 41) and “how his arms and legs are thin” (Eliot, line 44). Most likely, these are Prufrock's fears playing tricks on him, but that does not make them any less believable to him. Prufrock asks himself “Do I dare disturb the universe?” (Eliot, lines 45-46) as though he is committing a sin by joining a conversation, and he relegates himself to the role of “an easy tool” (Eliot, line 114) to be used and forgotten instead of a person worthy of conversing with his fellows. Though Prufrock’s desire remains, he abstains from acting upon it because he views himself as undeserving on account of other people not acknowledging him.          

            Just as Prufrock’s insecurities crush his self esteem, the same can be said for Tomoko, whose perception of herself is lowered by her longing for others’ approval and reinforced by her own mistakes. After her lonely first term of high school, Tomoko convinces herself that every other student hates and ridicules her despite the fact that many of the people she encounters hardly have a chance to introduce themselves. One scene exemplifies the extent of her anger: as Tomoko prepares to leave school on a rainy day, she is unable find her umbrella, and she immediately concludes that someone had stolen it purely to scorn her. After cursing whoever she thought was the thief, she soon realizes that she had looked in the wrong place, finds her umbrella and proceeds to walk home in a calmer but no less gloomy state of mind. Often when Tomoko’s life goes awry, her first instinct is to blame someone as the culprit because she believes that the world is always working against her. She is essentially her own worst enemy due to how she reacts to conflict, and the series eventually reaches a point where she questions why her life is like this. She recalls reading in a book that sadness and hardship are the “spices of an enjoyable life,” but she questions the truth in this by stating that all she gets from life is spice. She considers the possibility that she was always the way she is, which can be considered her acknowledging that she has a problem, but does not change the fact that she cannot find a resolution to her situation.

            Despite their similarities, the ends of these protagonists' stories are where they differ, at least in terms of what is implied. Prufrock’s ending takes a more fantastical turn, where he describes himself as a frail man sitting on a beach among beautiful mermaids, but his presence remains the same as it was before: just a ghost in the midst of a world that won't notice him. He shies away from the mermaids under the impression that they would dislike him, stating explicitly that he does not think “they [would] sing to [him]” (Eliot, line 125), and in the midst of all the activity, he lets himself be drowned out of existence. His fear to step into the unknown ultimately becomes the death of his adventurous youth. On the other hand, while Tomoko’s ending is more understated, it bears some positivity in its implications of her future. In the last few seconds, a narrator repeats a line he said at the beginning of the series in which he states, “This is about an unpopular girl and her story which doesn’t really matter.” While this line is used in mean-spirited light at the beginning, it takes a turn when Tomoko herself adds before everything is over, “Seriously, it doesn’t matter.” The reuse of the line in this context implies change, specifically that Tomoko does not give her fears the amount of attention she had in previous years.  

            The contrast between the two protagonists lies in the choices that they make in their endings. Prufrock’s journey ends with his fear overtaking his life and leaving him a prisoner of his phobias even as he grows to be an old man. Tomoko’s, while not triumphant, leaves off at a point where she has chosen to overcome her anxieties. Together, these stories demonstrate that while it is dangerously easy to be swallowed up by one's own insecurities, it is possible to face those insecurities and live a more fulfilling life.   

Blog Post #1: A Comparison of T.S. Elliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" with the Papa Roach song "Last Resort" (fixed formatting)

As a means of self-expression, art is frequently used to communicate feelings and opinions that would not otherwise be socially acceptable. Because of this, certain artforms have been the birthing place of many countercultural movements that explore the darker side of human emotion. Such movements include the Modernist movement in literature during the early twentieth century, exemplified by T.S. Elliot’s The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, and the emergence of emo music from the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s, which is epitomized by the Papa Roach song “Last Resort”, written by Jacoby Shaddix. Although the two works specified come from a similarly bleak part of their creators’ minds, when searched for contrast, they have significant differences that reflect the time period and culture that they were made in.

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock and “Last Resort” have many surface level similarities, as both are told from the perspectives of troubled young men who struggle with depression, low self-worth, and hopelessness. The narrator of Prufrock describes how he has “measured out [his] life in coffee spoons” and how he has “seen his moment of greatness flicker”. He feels like he has past his prime, and that his life now amounts to nothing of meaning. Similarly, the narrator of “Last Resort” says that “Nothing’s alright, nothing is fine” and that he “don’t [sic] give a fuck if [he] cut [his] arms bleeding.” To him, nothing in his life is worth enjoying, so he does not care about anything that happens to him. Both these men display not just dissatisfaction with their lives, but a belief that their existence lacks any value at all. Prufrock worries about a variety of things throughout the poem, mostly his appearance and his social skills, which gives the impression that he views himself as unworthy to gain the attention and affection of others. The singer of “Last Resort” also displays a negative self-image, asking his audience (presumably a close friend or loved one) if they would care if he killed himself. He views himself as so lowly that he doubts that the people he cares about would mourn him if he were gone. Although Shaddix’s depiction of low self-esteem is more morbid than Elliot’s, both demonstrate how detrimental insecurity and self-loathing can be, and focus their work around it. Lastly, the protagonists in both pieces fail to see their situations improving. Prufrock assumes that even if he tells the object of his affection how he feels, she will reject him, and at the end of the poem resigns to the fact that he will grow old without ever finding a lover. Likewise, the narrator of “Last Resort” laments that he has been “searching for love on a higher level/ finding nothing but questions and devils”. These men lack a sense of efficacy, and conclude that, despite any attempts they make, they will never find what they want. Both The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock and “Last Resort” show people in very parts of their lives, yet while they come from similar viewpoints, they are separated by the norms of their respective movements.

The two works differ most prominently in that “Last Resort” (and most other emo music) is much more blunt and severe than Prufrock or anything that would have been considered tasteful or acceptable during the Modernist movement. This can be immediately seen in their subject matter. The narrative of Prufrock follows the title character as he lets his anxiety get in the way of approaching a girl he is attracted to, which he himself admits is not a serious issue; “Last Resort” is about someone having a mental breakdown and attempting suicide by slitting his wrists.  Needless to say, one is quite darker than the other. However, it is important to remember the context these pieces were written in, as mental illness was much less stigmatized at the end of the twentieth century than it was at the start of it. Even if a Modernist poet wanted to write about contemplating suicide, they would probably be unable to do so without invoking several taboos. Another significant difference is language that is used by the writers. Elliot dresses up the anguish in Prufrock with metaphors and allusions, while Shaddix’s language is profane and simple. This is a natural divergence, since Elliot, as a poet, was expected to craft works of beauty out of any subject, regardless of how dark it was, while Shaddix’s lyrics were made for a song in the rock genre, which celebrates directness in conveying emotion. Perhaps the most telling difference between this two pieces is that the nihilism and angst go much further in “Last Resort” than in Prufrock. For example, Prufrock says “I have seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker,/And in short, I was afraid.” He is depressed and lonely, but he still has a desire to live, and most of his anxiety has to do with the thought of him dying before he can fulfill his desires.  The narrator of “Last Resort” has essentially abandoned all hope and now welcomes death as an escape from his troubles. Such a dark theme would be unheard of in early twentieth-century literature. However, it can be surmised that, though Modernists’ subversiveness is relatively limited by today’s standards, there work in pushing the boundaries started to century-long progression that allowed for later writers, like Shaddix, to be able to express themselves more freely.