Question

Analyze the elements of modernist poetry that enhance the setting of this poem by Ezra Pound:

In a Station of the Metro
The apparition of these faces in the crowd;
Petals on a wet, black bough.

Answer 1

In Ezra Pound’s short two-lined poem, he depicts the dreary scene of a busy metro station. Pound’s deliberate choice of words such as wet and dark builds on this cheerless setting. The word apparition suggests that glimpses of people at the station are fleeting and always changing, creating a tone of unpredictability or even unreliability. The unusual structure of the poem forces a blending of two separate thoughts: the abrupt presence of passengers and petals on a tree. As the passengers come and go from the station, their faces begin to resemble petals on a dark and dreary bough.

Step-by-step explanation:

Sample answer from edmentum

Answer 2

First of all, the setting is enhanced by a stark contrast between two images that are put into the equation. The first image represents a bleak, gloomy picture of anonymous faces deep beneath the ground, in the Metro station, waiting for their train to come. The second image suddenly brings us somewhere else - into nature, with hints to the bleakness of the first scene ("wet", "black"). The setting of this short, modernist haiku poem is a big city with all modernist fascination by its crowded scenes, dynamics, and alienation. It's like the speaker froze the image, the people's actions and movements at this crowded place on a busy day. But it's not the speaker's influence; it's their very act of passively waiting for the train. By introducing the glimpse into nature, Pound made a counterpoint that provides an entirely new and fresh perspective on the city scene. Another modernist element is the use of language - everyday language, unadorned, free of all formal restraints, direct ("these") and simple. It also enhances the setting of the poem because it fits into the city context.