Summary

     The age in which American modernist poetry first began was marked by the United States's tendency to remain isolated from the rest of the world.  The United States was late to declare war against Germany in World War I, entering in 1917, three  years after the war had begun.  The United States also held off from any association with the League of Nations until 1918, another late arrival.  Rather than entering into international affairs, Americans were busy making progress at home.  In 1920, the 19th Amendment was ratified, giving women the right to vote.  Also, Poetry magazine began being published in 1915, an important step in the advancement of literary publications that are still relevant today.

     Additionally. this time period began the Modernist movement in art and literature.  Artists and authors began to move away from portraying people and places and events as they real exist which was the method used in Realism and Regionalism which were prominent in the late 19th century.  Modernism pushed away from more traditional styles of poetry and began to venture into uncharted territory.

     Stevens (1879-1955)

     Stevens' poem "Sunday Morning," is the product of his living in two separate worlds.  He has the ability to appreciate and comment on the lushness of Florida because of his time spent in the northeast.  It is rife with descriptions of tropical birds, bright colors, and fruit.  This perspective from living in two separate worlds causes him to have the point of view that paradise only comes on earth.  He is disturbed by the idea of eternal paradise.

     "The Emperor of Ice Cream" also has a certain lavish, sensual quality to it.  However there is also a contrast, all the sensuality and lushness contrasts with the description of the dead woman with her horny feet exposed, another allusion to the idea that paradise can only be temporary.  This poem also identifies the idea that you can only be the emperor of little things like ice cream.  You are rooted in your own realities and what you have is all you have control of.  In this poem it's ice cream.

     Sandburg (1878-1967)

     Sandburg's poem "Chicago" is reminiscent of Walt Whitman's long-lined style.  He is speaking to Chicago in the poem and has an an I-you relationship.  This poem has a more ideological focus that "Sunday Morning."  It adheres to the modernist style in that it speaks of the common man, uses common language, and is therefore accessible.

     Moore (1887-1972)    

     Moore's poem "Poetry" is an appeal to her readers to be interested in poetry.  She confesses that she, too, dislikes poetry, but that it does have value because it speaks of genuine things but also elevated, imaginary themes.

Passages

"Does ripe fruit never fall?" Stevens 

This symbolizes the idea that perfection and paradise cannot be permanent.  It is a transient state of being.  The idea that paradise can last forever would be ridiculous and would ultimately end in discontent.  Stevens' experience of this dichotomy between deprivation and paradise (the bare north and the lush south) is part of what drives it.

"imaginary gardens with real toads in them" Marianne Moore (p. 1533)

This quote signifies Moore's intention to have a foot planted in each world: that of the real and that of the imaginary.  From this passage, it seems that she appreciates the idea of completely imaginary constructs as long as they have a genuine and relevant appeal to them.

Key Terms

modernism - style in art and literature; marked by a rejection of tradition, freedom of forms, fragmentation, and primitivism.  This style was attempting to move away from the European aesthetic and was subject to change across social and international borders.