Modernism In Works of T.S. Elliot And James Joyce Essay

Throughout the novel ‘Trash’, Andy Mulligan uses language techniques such as imagery to establish rich settings of Behala. For example, when Mulligan was describing the scene of Smokey Mountain, Mulligan described the Mountain as, "It's a place they call Behala, and it's a rubbish town. Three years ago it was Smokey Mountain, but Smokey Mountain got so bad that they closed it down and shifted us along the road." The description Mulligan used about Smokey Mountain gives the reader a clear, rich image and notes the dangerous condition that Raphael, his friends and family go through. Another example of imagery, which Mulligan used, is the scene of Rat's (Jun-Jun) ‘hole’ when Mulligan described the setting of where Rat lived. He described it as "The walls and ceiling were damp brick, and there were cracks everywhere. That was where the rats came in and out, and I guessed there were nests just on the other side." Mulligan made this simple but very

In the third paragraph of his argument he used figurative language to really describe the horrible conditions these families in Phnom Penh lived in. Kristof used both metaphors and alliteration to really give the audience clear visuals of the garbage dump. One of the metaphors is, “It’s a mountain of festering refuse”, which translates to piles of rotting wastes. By writing metaphorically it creates a much more vivid and exaggerated image in our mind. Another metaphor he used was, “The miasma of toxic stink…” (Paragraph 3, pg. 109) which vividly describes the harmful vapors from the decomposing garbage. Continuing that last sentence “… toxic stink leaves you gasping, breezes batter you with filth, and even the rats look forlorn” (paragraph 3, pg. 109 in), is an example of alliteration. These visual statements (metaphors and alliteration) help Kristof convince his audience that sweatshops are a better option, a way out of poverty.

Although Eighner’s essay does display strong word usage in some instances, the overall phraseology is lesser than that of Ascher’s essay. Appearing words like “discarded,” “scavenger,” and “qualms” do increase the professionalism of the essay, however, many other phrases found in On Dumpster Diving lack the scholastic nature for the essay to achieve its purpose. One would think that the words and phrases found within this essay would signify the waste generation and not just the

1. Diction Nick employs brutal diction in describing the Valley of Ashes as a “dumping ground” (Fitzgerald 24). This highlights the neglect and disparity of the area between Long Island and Manhattan. He implies that it is a place where unsuccessful individuals end up, hopeless and lacking the means to escape. It also represents a sense of poverty, in contrast to the conditions of East Egg and West Egg, as well as portrays a clear distinction of classes.

Modernism is the heartbeat of culture, or as Clement Greenberg (1992:754) states, modernism involves of what “is truly alive in our culture” and it includes more than just art and literature. Western civilization began to interrogate their foundations and progressed into a self-critical society (Greenberg 1992:754). This notion began with the theories of the philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724-1804); he criticized the means itself of criticism (Greenberg 1992:754). Therefore, Greenberg (1992:754) perceived Kant as the first real Modernist.

Modernism describes the ideology of the art and design that were produced during the modernist period. There has been a lot of controversy about when modernism started, yet many believe it initiated sometime in the late 19th century and continued to the early 20th century. The modernist movement was meant to be a break from traditions and it was set up to separate the value of certain works from the conservative realism. For instance, Unlike the traditional art that was aesthetic, this movement was more about space and form. In modernist design, shape and organization of products and buildings were based on their functional requirements. As a result, designs became simpler without the traditional decorative concepts. The idea behind the

Blake continues to use the setting and language to further describe a forbidding sense of apathy that has taken with it the human like qualities of the inhabitants. In this city of desecration it is the “hapless Soldiers sigh” that ”Runs in blood down Palace walls.” A soldier whose function to obey orders without thought echoes that of a machine. It is his apathy in the face of perceived predetermined failure ,and disregard for authority however that is characteristic of a society concerned only with the amassment of wealth is the most damaging. The “chartered street” and a “chartered Thames” create a setting that in itself is structured and designed much like the blueprints of factories. Blake’s “mind-forged manacles” are the barriers created in the minds of those who inhabit the city that further cement their entrapment.

We the people have done so much damage to ourselves that the only thing we have left is anger within each other. The first stanza sets a location to where it seems to be an urban poor city, “the candor of tar” (Levine 3) gives the reader an imagery as to what it smells like. The setting locates the reader to one specific place on Earth. It visualizes an industrial setting; “Out of the creosote, gasoline, drive shafts, wooden dollies ” (Levine 4 ). In that same stanza, alliteration is been used with the sounds of “B’s.”

Modernism took place in the late 19th century and early 20th century, more specifically the years following World War I (“Modernism in literature” 1). The novel Angela’s Ashes, written in 1996, is considered a work of modernism. Writers often talked about historical events, due “ (feeling) that they were at the end of history.” (“Modernism” 504).

Eliot is not solely criticising modern life in the poem, it also serves as a reflection of Eliot’s social context and his own life, a product of its time.

Modernism was a movement that was developed during the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century. Modernism developed due to the changes happening in societies at the time. Around the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century there was a rise in the industrial society’s where there were advancements in technologies and machines, and a rapid growths in cities. This lead to a change in cultural trends and philosophies, which is known as modernism. Modernism was well known for the rejection on traditional way, such as the arts and beliefs. It rejected the idea of realism and religious beliefs. During these years modernism could be distinguished by two aspects, High and Low Modernism.

Again the description is bleak, (‘the sun beats .......the dead tree gives no shelter, the cricket no relief.’ ) Life-giving water is again absent, (‘the dry stone no sound of water.’ ) And moving transversally forward to section 5 brings the reader into the desertscape where there is an intensification of the oppressiveness . The absence of water is emphasised through repetition:

Whereas in the Victorian era (which came after the Romantic Period), the subject matter for poetry was often socially-oriented. Victorian literature often saw a drive for social advancement. There was a set of standards and codes of conduct making people have, what was seen as “proper” behaviour. This in turn led to Modernism.

Forster’s Howard’s End is in both content and form a novel of movement, instability and flux. This is fundamentally due to the era in which it has been crafted, as British society and its literary conventions were both radically revolutionising. Traditional Edwardian values of class, family and property were thrown into chaos and emerging existential preoccupations that would eventually be deemed ‘Modernist’ gained prevalence. Fundamentally, either to deem Howard’s End an obviously modernist text or one grappling with modernist issues in Edwardian style would be gross oversimplification, belittling of the subtlety of Forster’s ingenious craft. Instead, he practises what Harrington Weihl calls ‘limited modernism’, in careful consideration of the fragile liminal disposition of his readership. The novel fundamentally aims to depict the effect of conflicting societal values and cultural shifts, while its form seeks to reconcile narrative’s past with its inevitable future, tentatively innovating whilst still referencing traditional technique. It is this considerate amalgamation of content and form that makes it a text so exemplary of its unique era as well as in its own right.

The Structure, style and poetic techniques of a poem contribute greatly to the development of the central idea of a poem. Three poems with central ideas that stood out to me were ‘The Darkling Thrush’ by Thomas Hardy, ‘Days’ by Philip Larkin, and ‘Remembrance’ by Emily Brontë. The central idea of each of these poems revolve around the idea of time and change. Firstly, I will discuss how in ‘The Darkling Thrush’ the simple and traditional structure, the bleak yet straightforward style and techniques such as vivid imagery and capitalisation combine to develop the central idea of change. The same can be said for the simple structure and style used in ‘Days’ which combine with poetic techniques such as metaphors to develop Larkin’s argument against time and change. Finally I will discuss how the idea of time is developed through techniques such as vivid imagery and symbolism in ‘Remembrance’ along with changing styles and a slow, consistent rhythm.