THE ANALYSIS OF CHARACTERISTIC OF

POETRY IN MODERN PERIOD

FACULTY OF CULTURAL SCIENCES

COMPILED BY
SEJATI TRUSHING GALIH (C0313053
SEBELAS MARET UNIVERSITY
SURAKARTA 2015

Introduction
The Modernist Period in English Literature start shortly after the beginning of the
twentieth century. In broad terms, the period was marked by sudden and unexpected breaks with
traditional ways of viewing and interacting with the world. Modernism was set in motion, in one
sense, through a series of cultural shock. The first one of these great shock was the great war,
which ravaged Europe from 1914 through 1918, known now as World War One. At the time, this
War to End All Wars was looked upon with such ghastly horror that many people simply could
not imagine what the world seemed to be plunging towards.
The first hints of that particular way of thinking called Modernism stretch back into the
nineteenth century. As literary periods go, Modernism displays a relatively strong sense of
cohesion and similarity across genres and locales. Furthermore, writers who adopted the Modern
point of view often did so quite deliberately and self-consciously. Indeed, a central preoccupation
of Modernism is with the inner self and consciousness. In contrast to the Romantic world view,
the Modernist cares rather little for Nature, Being, or the overarching structures of history.
Instead of progress and growth, the Modernist intelligentsia sees decay and a growing alienation
of the individual. The machinery of modern society is perceived as impersonal, capitalist, and
antagonistic to the artistic impulse. War most certainly had a great deal of influence on such
ways of approaching the world. Two World Wars in the span of a generation effectively shellshocked

all

of

Western

civilization.

(http://www.online-

literature.com/periods/modernism.php)

In its genesis, the Modernist Period in English literature was first and foremost a visceral
reaction against the Victorian culture and aesthetic, which had prevailed for most of the
nineteenth century. Indeed, a break with traditions is one of the fundamental constants of the
Modernist stance. Intellectuals and artists at the turn of the twentieth century believed the
previous generations way of doing things was a cultural dead end. They could foresee that world
events were spiraling into unknown territory. The stability and quietude of Victorian civilization
were rapidly becoming a thing of the past. The assassination of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria
was essentially the triggering event of the First World War, a conflict which swept away all

preconceived notions about the nature of so-called modern warfare. (http://www.onlineliterature.com/periods/modernism.php)

Characteristic of modernist poetry

Formal characteristics
Open Form
Free verse
Discontinuous narrative
Juxtaposition: Juxtaposition is a literary device wherein the author places a
person, concept, place, idea or theme parallel to another. The purpose of
juxtaposing two directly or indirectly related entities close together in literature is
to highlight the contrast between the two and compare them. This literary device
is usually used for etching out a character in detail, creating suspense or lending a

rhetorical effect.
Intertextuality: Intertextuality is a literary device that creates an interrelationship

between texts and generates related understanding in separate works

Borrowings from other cultures and languages

1. Robert lee Frost

Robert Lee Frost (March 26, 1874 January 29, 1963) was an American poet. His work was
initially published in England before it was published in America. He is highly regarded for his
realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloquial speech. His work
frequently employed settings from rural life in New England in the early twentieth century, using
them to examine complex social and philosophical themes. One of the most popular and
critically respected American poets of the twentieth century, Frost was honored frequently during
his lifetime, receiving four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry. He became one of America's rare "public
literary figures, almost an artistic institution." He was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in
1960 for his poetical works. On July 22, 1961, Frost was named Poet laureate of Vermont.

1.1 Analysis
Nothing Gold Can Stay
Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.
In the first line, it gives us the setting of the poemwe're in nature, and the nature first
green is like the spring because its time when trees grown. The other one is I think it take place
in sun rises because frost describe it as gold, and gold in here mean sunrise. In the second line,
the speaker has told us that nature is gold before it's green, he goes on to say that gold is the
hardest hue, or color, for nature to hold, or keep. So the first color we see in spring doesn't stick
around very long.
In the third line, the speaker wants to be clear here, so he's going to elaborate on what he
was talking about in Line 1. Just like nature's first green is gold, her first leaf is a flower. In
spring, trees and bushes bloom with gorgeous flowers, which are replaced by green leaves in the
summer.
And in the fourth line, it completes the alternating structure of the first four lines. If nature's first
green, gold, doesn't stick around long, then it only makes sense that the first version of the leaf,
which is the flower, doesn't stick around long either.
In the next line, the writer shows us what happens after the early leaf is no longer a
flower, it becomes a true leaf. Instead using become, frost use subsides it means that the first leaf
sank down to become another leaf. And in the next line, the "so" at the beginning of the line
means "just as," which means that in line, the speaker is comparing mankind's fall from the
Garden of Eden to the change from gold to green he described in the first half of the poem.
In the seventh line, its another comparison to the colors of spring turning from gold to
green. The last line connects us back to the title and reminds us of the only other mention of gold

in this poem, which is in the first line. The line neatly wraps up all the metaphors: early spring
leaves and flowers, the Garden of Eden, and dawn are all gold, and none of them can stay for
very long in this world.

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
In the first line of the first stanza, the speaker is not the most confident person in the
world. This line begins as a question, and we're totally ready to get on board the question train,
but then, halfway through the line, he switches it up. He wonders initially who owns "these
woods." The word these makes us realize that our speaker is actually near the woods in question.
In the next line, the speaker thinks he knows the owner of woods, and this owner lives in a house
in the village. This line tells us that there is a village around here somewhere. The word "village"
reminds us of thatched roofs, smoke curling out of little chimneys, and of a few stores and homes
clustered around a single main street
In the third line The speaker is almost trying to calm himself down and reassure himself
that the owner "will not see me stopping here," as though he believes that saying so makes it

true. This line also tells us that the speaker has stopped, that he's hanging out at the moment. In
the fourth line, To watch his woods fill up with snow. he has stopped in order to take a look at
snow falling on cedars.

In the next stanza, the speaker is not alone and The speaker and his little horse probably
spend a lot of time together, because our speaker is totally able to read the little horse's mind. In
the next line, To stop without a farmhouse near Our speaker continues to read his horse's
mind, and imagines the horse is thinking something. Between the woods and frozen lake the
writer stops at between the woods and frozen lake. In the next line, The darkest evening of the
year. Not only is it snowy and wintry, but it's also approaching nighttime too.
In the next stanza, line ninth, even though the speaker can read his little horse's mind, the
horse can't talk back. To ask if there is some mistake Again with the mind reading. Our speaker
knows his horse is shaking his bells in order to "ask" his master if something is awry, is there's a
problem. The only other sound's the sweep Beyond the harness bells' shaking, the only other
sound that the speaker can hear is the "sweep." Of easy wind and downy flake. The sweeping
noise comes from the slight wind and the softly falling snow.
In the last stanza, The woods are lovely, dark and deep Our speaker finally admits to
liking the woods. We knew it all along. He's entranced by the darkness and deepness of the
woods, and he thinks they are lovely. But I have promises to keep, Our speaker begins this line
with the word "but." The word "but" makes us think that the speaker is contemplating staying in
these woods rather than returning to the village to fulfill the promises he's made. And miles to
go before I sleep, Our speaker really is in the middle of nowhere, because he's still got a few
miles to go before he can rest his head on his pillow. He better roll out soon. And miles to go
before I sleep. our speaker must really be far from home, because he feels the need to repeat the
fact that he's got miles to go. this line makes us think of how awesome it will be for our speaker
to finally rest his head on his pillow after such a long trek.

2. Carl Sandburg
Carl Sandburg (January 6, 1878 July 22, 1967) was an American poet, writer, and editor
who won three Pulitzer Prizes: two for his poetry and one for his biography of Abraham Lincoln.
During his lifetime, Sandburg was widely regarded as "a major figure in contemporary
literature", especially for volumes of his collected verse, including Chicago
Poems (1916), Cornhuskers (1918), and Smoke and Steel (1920). He enjoyed "unrivaled appeal
as a poet in his day, perhaps because the breadth of his experiences connected him with so many
strands of American life", and at his death in 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson observed that
"Carl Sandburg was more than the voice of America, more than the poet of its strength and
genius. He was America."

2.1.

Analysis

Fog
THE fog comes
on little cat feet.
It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.
This poem contains two stanzas, the first stanza, The fog comes on little cat feet. The
arrival of the fog in the first line gives the impression that it's moving slowly towards us. It's not
jumping or throwing itself at us, rather it "comes" in a gradual sort of way. By the end of line 2
we have the image and metaphor of the creeping catlike fog settled pretty neatly in our minds,
and that period serves to provide a moment to pause and fully appreciate the metaphor.
The second stanza, line 3-4 It sits looking over harbor and city By line 3 we notice the
fog isn't moving anymore. It's sitting and "looking" over the harbor and city, which tells us it's
covering more space now. So it's not just on its way anymore. The word "city" also gives the

impression that we're not the only ones vulnerable to that fog. There are many more people there
too who may be just as anxious and curious as to what the fog will do next
In the line 5-6 on silent haunches and then moves on. Notice to the repetition of the
word "on" that we saw first in line 2 and see again here in line 5. It seems the speaker is really
keeping the metaphor of the cat-fog together by reminding us that the two are fused into this one
image. The fog is "on" little cat feet and "on" silent haunches. By line 6 we learn that the cat-fog
is on the move again. Sigh of relief. It's using those "silent haunches" to move elsewhere, though
we're not sure what the point of destination is. But we do know it's moving and could pounce on
another harbor/city if it chooses to. we notice the repetition of that word "on" again at the very
end of line 6. Sandburg appears to be keeping his metaphor very neat and solidly fused into this
one image of a cat-fog. It looks like a cat and "moves on" as cat. There's no deviating from that
image which makes the entire poem resonate in our minds even more.
Grass
PILE the bodies high at Austerlitz and Waterloo.
Shovel them under and let me work
I am the grass; I cover all.
And pile them high at Gettysburg
And pile them high at Ypres and Verdun.
Shovel them under and let me work.
Two years, ten years, and passengers ask the conductor:
What place is this?
Where are we now?
I am the grass.
Let me work.
This poem consists 3 stanzas. The first stanza and the first line, Pile the bodies high at
Austerlitz and Waterloo. What are Austerlitz and Waterloo? Well, they're famous battlefields
from the Napoleonic Wars of the early nineteenth-century. Austerlitz, in the present-day Czech
Republic, was a big victory for Napoleon and his French army, while Waterloo, in present-day
Belgium, was the site of Napoleon's defeat. In the line 2-3 Shovel them under and let me work
am the grass; I cover all. The second line of the poem is also a command to the soldiers.
After you pile the bodies, the grass says, "shovel them under" Again, the grass seems

emotionless. It's not thinking about the lives lost, the loves lost, the battle wounds, or the
tragedies of war. Instead, the grass wants to get to work. It says, "I am the grass; I cover all."
In the second stanza, line 4-6 And pile them high at Gettysburg And pile them high at
Ypres and Verdun. Shovel them under and let me work. the grass continues in the same vein.
This time, though, it's commanding the soldiers to pile the bodies high in other battlefields. So,
Sandburg's poem isn't just concerned about the Napoleonic wars of way back in the day. The
grass speaks of the battlefield of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, which was the American Civil War
battlefield that saw the most casualties in the whole war. In the line 7-9 Two years, ten years,
and passengers ask the conductor: What place is this? Where are we now? In the future, the
train passengers won't even realize that the battlefields were where they were. The grass
imagines the passengers asking the conductor: "What place is this? / Where are we now?" In the
"two years, ten years" after the battles have been fought, the battlefields are unrecognizable. All
traces of the war were erased by the grass, which has covered "all."
In the last stanza, lines 10-11, I am the grass. Let me work. In these final lines, the
grass repeats words and phrases we have heard before: "I am the grass. / Let me work." these
lines tell us that all the grass wants to do is workwork, work, work. Cover up those battlefields
with greenery; let nature do its thing. The grass isn't concerned with history or memory, with
consecrating the past or with mourning the dead.

References

www.online-literature.com
en.wikipedia.com
www.shmoop.com