Modernism in a nutshell

One aspect of modernism is that it is “marked by experimentation”, particularly manipulation of form, and by the realization that “knowledge is not absolute”.   Modernism was built on a sense of lost community and civilization.  People weren’t satisfied with the way things were but became more and more interested in how things could become.  Basically, the twentieth century was a "time of change". 

One of the movements of modernism was that of literature/ poetry.  A key characteristic of modernist literature was the use of “free verse”.  Free verse is a form of poetry that refrains from meter patterns, rhyme, or any other musical pattern.  This was a huge change. 

One of the great modernist poets was William Butler Yeats.  Yeats was a master of using symbols to paint detailed images in the readers mind as he/she read his work.   As he matured as a poet, Yeats began to rejecting the more conventional poetic diction and began using a more austere language and more direct approach to portraying his themes and ideas.   The impact of living during the time period of modernism is evident in the change in his style. 

In his poem “The Second Coming”, Yeats’ use of rich and vivid symbols helps to paint clear, distinct images in the readers’ mind. The first image with which we are presented in the poem is an image of disaster; a falcon cannot hear the call of safety, and begins to spiral wider and wider, more out of control.  This image of disaster can be compared to a society or civilization that is in disorder and heading towards chaos.  When this happens, people naturally begin to look for solutions and “change”.  Yeats is living in anticipation of a great change in the poem, which he encapsulated in the Christian concept of "the second coming". 

The lion with the head of a man is a pretty weird image in his poem.  As this weird creature comes closer and closer to us, naturally we want to turn it away.  Often times, we react similarly to change.  As old ideas die and new ideas are born a sense of uneasiness sets in causing man to spiral again in yet another "widening gyre". 

Throughout “The Second Coming”, Yeats’ uses symbols to create a feeling of disaster, turning to dread at the thought of facing a change, even when such change could be an improvement.  This is modernism in a nutshell.