Blog Post #2- Prompt 2

In Ezra Pound’s poem, In a Station of the Metro, the speaker describes a scene of seeing faces at a subway station. Pound was an influential American poet during the 20th century, who was an admirer of ancient Chinese and Japanese poetry. Pound seems to have been inspired by the Japanese form of poetry known as haiku, which aims to convey an evocative message in 17 syllables. Pound’s poem creates strong imagery in only two lines. Along with being inspired by Japanese poetry, Pound was a follower of the Imagist movement. Imagism was a movement during the early 20th century in America and England, which aimed to use create imagery through clear and precise language. In Pound’s In a Station of the Metro, he conforms to the Imagist manifesto through his use of form, meter, diction, and imagery.

Pound follows the Imagist manifesto through the use of meter and form in his poem. The Imagist manifesto states that a poet might be able to better express themselves through free verse as opposed to following a conventional form. Pound writes his poem in free verse. Free verse has no consistent meter or rhyme patterns, but it is still expressive. The Imagist manifesto states that “a new cadence means a new idea.” Pound was inspired by Japanese haikus, but he did not follow the haiku pattern exactly, choosing to split his poem into two lines instead of the traditional three lines. The two lines in the poem are short but each word is included on purpose in order to set the scene. Pound expresses his individuality as a poet through his free verse.

Pound’s diction throughout the poem also follows the Imagist manifesto. The Imagist manifesto encourages poets to use common language, and use “exact” words and not “decorative” words. Pound’s poem is easy to read in the way that it is very clear and none of the words are complex or difficult to understand. The word choice in this poem portrays a clear scene. The first line of the poem describes the speaker seeing faces in a crowd. The second line goes into a metaphor as it compares faces to “petals.” The use of the word “petals” serves a connection between man and the natural word. Pound writes that faces are petals. Pound bridges the gap between man and nature as faces in a subway become flowers on a tree. Through the use of the word “petals,” Pound is also able to convey that this poem takes place in the springtime without having to say that it is spring. Petals and blooming flowers make the reader think of spring and new beginnings, even though Pound was able to leave out what time of year it is.

Pound also uses imagery to conform to the Imagist manifesto. The Imagist manifesto states that poets should “present an image.” Pound does this through the title of his poem. He sets the scene or his poem by stating in the title that the poem takes place in a subway station. The speaker sees “faces in a crowd,” which conveys an image of a busy, bustling station. This image is contrasted in the following line, when the faces become flowers on a “wet, black bough.” Pound describes a scene that would be mundane and even unappealing in most settings, but is able to see the beauty in it as man and nature are able to coexist and become one.