Disillusionment, Alienation, and Consumerism
Discuss the themes of disillusionment, alienation, and consumerism in relation to three or four texts studied on the unit.
Towards the fin de siècle and near after, authors began to approach visual and written art with a different perspective. Instead of conforming to literary traditions, artists began expanding their writing and experimenting with ‘subjects, forms, concepts and styles’ (Sharma, 2014:online). After the Industrial Revolution and the First World War, authors saw the significance of creating ‘concrete images’ (Sharma, 2014:online) and encouraging their readers to ‘interpret, [and] experience the feelings [in art] for themselves’ (Sharma, 2014:online). What strikes me most as an analyst is the images formed through this new approach and how they portray the city and the people within it. In the texts I have selected, the writers allude to themes of disillusionment, alienation, and consumerism. Therefore, in this essay, I will discuss imagist poetry and art in relation to the city, society, and identity concerning these themes. Furthermore, I will be delving into the importance of these modernistic representations and their effects on the current and future generations.
This image by Power was inspired by the London Subway, commonly known as the London Underground. Power was known for his linocut prints. This image completely subverts the idea of the sublime and looks at the world through a realistic lens. Modernist artwork was known to take a more abstract approach, whereas before the modernist period, a lot of poetry was focused on this idea of the imagination. ‘The shapes, colours and lines that make up’ (Tate, no date:online) Power’s work are fascinating. The use of light in this piece illuminates the whole image and creates this dream-like tone, emitting the feeling of surrealism. ‘Yellow […] is often used to emphasise certain aspects of a work of art’ (Mellor, no date:online). For example, ‘Picasso […] incorporated yellow as a contrast and highlight for faces and significant objects’ (Mellor, no date:online). This painting uses a lot of yellow tones, which create this feeling of warmth and almost comforts the reader, as it shows the people are content in their environment. But it could suggest that they are almost too comfortable with where they rank in society. Taking a closer look, the light used in this image reflects on the nameless figures’ faces, portraying them as ghost-like, linking to the theme of alienation. Perhaps the artist is trying to emphasise how people walked through life gormlessly, completing tasks without any true purpose or determination to achieve better in the societal hierarchy. As readers, we are expected to notice ‘significant symbols’ (Sharma, 2014:online) in modernist texts and to ‘interpret them intellectually’ (Sharma, 2014:online). As a reader, I noticed that the faces and attire of the people in the painting are the same and lack detail, highlighting their conformity to city life. They are alienated from themselves and each other. Perhaps Power is trying to express to the reader how a modernist lifestyle can consume your identity and what makes you unique, urging people of the 1900s not to limit themselves by not striving for more because their current position is familiar and safe.
If we focus on the middle ground of this painting, there is a lot of repetition happening here. For example, the people are all positioned similarly, looking in the same direction and reading the newspaper, creating this monotonous/robotic tone. Power may be referencing the idea of being a cog in a machine and how you can become untraceable in such a big city. ‘Marx warned that by prioritising wealth, workers in capitalist societies would come to value themselves through those attributes that facilitate, [and exclude the] attributes that define their humanity, such as their emotions and sociality’ (Rutton and Lucas, 2018). From this, the effect on society here would be eye-opening; the reader may be urged to reconnect with themselves, their values, and their beliefs. Contextually, during the First World War, the ‘Uncle Sam army recruitment posters’ (National Geographic, no date: online) started to circulate in the media in their attempt to recruit young men for war. ‘The Tube Train’ is a political statement about propaganda and how it consumed the public, controlled their lives, and dictated their decisions. In addition, the image is presented in this oval-shaped fisheye lens, further emphasising the bubble that the people in the 1900s lived in and how they were mentally and physically trapped. As a reader in the 20th century, this reflects our current world and how many of our thoughts are shaped by the media. Here, Power hints at the importance of not believing everything a higher power (such as the government) says as truth.
It shines in the glare of lamps,
Cold, white lamps,
The famous poem ‘A London Thoroughfare. 2 A.M’ by Lowell also discusses these themes. Lowell spent her years trying to ‘awaken American readers to contemporary trends in poetry’ (Poetry Foundation, no date:online). A thoroughfare is a road or pathway that connects two places. Analysing the title along with the poem, metaphorically, we can infer from ‘2 a.m.’ that London is, too, a city that never sleeps. In this three-stanza poem, Lowell describes what it is like to walk a ‘thoroughfare’ at night. Lowell (like Power) uses the motif of light to represent the city’s atmosphere. She refers to these ‘[glaring] white lamps’ (Lowell,1914) that surround the streets. The use of the verb glare creates this feeling of an evil presence lurking, creating a sense of uncertainty, this idea of never feeling safe in the city and constantly feeling like someone is watching/following you. Perhaps the imagery hints at the government constantly monitoring society. In a way, the ‘white lamps’ mimic flashing camera lights. In addition, the author uses shapes and colours to represent their experience in the city.
The moon cuts,
Clear and round,
Through the plum-coloured night. She cannot light the city;
It is too bright.
It has white lamps,
The alliteration of ‘cuts clear’ (Lowell, 1914) creates a harsh, almost violent sound; you can imagine the sound of a knife cutting through. Perhaps the writer is alluding to violence that occurs in London at night, urging people not to walk the streets. Lowell also represents the moon as a strong presence to fear due to its power. This image of the moon cutting through the ‘plum coloured’ (Lowell, 1914) sky accentuates how bright and powerful the moon is. There is the phenomenon of nature versus the modern world and ways of living. As readers, there is a sense that the moon is being weakened by the city’s aura. The author seems distressed and frustrated that the moon ‘cannot’ fulfil its purpose (to shine) because the streetlamps (the artificial lights) are ‘too bright’ (Lowell, 1914). Perhaps Lowell alludes to the fact that people have become so used to and consumed by city life that they are forgetting the wonderful sights of nature, such as the beauty of the moon. Equally, there is the idea of nature versus nurture, how growing up in a natural environment is advantageous to humans. The repetition of the ‘white lamps’ (Lowell, 1914) again in stanza two further emphasises how artificial light and falseness are taking over the city, resulting in people dissociating from nature.
In the final stanza of the poem, Lowell creates this romantic tone. By personifying the moon, she shows her close connection to and admiration for nature. Yet, she calls it ‘thin and lustreless’ (Lowell, 1914). Lustreless has connotations of dull, tarnished, and lifeless, which switches the tone to a more devastating one. One could view this poem as a eulogy, as the moon and its power to light up the world are dying due to the inhabitation of the urban world. The lasting image that Lowell leaves the reader with is ‘And this is an alien city’. Lowell tells her readers that they will soon be so out of touch with the world and others around them that nothing will feel real.
But I love her.
I know the moon,
And this is an alien city.
The author utters the words, ‘But I love her’ (Lowell, 1914). We can imagine her standing at the window, not wanting the moon to disappear behind the clouds. This creates upset in the reader and suggests that the moon is Lowell’s sense of hope and that all hope has been lost in her eyes. As readers, we are exposed to the author's voice and thoughts. ‘When human nature attributes are denied to people, they are likened to objects or machines, and seen as cold, rigid, and lacking emotion’ (Rutton and Lucas, 2018). I think what Lowell is trying to tell us is that we should stop to appreciate the simplicities of life (like the moon). If we look at the structure of the poem, it is disorientating, as no stanza is the same in length. This technique further expresses the chaotic feeling of living in a city. The moral of this poem is aimed at the future generation; to warn them that they will be growing up in an ‘alien city’ powered by the government and consumerism, so they should resort to nature to ground themselves.
Poet Ezra Pound, too went against the conventions of poetry and ‘vowed to make it new’ (Poetry Foundation, no date:online). Pound brought a new ideology to poetry with his two-line poem, ‘In a Station of the Metro’. From just two lines, we can get such a clear image. In Ezra Pound’s book, ‘The ABC of Reading’, he wrote that ‘literature is language charged with meaning and great literature is simply language charged with meaning to the utmost possible degree’ (McEvoy, 2020:online). What his book signifies is that there are three terms that we can use to ‘charge language with meaning’ (McEvoy, 2020:online). This poem refers to the term ‘phanopoeia’, which means to place an image into the reader’s mind. The noun ‘apparition’ creates this shadowy appearance in the reader’s mind. Again, there’s this image of a faceless figure walking through the city. Pound combines this image with the crowded atmosphere. From the title, we can infer that this image takes place in a train station; notice how the image comes to life in your mind as you imagine the hustle and bustle, people walking into each other, surging towards the train doors. We, as readers, get this overwhelming, claustrophobic feeling, almost like we are drowning in people.
The apparition of these faces in the crowd: Petals on a wet, black bough.
What is interesting about the form of this poem is that it is inspired by the haiku form. A haiku usually revolves around ‘images from nature, […] simplicity, intensity, and directness of expression’ (Poets.org, no date:online), and I feel like this poem definitely has a sense of urgency and little time. The way the poem shifts from the interior to the exterior settings enhances that feeling of losing time and time going by too quickly. Pound ‘believed that bad writing destroyed civilizations and that good writing could save them […] he thought that literature could enhance the appreciation of life for everyone’ (Menand, 2008:online). This poem encourages the reader to pause and reflect on their lives and reminds us to use our time wisely. Furthermore, the image of wet petals brings us into an autumn setting. This still image is a metaphor for the people who die and the new petals (people) that replace us. Pound emphasises to his readers how insignificant and perhaps isolated you can become in a city.
In conclusion, these artists use various techniques such as colour, light, and repetition to create a realistic representation of the modernistic world of the 1900s. The representations of the city in these texts are harrowing but real. Realism is an effective technique when aiming to inform and portray a political message- not to conform and forget who you are. As a reader in the 20th century, the images being presented are very much apparent and still happening today. These images may not have the same shock factor they may have had on society in the 1900s due to our current world being heavily polluted with people, media, technology, etc. Yet, their messages are still very relevant in today’s society and for future generations.
Bibliography
References from Articles and Books
K, N, Sharma. (2014) What is Modernist Poetry? Bachelor and Master. [Online] [Accessed on 24th July 2022] https://www.bachelorandmaster.com/literaryterms/modernist- poetry.html#.Yt37Ly8w1QI
Rutton, L, R and Lucas, J, B. (2018) Cogs in the machine: The prioritization of money and self-dehumanization. 149(16) pp. 47–58.
References from Images
C, E, Power. (no date) The Tube Train. Ca.1934. The Met Museum. [Online] [Accessed on 24th July 2022] https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/377665
References from Videos
B, McEvoy. (2020) 'In a Station of the Metro' Ezra Pound Poem Analysis. [Online] [Accessed on 24th July 2022] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYLgKlkP22I
References from Webpages
A, Mason. (2014) A London Thoroughfare 2 A.M By Amy Lowell. Prezi. [Online] [Accessed on 29th July 2022] https://prezi.com/6mfsyyivsbdc/a-london-thoroughfare-2-am-by-amy- lowell/
L, Menand. (2008) The Pound Error. The Elusive Master of Allusion. The New Yorker. [Online] [Accessed on 29th July 2022] https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2008/06/09/the-pound-error
M, Beltramini. (no date) Modernist Poetry is Characterised by Themes of Disillusionment. [Online] [Accessed on 24th July 2022] http://www.marilenabeltramini.it/schoolwork1920/UserFiles/Admin_teacher/modernist_poetr y_is_characterized_by_themes_of_disillusionment.pdf
Mellor, M. (no date) Art Focus. A Brief History of the Colour Yellow. Arts & Collections. [Online] [Accessed on 29th July 2022] https://www.artsandcollections.com/article/a-history- of-the-colour-yellow/
National Geographic. (no date) Bias, Symbolism, and Propaganda. National Geographic. [Online] [Accessed on 24th July 2022] https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/resource-library-bias-symbolism-and- propaganda
Poetry Foundation. (no date) A London Thoroughfare. 2 A.M. Poetry Foundation. [Online] [Accessed on 24th July 2022] https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/53770/a-london- thoroughfare-2-am
Poetry Foundation. (no date) In a Station of the Metro. Poetry Foundation. [Online] [Accessed on 24th July 2022] https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/12675/in-a-station-of-the-metro
Poetry Foundation. (no date) Modernism. Poetry Foundation. [Online] [Accessed on 24th July 2022] https://www.poetryfoundation.org/learn/glossary-terms/modernism
Poets.org. (no date) Haiku. Explore the glossary of poetic terms. [Online] [Accessed on 29th July 2022] https://poets.org/glossary/haiku
Prezi. (2017) Modernism Historical Event. Prezi. [Online] [Accessed on 29th July 2022] https://prezi.com/1hb9nv09ilal/modernism-historical-event/
Tate Modern. (no date) Art Term. Modernism. Tate. [Online] [Accessed on 24th July 2022] https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/m/modernism
Other References
Manchester Metropolitan University. (no date) MMU Harvard. Manchester Metropolitan University. [Online] [Accessed on 11th May 2022] https://www.mmu.ac.uk/library/referencing-and-study-support/referencing/mmu-harvard#ai- 32646-0
Thesaurus. (no date) Thesaurus.com. Thesaurus. com. [Online] [Accessed on 14th May 2022] https://www.thesaurus.com
