Hello,
Everyone welcome to my blog, here I am going to sahre my view upon given task. This task was about modernism and modernist poem. We have to find modernist symbol, metaphor and imagery from the very short poem.  Before starting let's know that what is modernism?

Modernism :-

‘Modernism’ might be said to have been characterised by a deliberate and often radical shift away from tradition, and consequently by the use of new and innovative forms of expression Thus, many styles in art and literature from the late 19th and early 20th centuries are markedly different from those that preceded them. The term ‘modernism’ generally covers the creative output of artists and thinkers who saw ‘traditional’ approaches to the arts, architecture, literature, religion, social organisation  had become outdated in light of the new economic, social and political circumstances of a by now fully industrialised society ‘modernism’ might be said to have been characterised by a deliberate and often radical shift away from tradition, and consequently by the use of new and innovative forms of expression Thus, many styles in art and literature from the late 19th and early 20th centuries are markedly different from those that preceded them. The term ‘modernism’ generally covers the creative output of artists and thinkers who saw ‘traditional’ approaches to the arts, architecture, literature, religion, social organisation had become outdated in light of the new economic, social and political circumstances of a by now fully industrialised society. 

The Main Characteristics of Modernist Literature :- 

• Individualism

• Experimentation

•  Absurdity

• Symbolism

•  Formalism

Characteristics of 20th Century Literature :-

1) 'The Embankment'- T.E.Hulme :-

Once, in finesse of fiddles found I ecstasy, 

 flash of gold heels on the hard pavement. 

Now see I 

That warmth’s the very stuff of poesy. 

Oh, God, make small 

The old star-eaten blanket of the sky, 

That I may fold it round me and in comfort lie.

   

This poem iterates, that only what is essential to human existence makes good poetry. In other words, good poetry deals with the necessary and includes only what is necessary. Hulme pushes this point home by choosing ‘fiddles’ and ‘gold heels’ as the images with which he rejects sound and sight respectively; both are associated with luxury, with what is not necessary but merely desired. But warmth is something different: warmth is not only desired but needed for us to live.

2)Darkness- by Joseph Campbell

I stop to watch a star shine in the boghole –
A star no longer, but a silver ribbon of light.
I look at it, and pass on.

In this poem we can find the modern metaphor like "Silver ribbon" and image like "Boghole". Joseph Campbell strict modern poet, his poem against the Victorian themes. The present poem's title itself suggest the contradiction between darkness and shiny star. speaker might be tell about the illusions in the life.

3) Image- by Edward Storer

"Forsaken lovers,

Burning to a chaste white moon

upon strange pyres of loneliness and drought".

In this poem, poet used the symbol of "white moon" as it connects the heart of two lover, but poet here used it in opposite side that it burns lovers and they can't chaste with each other. Their loneliness is there though they are together. So, here we can interpret that modernist think that we all are alone in crowd.

4) "In a station of the metro" by Ezra Pound

"The apparition of these faces in a crowd,
petals in wet, black bough

This poem's structure against the Victorian poems, Victorian used to write very lengthy poem but here poet use very short poem like the metro speed. Here, poet used very good metaphor "Petals on wet black bought". This poem suggest the busy life of city people they have not time to face each other like city life is lifeless. we can say that this poem is about the loneliness in crowd.

5)The pool- by Hilda Dolittle

"Are you alive?

I touched you

you quiver trembling like a sea fish

I cover you with my net

What are you banded one?

Very first line of the poem, 'Are you alive? arise the question of existence which is one of the important aspect of modern literature. People of modern time became like sea fish that they are controlled or bound by some chain that they can't free from them. The title "Pool" is also symbolize the stillness like water store in it which don't have flowness which is most important things in the life to flow from one to another.

6) "Insouciance"- By Richard Aldington

"In and out of the dreary trenches
Trudging cheerily under the stars
I make for myself little poems
Delicate as a flock of dovesin 
Thy fly away like white-winged Doves.

In this poem the poet presents that how people are living their life insouciance way with carelessness. They try to express their feeling in literature as poet says "I make for myself little poem" the way of living is with no excitement "In and out of the dreary trenches" but though all are walking on their path with such cheer, the reference of "White-winged Doves" is used for modern culture of living life and feeling of isolation is there.

7) “Morning at the Window”- T.S.Eliot

They are rattling breakfast plates in basement kitchens,
And along the trampled edges of the street
I am aware of the damp souls of housemaids
Sprouting despondently at area gates.
The brown waves of fog toss up to me
Twisted faces from the bottom of the street,
And tear from a passer-by with muddy skirts
An aimless smile that hovers in the air
And vanishes along the level of the roofs.

He present poem about the modern view of England. The main idea of the poem is poverty, it presents the picture of poor people. who have to face several hardship from morning to the late night.
There are vivid images that makes the poem imagist one for e.g- "Rattling breakfast plates", "Damp souls", "brown waves", "Twisted faces", "Muddy Skirts", "Aimless smile".

8) "The Red wheelbarrow- William carols 

William

so much depends

Upon
a red wheel
Barrow
glazed with rain
Water
beside the white
chickens

The poem sings a song of craftsmanship. Poet says, 'so much depends upon a red Wheelbarrow. It glazes in rain like white chickens. Though industry and factories have took place, craftsmanship is also important.

9) Anecdote of the Jar- Wallace Stevens

I placed a jar in Tennessee,  
And round it was, upon a hill.  
It made the slovenly wilderness  
Surround that hill.
The wilderness rose up to it,
And sprawled around, no longer wild.  
The jar was round upon the ground  
And tall and of a port in air.
It took dominion everywhere.  
The jar was gray and bare.
It did not give of bird or bush,  
Like nothing else in Tennessee.

This is a imaginative poem which exaggerate the picture of jar. Poet placed that jar upon hill, jar reminds us the Grecian urn of Keats. Poets sing the glory of the jar and also ask the question that which is superior 'a work of art or nature?'

10)   “ I” – E.E.Cummings

“A leaf falls with loneliness”

This is has many images, reader can interpret anything which they want. The image in the poem is loneliness and a leaf. we can connect with death of human with fallen leaf. So, isolation is the  main theme and image of this one line poem.