Joseph+V

1. Modernism is when people start throwing away the old and brining in the new. It’s when people stop doing things how they’ve always been done and started doing things their own way. It can change anything from the arts, or entertainment to the way people think. I think it’s a sign of progression and this way of thinking can bring new things into the world such as technology, and new forms entertainment. It can also change things like what people believe in or the way people live, dress and talk. Modernism really hit around the time between World War I and the early 1970s. “Modernism is a time in our history when traditional values began to change and literature became an outlet for the troubled and rebellious souls” (Bhusal). Modernism in our past has helped shape the world into what it is today; the good and the bad.

2. This poem is modernist because of the way he feels about society. He feels alienated from society and feels rejected by women. You can tell he feels alienated because he says, “Do I dare disturb the universe?” You can also tell he feels rejected by women because he says “They will say: “How his hair is growing thin!” When he says, “they will say” he is actually rejecting himself before the women do. From this quote you can also gather that he is very insecure about his appearance. Nobody actually says his hair is growing thin, he just feels that would be a major reason why women would reject him. The man in this poem has not found his place in his society because of his insecurities and fear of rejection.

3. Existentialism is when someone believes that existence is more important and essence. These people believe that everybody and every thing exist. Existentialist are people who believe people and objects have no meaning, only individuals give people and things meaning. They believe that everyone is a living, breathing, thinking individual. This is just like what Descartes thought when he said “I think; therefore, I exist”. Some rules that the existentialists follow are that they are afraid of freedom. They believe they live in a world they did not create or do not have control over. They also have a lot of anxiety because they are faced with the responsibility of choosing our own nature and values. An existentialist feels despair of any hope of external value.