Tommy+P

Modernism is…

1. Modernism is a cultural movement that is progressive for art, music and literature. It is a new form that is a branch off of what was before. The style is reformed and remodeled into a new style. An example of modernism would be the revolution of music more recently from the 90’s to the new century. America went from listening to rock to hip-hop and rap. The majority of kids in the new generation now listen to hip-hop and rap rather than what there older generations listened to. This is modernism more recently, but it is still the same thing. Traditional music evolved into a new form of music, and that is modernism at work. -Tommy Pilgrim

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2. The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock is a poem that many critics have said to be one of most modernistic poems of all time. The poem uses strong usage of words and stanzas to emphasize the modernism. One pair of lines says, “The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes; The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window-panes” (Eliot). I believe the yellow smoke and fog are society and they turning their back on him. So in turn he is being alienated from society. In modernism, alienation from society is a huge requisite because without alienation modernism is not possible. Another line to support modernism is, “Do I dare; Disturb the universe?” (Eliot). This line says do I dare go against the norm? Modernism is to steer off the traditional road and introduce something new and this is exactly what he is asking himself. Should he do it or should he stay with the normal. During the time of this poem, modernism was relatively new and modernist were very hesitant of changing the normal traditions.======

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3. Existentialism in simple terms simply means that individual existence precedes essence. Existentialists live for themselves, and seem very selfish and stuck up. Existentialism is living for own personal happiness, to live for ones own self rather than the whole. One quote from a existentialists describes this perfectly saying, "It is absolutely impossible for a subject to see or have insight into something while leaving itself out of the picture, so impossible that knowing and being are the most opposite of all spheres" (Nietzsche). The beginning of the quote, "It is absolutely impossible for a subject to see or have insight into something while leaving itself out of the picture" is saying something cannot bother a person while not being in the person's life. An example used in class was the offering of a dollar. By not taking the dollar, the person cannot be disappointed later on when the dollar is taken or lost. Now the knowing and being portion of the quote says that knowing about the things does not create a loss in happiness, but being in the situation of creates it. Staying out of a situation that can lead to a downfall or disappoint in the ending is what existentialists live by.======