Erica+K

1. Modernism can be described in many different ways depending on the way a certain person views it. Modernism allows people to think differently then what the traditional beliefs are. Modernism changes the way people do things in their culture. This can be shown through the different forms of art and literature. It went against the way people thought during the Enlightenment period and also had the thought that there was no all-powerful creator. Modernism gives people a sense of self-consciousness, which showed in some of the art work where the attention was drawn to the materials that were used. A lot of people consider the 20th century to be split into two different groups, modernism, and postmodernism. Overall, because of the two different groups many people have different interpretations of modernism. -Erica Krauss

3. The poem “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T.S. Eliot uses modernism throughout it to make the meaning of the poem known. It shows how a man goes through life affected by modernism. A line of the poem says, “ With a bald spot in the middle of my hair—“ (Eliot). I believe this quote is showing how a man doesn’t fit in because of the roles of modernism. It says that he is getting older and has a bald spot, which for many people would show how a man is elderly and many people would want to try to cover it up. Although this is true, by the context of the poem, it seems that the man doesn’t cover it up, which would show an example of modernism because he is separating himself from the normal views of society. It seems that in his society many people would think of that as unattractive and aging, but it seems like the man is okay with the way he looks and doesn’t want to be like everyone else in society. I believe this quote from the poem supports the idea that modernism is being used throughout the poem. -Erica Krauss

4.Existentialism is where people make their own choices based on things someone knows to make the right decisions. Also it is when somebody is completely independent on their own and never need help from anybody else.  "…the purpose of psychotherapy is to set people free" (May). This quote shows how existentialism is put into effect because it says how people are set free. With existentialism it says that people are free from all control, which is how the quote relates to existentialism. For example, someone wants to move away from their parents and go off to college, which shows that they can using existentialism. The exception to this would be if that person asks their parents for money for something. Without somebody completely depending on themselves, they are not an existentialist. - Erica Krauss