20th century influence to poetry

20th Century Influence to

Poetry

Two great poems influenced by the events of the early 20th century

"STOPPING BY WOODS ON A SNOWY EVENING" BY ROBERT FROST

"LANGUAGES" BY CARL SANDBURG

“STOPPING BY WOODS ON A SNOWY EVENING” BY ROBERT FROST

Insight about the poem Robert Frost wrote this poem in appreciation of

nature during cold winter season. The poem depicts a story of a man travelling

through snowy woods in the dark evening. The man was describe as appreciative of his

view of the surroundings throughout the poem. He is to head home, but cannot find himself

leaving the beauty of his location.


This poem is influenced by industrialization During 20th Century, there was an

Industrial Revolution. Workforce demand by factories

increased. Middle class throughout U.S. migrated

to urban cities. Most of the middle class spend their

entire life inside the concrete walls of urban cities.


Connection of The 20th Century To The Poem In this poem, Robert Frost depicted a lovely experience by a

man who probably spent most of his life inside the urban city. Inside the urban city are mostly steel and concrete. Tall buildings erected to the sky for accommodation of space. At night, lights polluted the whole city, keeping the darkness outside the city. The factories were at work day and night, there was no room for silence. The man in this poem, is most likely working from the city, and finding it hard for him to go head home when most of his time was spent inside a city of disturbance. This is was his time to appreciate nature.


“The woods are lovely, dark, and deep.”


Insight about the poem The poem contains imagery and motif of nature that describes

Carl Sanburg worldly views. Sandburg feels that all languages are uniting under one tongue. The poem’s tone is mellow that depicts the world’s nation as

uniting under a language. The unity in this poem however means that cultures along the

way are lost. In this poem, all other language is being forgotten like an

ancient writing.

"LANGUAGES" BY CARL SANDBURG This poem is influenced by

immigration During the 20th century, America receive masses

of immigrants from the different parts of the world.

Immigrants from different nation, speaks their own native language.

Majority of this mass migration were from the Eastern and Southern Europe.

Reasons for the influx of immigration were to escape religious, racial, political persecutions, and seeking economic opportunity.

"LANGUAGES" BY CARL SANDBURG Connection of the 20th Century to

the poem Sandburg have noticed the huge influx of

immigrants in America. He believes that maybe, the English language will become the “ocean,” the final destination of all language, English. Every nation will learn their own native language, but soon they will have to learn English to communicate with people throughout the world. Because English is the universal language, and Sandburg was well aware of that during his life time in 20th century. Then maybe in “Ten thousand years from now” all other language will become unspoken language, and there will only be one “ocean.”


“There are no handles upon a language Whereby men take hold of it

And mark it with signs for its remembrance. It is a river, this language, Once in a thousand years

Breaking a new course Changing its way to the ocean.”

20th century influence to poetry

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