Test Blog: Ezra Pound

In a Station of the Metro

The apparition of these faces in the crowd;

Petals on a wet, black bough.

A metro is a platform of public transportation.  Generally in cities, a metro is short for metropolis and therefore a place where public transportation is needed.  Pound describes a crowded metro and it may not be clear as to where exactly it is.  This metro however, may be wet because it is raining or a dreary day.

The feelings that the poem communicates are dark, heavy ones.  The words "wet, black bough" allow for these feelings.  In addition, the fact that the metro is crowded could symbolize that the author is becoming lost in the crowd.

Upon first read, the poem seems to be a sad poem about a man lost in the crowd at a train station, becoming lost in the dreary weather.  After reading the poem again, I feel as though the man in at the train station isn't necessarily becoming lost in the crowd but is more observing the conformity of the hoards of people moving past from one platform to another.  He takes notice of the "petals on the wet, black bough" whereas others simply pass it by.  Pound could be comparing the metro to the conformity of society and how people do not take the time to think about the world around them, even if it is raining or dreary outside.

Poem about the CAT bus:

When not wanting to be aboard, it is everywhere,

If in need of a ride, it is hard to find.

After sharing my poem with a classmate, she seemed to agree with my description of the CAT bus.

Alexa Barach