Wallace Stevens wrote Anecdote of a Jar in 1919 when Modernism was in its early stages. In this movement, individuals were encouraged to explore change. Since there was so much change going on in the world, people were concerned with the relationship between society and all of its new innovations and the natural world. This is the major point or theme to Anecdote of a Jar. In the poem, the jar, which symbolizes man or the man made items that are necessary to modern society.
The jar is one of the most understated and yet useful items of any household. Some are beautifully shaped and decorated, but there are just as many that are plain. The jar in the poem is plain and symbolizes the average member of society and his/her place in this new modern worl
...d of new music, dance, technology, and moral values. Like the jay, the average citizen is useful to society, yet rarely gets noticed.
There are actually two ways of looking at the theme in the context of Modernism in the poem Anecdote of a Jar. First the jar can be seen as the rural individual, who before modernism worked with the elements of nature to produce a living for his/her family. In 1919, WWI, the first modern war, had just ended and many rural citizens had moved to the urban areas to work in factories to make the necessary equipment for the war.
The natural surroundings around the jar could symbolize the modern world that was quickly encompassing these rural people. The second idea of theme could be the contemplation of theme is that
no matter how much man is becoming modern with all the new urban ideas, nature is still stronger. Stevens could be conveying the message that no matter how technologically advanced society becomes, nature is still a necessary element in the lives of people. No matter how modern, a city will go back to nature if left uninhabited.
- Business Law essays
- Contract essays
- Consumer Protection essays
- Property essays
- Ownership essays
- Agreement essays
- Common Law essays
- Contract Law essays
- Justice essays
- Security essays
- Tort Law essays
- United States Constitution essays
- Crime essays
- Lawsuit essays
- Treaty essays
- Family Law essays
- Marijuana Legalization essays
- Constitution essays
- War on Drugs essays
- Court essays
- Jury essays
- Police essays
- Protection essays
- Community Policing essays
- Criminal Law essays
- Judge essays
- Lawyer essays
- Employment Law essays
- Copyright Infringement essays
- Injustice essays
- Intellectual Property essays
- Breach Of Contract essays
- Jurisprudence essays
- Social Injustice essays
- Juvenile Justice essays
- Internet Privacy essays
- Cyber Security essays
- Bill Of Rights essays
- Civil Liberties essays
- First Amendment To The United States Constitution essays
- Fourth Amendment To The United States Constitution essays
- Second amendment essays
- Animal Cruelty essays
- Law Enforcement essays
- Juvenile Justice System essays
- Surveillance essays
- Forensic Science essays
- Crime Prevention essays
- Criminal Justice essays
- Criminology essays
