" An intellectual hatred is the worst" (Bartlett's 80). This sentiment expressed by Yeats sums up Ezra Pound's character. While he lives on as a gifted poet and historian, people will always remember Pound for his strong anti-Semitism. These ideas stained his writing and his character. Ezra Pound wrote many poems of questionable understanding. One moment he exhibited kindness, and the next he behaved as a seven-year-old writing poetry, words illegible and senseless.
Ezra Pound lived in a peaceful environment, but the fire of anti-Semitism fueled his writings. He wrote a series of poems called "Cantos," which explored history and the impact of leaders on the past, as well as many orthodox poems, such as "An Immortal." His intense feeling of hatred originated from a hatred of religion and Nazi propaganda. While he loved poetry and the beauty it presented, he never let that beauty seep into himself. Ezra Pound's literary development stemmed from a variety of different atmospheres from a small town in Idaho to prisons in Pisa. It
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seemed as if every aspect of his life some how influenced his writing.
Ezra Pound was born on October 30, 1885, in the small town of Hailey, Idaho to Homer and Isabel Pound. He grew up in a normal American family. While young, he never showed the great promise in English that he would later accomplish. Instead, he like to participate in normal kids activities, such as playing sports (Who's Who 13). Pound went to the University of Pennsylvania and Hamilton. At the University his talent for English and poetry became evident. He started and joined numerous English and poetry clubs that dealt with the analysis of poems, as well as their impact and meaning to society. Pound also showed great skill in the areas of French and Spanish. Ezra's studies produced a Ph.D. in 1905. One more year of hard studying led to a Master of Arts in Romantic languages (Who's Who 13).
These credentials earned him the job of Department Head of Romantic Language at Wabash College in 1907. Pound never accepted the strict rules of college, and went out of his way to break them in public. His job, which at first was considered perfect, turned into a nightmare when a scandal broke in 1908. Pound helped homeless people get back on their feet. One of these vagrants was a woman that he housed often. The college assumed that he was womanizing her, and fired him in 1908 (Carpenter 73).
Pound moved to London after being dismissed from Wabash, where he accepted a job as a tour guide for rich people. The job lost appeal when, in 1912,
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Harriet Monroe asked Pound to contribute to Poetry, a magazine she was creating for the United States. Pound considered this magazine to be the first of a series of steps to bring poetry acceptance to the United States. He went so far as to say he would print his work exclusively in her magazine. He also agreed to be a foreign correspondent for Poetry (Carpenter 75).
After creating the only intelligent poetry magazine in the United States, Pound started on a similar work in England. In 1914, Wyndham Lewis and Pound met to discuss the start of a new, cubist poetry magazine in England. The magazine became entitled Blast. Oddly, Lewis worked not as a poet, but as a painter, so art was included in the magazine (Carpenter 242).
In 1941, Pound started radio broadcast about the anti-Semitism occurring in Europe. He supported the discrimination of Jews. In Europe, with the German offensive, this type of voice could be heard everywhere. Eventually, his broadcast became so popular that his show began to Broadcast in the United States, where people did not share the same views as Pound. He started quite a stir in the
United States (Contempary Literary Criticism [CLC] 480).
Pound's shows created anger in the hearts of the Americans. The war was starting, and Anti-Semitism created a threat against national security. In fact, the U.S. charged him with treason on grounds that he was trying to undermine the war effort. This happened at the time of the red scare, when people were arrested on
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very little evidence and word-of-mouth.
Pound's extravagant ways led him to be found incompetent for trail, psychologically unfit. He allowed himself to be a patient at St. Elizabeth's mental Institution in 1945. He left in 1958, after 13 years of confinement. He immediately moved to Europe to be away from the U.S. Once out of the institution, he created some of the oddest poetry in his life. He started writing the "Cantos," which he meant to be historical accounts in poetry form. They show his creativity and eccentricity. He created hundreds of these, covering history from China to the U.S.
Pound received many awards for his works. He received the Bollinger award for the Pisan Cantos. In 1928 he received the Distinguished Service Award for his lifetime work. The most prestigious award he received was the Library of Congress Award in 1949.
Pound died on November 1, 1972. His life, while not the most peaceful, was productive. He has been remembered as a poet who kept poetry in the minds of people. He also has been remembered as the founder of modern poetry. In this respect, his spirit lives on.
Many people influenced Ezra Pound in his life. Probably the most important was Wyndham Lewis, whom Pound considered his intellectual equal. Alfred Tennyson was an important influence also. While Pound often looked to him for ideas, he thought Tennyson lacked depth. Tennyson later became Pound's favorite
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poet to read.
While many people influenced him, his hardships in life formed his ideas. Moving to Europe and being tempted by Nazi propaganda proved too much for him. He succumbed to anti-Semitism, and dropped all religious ties. While spending time in St. Elizebeths, he changed his thinking and started trying to help history. He never had any loves, which was hard for him, as he considered love the ultimate emotion.
Pound often wrote many orthodox poems. These, while not his best, deal with a wide range of topics and show his true feelings on some subjects.
"An Immortal" could be one of his most famous poems. At first, it appears to be a simple poem of love. This was a rare topic for Pound. It talks about his feelings on love, that everything else pales in comparison to love.
Underneath can be found a deeper meaning. It parallels his life, and relates the frustration in finding love. In his life, Pound never had a lady whom he truly loved. He also reminisced of some ladies with whom he had ties, remembering only the good times, forgetting the bad.. He did not write on this subject often, as he found it painful to face.
Many poets find "An Immortal" lacking in some aspects. Some feel it does not show his true feelings. Since this poem includes his love life, he could not face his true feelings. Others say it does not show the passion and imagery that he could
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produce. This poem, if written by a poet more in tune with his feelings, could have turned out considerably better. If he had inserted more imagery and sensory words to describe his feelings of love, this poem could become one of his best orthodox poems (CLC 423).
Pound spent his later years writing Cantos, long poems designed to educate the reader. Critics often view these poems with mixed reviews. Some say they become one brilliant work of art once read all the way through. Others say they are senseless writings from a half-sane man. The style he introduced in his Cantos influenced many new modern writers (CLC 419). While the reader may not always know what Pound means, his Cantos still show the love he had for poetry.
These bizarre poems, with uneven stanzas, different languages, and no form, came from Pound after his release from St. Elizebeths. He decided to systematically chronicle the important people and events in history. While using common leaders from history, he also wrote of his neighbors, close relations, and everyday people he met on the street. In his later Cantos he expanded to economics and other academic pursuits, trying to analyze them. He often misquoted and misinterpreted people to strengthen his points (Pound CLC 423).
The "Cantos" became an outlet for Pound's emotions. Anti-Semitism appeared frequently in his works. He had a clear hatred for Jews, and voiced it often. He also showed his craziness. He changed style and languages in the middle
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of a poem. He often lost track of his subject for stanzas at a time. This reflected his restless nature (CLC 423).
Clearly, his orthodox poems can be considered brilliant, but his experimental Cantos often become targets for criticism. These poems, while considered new at the time, made him the father of modern poetry.
"Homage to Sextus Propertius" is basically Pound's translation of books two and three of the "Elegies" by the Roman poet Sextus Propertius. Calling this poem a translation is actually misleading, some of the lines are exact translations from Latin some are far from the original Latin meaning. "Homage to Sextus Propertius" uses free verse - poetic lines that have no set rhythm or constant number of feet and do not rhyme. Pound believed Propertius had the same rhythmic fashions as himself so the result is a rhythmic set of lines followed by an ironic nonrhythmic conclusion. The basic theme of "Homage to Sextus Propertius" is the obvious creative translation of Propertius' Elegies. The poem is an attempt to capture the spirit of Propertius and enable an modern culture to be able to understand and appreciate him and his poetry.
Ezra Pound loved poetry and life, but people often questioned his sanity, and he contained a considerable amount of hatred. His orthodox poems, such as "An
Immortal," allow for flashes of brilliance. His later Cantos have been taken as a great folly and incomprehensible, and as the best works from an impassioned man.
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While many people influenced him, his hardships in life may have been the most influential. As Rheinhold Nicbauhr said, "Nothing beautiful makes complete sense" (Bartlett's 684). While no one but Pound will know the true meaning of his poetry, they still show beauty and shine next to the great works from other poets. His spirit lives on past death. His poems still can be an influence on modern poets worldwide.
Works Cited
Bartlett, John. Bartlett's Familiar Quotations.
Boston: Little, Brown, and Company. 1992.
Carpenter, Humphrey. Serious Character: the life of Ezra Pound
Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. 1988.
Ebble, Kenneth. Ezra Pound
Boston: Twayne Publishing. 1979
Ellmann, Richard. "Ezra Pound". The New Oxford Book of American Verse.
New York: Oxford Press.1976
Gunton, Sharon R. Contempary Literary Criticism. "Ezra Pound."
1981 ed. vol. 18. 419-429
Who's Who in America. "Pound, Ezra".
1973 ed. vol. 5. 580
Who was Ezra Pound
I. Ezra Pound
A. Ezra Pound's literary development stemmed from a variety of different atmospheres from a small town in Idaho to a prison in Pisa. It seemed as if every aspect of his life influenced his writings.
B. The second paragraph concerns his life and background.
1.birth
2.parents
3.education
4.jobs
C. The next idea is about his influence in poetry.
1.Father of modern poetry
D. The fourth paragraph covers awards and critical acclaim.
1.Bollinger
2.Distinguished Service Award
3.Library of Congress Award
II. The following paragraph talks about his poem " An Immortal"
A. Show his true feelings
1. love
B. Opinions differed
1. Thought he didn't feel that way
2. the best orthodox poem
III. The next paragraph deals with the set of poems called the "Cantos"
