In The Red Wheelbarrow Modernism

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In the years between 1900 and 1945, the pieces composed during this era are categorized as being modernized. The Modernist literature of this time was very different from the pieces that came before it. Before this era, the works were labelled under the Symbolism, Naturalism, and Romanticism movements. Modernism is lavished in imagery, symbolism, expressionism, and futurism, among others because it was a time to experiment with form and expression. This experimentation broke away from the traditional form of writing. Modernism is described as the thought that the world is created based on how we perceive it. The writers during this time period expressed their own imagination, culture, emotions, and memories within their pieces, along with…show more content…
This piece fits in well during the time of the Industrial Revolution, as more machines and devices were being made to make life easier. Williams explains that the wheelbarrow holds great importance because “so much depends upon a red wheel barrow” (1459). This short poem also has a unique style as it is divided into four couplets. Each couplet serves a different purpose, the first is to describe the value of how the wheelbarrow is needed, and the second describes what is important. However, the third couplet addresses the setting as being a rainy day, and the last also further describes the scenery with white chickens beside the red wheelbarrow. The couplets together create a sense of technology mixed with nature, which is what was going on during this time era. Williams is conveying his appreciate for both the red wheelbarrow and…show more content…
In both of these works, Cullen uses his literary talent to portray real life events that he has experienced. In Incident, Cullen reveals an experience that he had in Baltimore when he was eight years old. He claims that he saw another boy about his age, “so I smiled, but he poked out His tongue, and called me, “Nigger.” (1530). Cullen was a famous writing during the Harlem Renaissance period that aimed to be free from all political and racial matters when writing. Although Cullen did write about racial matters, he wasn’t not directly trying to advocate a change but only using his experiences to open the reader’s eyes to the horrors of racism, especially upon a child. He does this in Incident by explaining how “Of all the things that happened there That’s all that I remember” (1530). He is referring to being called a “nigger” by another boy about his age. Cullen was only eight years old and was very polite by smiling a simple smile, and was tormented by this experience for the rest of his stay in Baltimore, as it was the only thing he held onto. He used this work to show the reader how bad things can stick around longer in your head than the good sometimes. It also points out how early in life young African Americans began facing racism, despite their innocent hearts about matter. Another instance that

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