How did major world events contribute to all Modern writers sharing a sense of alienation, isolation,

and hopelessness (despite the differences in the ways their individual works treated these themes)?
What core truth(s) seem to emerge for these authors based on major world events?

First, when looking at the dates of some of these stories I had to take into consideration what major
world events took place before, during, and after some of these stories. It should be noted that a great
deal of them where written before, before, during, or after World War 1. So, taking war into
consideration it should be noted that many countries where affected by the events. Especially Europe
who had joined in the fray before America did. So, it would make sense that when it came to authors a
sense of hopelessness and alienation would come from the writers of the time. Europe was in the war
alone until a certain point, and to say they where not winning would be an understatement. That
provided the sense of hopelessness that we see in several of our readings. William Butler Yeats’s poem
“The Second Coming” makes interesting note of these senses. It states,

“Surely some revelation is at hand;

Surely the Second Coming is at hand.

The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out

When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi

Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert

A shape with lion body and the head of a man,

A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,

Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it

Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.

The darkness drops again; but now I know

That twenty centuries of stony sleep

Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,

And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,

Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born” (Yeats, pg. 2100)

This poem was written following the first World War which could imply the idea of a second coming.
Which spiritually would mean the second coming of Christ but could also imply the possibility of war
becoming present again. So, when looking at core truths that can be seen from these various stories and
poems it could imply that while some things tend to happen by choice, there are others of which is seen
as inevitable.
When looking at the question at hand I am torn between yes and no. No, because forcing the judges to
retire might affect plans that are already in place that may benefit the people. But then again yes
because it makes way for other people to take on that position. This is, again, and yes or no question for
me because it has the potential to benefit the people in both a negative and a positive way. As for the
age discrimination, it is all how people view it. I don’t see it as an age discrimination issue because if
they replaced them with someone younger it may lead to the “they are too young” argument. The
people will respond to those that put their matters first. So, if the older judge puts them first, they
should stay right where they are at. There is a lot to be said about the wisdom of those that are older we
as the younger generation need a refresher lesson in that.

Why was free verse so necessary for the poets of the Modern Period? How does free verse indicate a
shift from previous poetic style?

It is important, first, to understand what free verse is. Free verse is an open form of poetry that at times
lacks rhyme and the line lengths are irregular. Free verse was that break away from your typical type of
poetry. With the changing in times, authors needed to change things in order to keep newer generations
interested. As things progressed in the Modern period so did the poetry which is why free verse was so
important to that time period. Previous poetic styles went by certain rules, such as sentence length,
rhyming, and the use of metaphors and similes. While free verse was not completely void of all these
specific rules it certainly allowed poetry authors to slack when it came down to them. I once had a
teacher that said to me that free verse is like the teenage years of a human being. While the rules are
still present, new things are tried allowing the continuation of growth. Free verse was the growth of
poetry during this time period.

Hello Shannon,

I agree with you on the making the younger judges having fresh new ideas. The only concern I would
have is that newer generations tend to see things rather one sided. If it doesn’t in a way benefit them,
they have no reason to be involved with it. While I believe that for older judges the same can happen,
they often come from a time period where that mentality couldn’t be in place. I grew up a great deal
with my grandfather and I often turn to him when tasked with difficult decisions. The amount of life
experience and knowledge not influenced by the internet and television makes for better decision
making on my part. Thanks for the response, it gave me something to really think about.

Jordan

Hello Patricia,

Thank you for the response. You brought up an interesting part about judges needing good listening
skills and skills at paying attention. In today’s world, while older generations do so as well, younger
generations are quick to turn to the internet or even television. While learning to think on their own is
present in younger generations, older generations had to do it more often because they did not have
access to the technology of today. There is a benefit to having older judges because of that fact alone. I
really enjoyed reading your response.

Jordan

Hello Professor,

Looking at the time period in which a great deal of this poetry was written it could often be seen as a
time that had no positivity. But when looking at it the positive aspect are the writing themselves. The
writings tell the story of the feelings and emotions of that time period. We see these instances of
turmoil written down and it gives the readers the opportunity to not allow a repeat of the events
pictured. I was always told by my grandparents that positive things can come from the most negative if
there is no better example, then take a look at the Bible.

Jordan

Hello Jerushah,

After reading other post, I still stand by my answer and I agree with what you said. I also believe that
while judges should choose when they step down, I think that they should also be required to have
regular health screenings as well. While age should not be a determination, I believe health could be a
determining factor of whether they continue to serve or not. I have seen in several occasions where
one’s health can affect their work ethic including memory. If that is to come into play, then I can see a
fair reason to ask them to step down and/or force them to. Thank you for the response, I enjoyed
reading it.

Jordan

Hello Professor,

When it comes to “plans” being mentioned in the initial response it depends on what the state is
discussing at that moment. For example, one of the current state issues is funding for education. If we
were to force the current judges that are 70 to retire and they make up the majority of those that want
to provide more funding to education, that would affect that plan. This has a direct affect on the people,
so not only do the judges suffer from being forced, the plan suffers, and so do the people. As for the
classifications, that is an interesting concept but makes a great deal of sense.

Jordan

Hello Professor,

If I had to choose what this reflects in our society, I would say it reflects our society as a whole. In
today’s society we are seeing an increase in random moments and events. It is society that continues
down this path without any form. We are seeing how that is affecting our society which concerns those
who actually see what is going on. This is definitely something I will have to think more of. Thank you
for the response.

Jordan