1. 1900-1950

2. Disillusionment definition : freedom from belief, conviction, or faith; a state of skepticism or cynicism

3. 1) The devastation of WWI (1914-1918) 2) The Stock Market Crash (1929) and Great Depression As a result, Americans began to wonder if the American dream – the belief in social progress and economic opportunity for all – is really attainable!

4. 1) Marxism: “maybe history is about power dynamics and class struggle!” 2) Psychoanalysis: “maybe we’re slaves to our own brute impulses” Not the most optimistic perspectives on humankind!

5. 1. Emphasis on bold experimentation in style and form, reflecting the fragmentation of society 3. Rejection of the ideal hero as infallible in favor of a hero who is flawed and disillusioned Poet T.S.Eliot

6. 3. Interest in the inner workings of the human mind, sometimes expressed through new narrative techniques such as stream of consciousness

7. The Imagist followed some of these “rules” in their poetry: 1. Present one intense image 2. Use common speech in poetry. 3. Choose words with great precision and economy. 4. Use free verse in order to escape traditional rhythms

8. The apparition of these faces in the crowd; Petals on a wet, black bough

9. so much depends upon a red wheel barrow glazed with rain water beside the white chickens.