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VERMA 1

Ritika Verma

H- 1646

Prof. Rajiv C. Krishnan

Modernist Poetry (L! 11"#

$" %e&tem'er $"1.

)voidan*e of affe*tive fa++a*y in the form of ,ra&tros a&&rehension of &hysi*a+

sensation 'e*omes advisa'+e to steer *+ear of an im&ressionist and re+ativist stdy of the

aestheti* of r&tre in Hi+da /o+itt+e0s Sea Garden. roni*a++y the &oten*y of the imaes of

vio+en*e and 'reakae sed themse+ves ind*e this fa++a*y there'y initiatin the dia+oe

'et2een the &oems and the s'je*tivity of the reader. !hoh an a*tive &arti*i&ant the &oems

a+so kee& him3her at 'ay *onstant+y remindin that 2ith the irred*i'i+ity of the +o*s of

vio+en*e to a sin+e &oint the attem&t to &+a*e a++ imaes nder the m're++a of vio+en*e 2o+d

res+t in a distortion.

,%ea Rose 'eins 2ith the j5ta&osition of ,harsh 2ith an o'je*t *onventiona++y

*e+e'rated for its 'eaty. !he &re+iminary effe*t at start+in the reader deve+o&s in intensity 2ith

&hrases as ,marred ,meare f+o2er ,stnted 2ith sma++ +eaf ,f+in indi*atin vio+en*e

meted ot to the rose. !he visa+ a&&ea+ of the imaes 2here'y a *ommnion is esta'+ished 2ith

the reader0s *ons*iosness ets a**entated 'y the dire*t estion aimed at him3her7

Can the s&i*e rose

dri& s*h arid fraran*e

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VERMA 2

hardened in a +eaf8

Com&+ete+y dra2n into the 2or+d of &oem the reader a&&ro&riates the e5&erien*e of ad+ation of

a 'eaty stemmin from tria+s into an e5&erien*e of his o2n +ife. ,%ea Rose hearkens to other

&oems 2ith simi+ar *on*ern7 ,%ea Vio+et ,%ea Po&&ies ,%ea Li+y and ,%ea ris. ,%ea

Vio+et for instan*e *ontains &o2erf+ imaeries of 'reakae and vio+en*e7 ,frai+e sea vio+et

'ra*in the 2ind ,torn she++s and the &resen*e of the sea vio+et in their midst 2hi*h manify

the v+nera'i+ity of the f+o2er. !he reader0s a&&roa*h to the *+osin +ines of the &oem 2o+d no2

'e e*hoed 'y his ear+ier en*onter 2ith *e+e'ratin framented 'eaty. ,'t yo *at*h the +iht-3

frost a star edes 2ith its fire. !he *o&+in of frost and fire in the same &hrase manifies the

ara a*ired as a res+t of ,frost or hardshi&s as in the i++minated 'ein- one havin +iht of

its o2n- that the sea vio+et 'e*omes.

9ith the shiftin of +o*s in ,!he He+msman from the e5terna+ to the se+f the i++sion of

the reader to *on+omerate a++ imaes of 'reakae nder his o2n e5&erien*e shatters. Here the

vio+en*e is of desire. ,Ct off from the e5terna+ 2or+d the frank and +od em'ra*e of their

se5a+ity 'y the :a**hana+ia a'onds in ri*h ta*ti+e imaes of vio+en*e 2hi*h e5&ond the

&arado5 of +ove- of *onta*t and f+iht. ,:rshed 2ood rass ,'roke hysso& and 'ram'+e

+ahter amidst ,2hi&&ed 'ran*hes and ,torn feet s2eetness of the ,s2eat of a torn 'ran*h

&ortray the vio+en*e of +ove. !he &oem em&+oys many te*hnies to *onjre & the ra&tros

nderstandin of the &hysi*a+. !he ren*y of a se5a+ a*t indi*ated 'y *a&ita+i;ation and

therefore em&hasis of ,:

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VERMA 3

2e *aht f+o2er and ne2 'ram'+e-frit

in or hair-

=f the fifteen 2ords 2hi*h *om&rise the three +ines e+even fa++ into *ontent 2ords and take

stress there'y frtherin the &oem0s &r&ose. :y initiatin *onse*tive +ines in a stan;a 2ith

,2e or ,and the &oem *reates a rhythm 2hi*h +ends it an in*antatory &o2er and &ts the

reader nder the s&e++ of the &oem0s fee+ins.

!2o other &oems in the *o++e*tion have vio+en*e 2hi*h stems from the se+f7 ,%he+tered

>arden and ,Mid /ay. Ho2ever the vio+en*e in ,%he+tered >arden is desira'+e7

= to '+ot ot this arden

to foret to find a ne2 'eaty

in some terri'+e

2ind-tortred &+a*e.

!he desired vio+en*e 'e*omes the &re*rsor 2here the as&hy5iatin e5isten*e in the arden

2o+d yie+d &+a*e for a ne2 'eaty of inde&enden*e. n *ontrasts the vio+en*e in ,Mid /ay

mediated 'y her ,thohts *reates a dread in the s&eaker 2hi*h +ikens her e5isten*e to dry

,shrive+ed seeds. !his ndesira'+e natre of vio+en*e &rod*es a s&+it-se+f7 one se+f venerated

and re&resented 'y the free ro2in &o&+ar and the se*ond tortred se+f 'ein her e5isten*e as

herse+f. !he reader therefore identifies 'oth 2ith the need of a free e5isten*e as 2e++ the dread of

framented thoht. )t the same time the +5ry of a&&ro&riation of the e5&erien*e of vio+en*e

nder any enera+i;ation stands denied.

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VERMA 4

H./.0s reader emeres as the &sedo a*tive reader?one 2ho is 'roht in *onversation

2ith the &oems 'y their de+i'erate invo*ation of his3her fee+ins 't 2hose a*tiveness is

*onstant+y mediated 'y their intention.