IndexOrigins and early adulthoodWork adventures and World War IMiddle life, later life, and World War IIDeath and legacyMany influential American poets throughout the 20th century took takes part in various poetic movements. While many of these movements involved traditional styles of poetry, there were modern movements that favored new styles of writing. Ezra Pound founded the Imagism movement. Pound rebelled against the old standards of poetry and gained notoriety from this. Along with many other poets, he founded what many consider the most influential movement of the 20th century. Although Pound ultimately resented what became of the Imagist movement, this is what he is best known for. Although he received much critical acclaim for his poetry, he was involved in controversies related to World War II. His achievements are often condemned due to his support for fascism in Europe. In short, he was famous for his poetry and infamous for his beliefs. Although controversial, Pound is one of the most influential and important poets of the 20th century. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Origins and Early Adulthood Ezra Loomis Pound was born on October 30, 1885, in Hailey, Idaho, a frontier town. His father, Homer Pound, was the son of Thaddeus Pound, a famous Republican congressman. Ezra Pound admired Thaddeus Pound for his many achievements. Ezra Pound saw Thaddeus Pound as a selfless public servant he could model himself after (“Ezra Pound” Concise). This side of Ezra Pound's family consisted mostly of pioneers. In contrast, his mother, Isabel Weston Pound, came from a colonial family. She was distantly related to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, a famous 19th century poet. This instilled pride in the young Pound, being one of two sides of the American story. Pound moved many times during his childhood. In 1887, he and his family moved to New York for a short time, and then to Thaddeus Pound's farm in Wisconsin. In 1889 they moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where they settled. Pound attended numerous schools in the Philadelphia area, from public schools to military academies. When he was fifteen, he decided that by the time he was thirty he would know more about poetry than anyone else in the world (“Pound, Ezra”). This early fascination with poetry would blossom into genuine ambition. From 1901 to 1903 Pound attended the University of Pennsylvania - where he met his longtime Williams friends Carlos Williams and Hilda Doolittle - but then transferred to Hamilton College and graduated in 1905. In 1908 he went abroad to Southern Europe, in places like Gibraltar and Italy. Pound arrived in Venice, Italy with a total of eighty dollars (Authors of “Ezra Pound”). Although he lived in Italy for only three months, he drew much inspiration for his first collection of poems, A Lume Spento, which he published in July of that year. Pound eventually settled in London, where he published another collection of poems, A Quinzaine for this Yule, Exultations and Personae. Critics have acclaimed these two collections; an anonymous critic said he had "the ability to achieve remarkable poetic results" (qtd. in "Ezra Pound" Authors). Although he showed promise at the time, Pound later looked back and said he still didn't have "his own voice"; his poetry seemed that of a student influenced by his academic studies (Persoon). Work adventures and the Second World War In 1909, soon after settling in London, Pound met Olivia Shakespear, writer and mother of Dorothy Shakespear, his future wife. Poundshe married Dorothy Shakespear in 1914. Just two years before their wedding in 1912, Pound founded Imagism together with his old friends William Carlos Williams and Hilda Doolittle, as well as the poets Richard Aldington and F. S. Flint. A woman named Amy Lowell also adopted Imagism. Imagination was a poetic movement that incorporated precision of language and sought to break away from traditional, overly descriptive verse (“Pound, Ezra”). It was a rebellion against the romantic poetry of the Victorian era. The inspiration for this movement came from Southeast Asian literature. Pound began studying Chinese and Japanese scripts. Pound became concerned with Confucian ideology and its apparent opposition to Western civilization, which “was rotten to the core, corroded by the corrupt political-economic system of capitalist democracy” (paraphrased by Wernick). In 1913, Pound published a poem titled “In a Station of the Metro,” which is a great example of the simplicity required in a work of Imagism: “In a Station of the Metro” The appearance of these faces in the crowd: Petals on a wet, black branch. Pound wrote this poem in an altered form of the Japanese haiku. It has no verbs and simply describes a subway station. The spacing and format are intentional and give the poem a distinct rhythm. Even the verses rhyme. The narrator describes passing apparitions and petals on a tree. These observations aside, the analysis of this poem is complete. The purpose of this type of poetry is not to overanalyze, but to achieve a vivid description in as few words as possible. The main aim was to try to find the right words to use. Another example of Imagism is below: "And the days are not full enough" And the days are not full enough And the nights are not full enough And life slips away like a field mouse Without shaking the grass. In the years following the creation of Imagism, poet Amy Lowell created her own anthologies. Pound did not think these collections met Imagist standards; he called his works "Amigismo". Pound eventually distanced himself from Imagism and founded Vorticism, a movement based primarily on the same ideas as Imagism, but also linked to the visual arts and music. Lest Vorticism be interchangeable with Imagism, Pound defined a "Vortex" as "a radiant knot or cluster...from which, and through which, and into which ideas constantly pour" (qtd. in " Ezra Pound" Authors). The First World War had a profound effect on the pound. The endless killing of young people has devastated it and, as a result, it has lost its aggressively militant tone. He had stopped incessantly criticizing America and England, and his writings from this period show that his only political hope lay in a “coalition of England, France and America” (“Pound, Ezra”). Hugh Selwyn Mauberley, a long poem published in 1920, demonstrates this change in style after experiencing the horror of war. Pound also used his fame to help other artists. To further the careers of other writers, Pound praised them while they were still relatively unknown. These artists were D.H. Lawrence, Robert Frost, H.D. (Hilda Doolittle), and Ernest Hemingway, all of whom became widely known. Pound helped writers by connecting them with patrons and connected painters and sculptors with interested buyers. Middle Age, Old Age, and World War III In 1921, Pound and his wife Dorothy moved to Paris, where they would live for three years. This is where he began his most ambitious project, The Cantos ("Pound, Ezra"). During his lifetime he completed 120 Cantos. In 1924 Pound and his wife moved to Italy due to the strong political and social currents present.,.