English: Poetry:
                     The Statue: A Modern Poem
                                                                                             July 01, 1998

                     ÒThe StatueÓ, by John Berryman, portrays the human race to be ignorant and
                     uncaring. The poet bares a cynical attitude toward mankind. According to the
                     definition of modern poetry, ÒThe StatueÓ, by John Berryman, is a modern
                     poem. Modern poets were inspired by Walt Whitman, who changed the form of
                     poetry by choosing freestyle, and Òabandon[ing] the standard line lengths,
                     rhymes, and standard forms of traditional poetryÓ (Jonvanovich 738).
                     Capitalization, punctuation, phrasing, and sentences are all altered from their
                     accepted form. Capital letters appear in the middle of a sentence, and periods
                     appear in the middle of a stanza. Sentences begin and end in odd places, and
                     normal syntax is disrupted. Modern poets rapidly change subjects, Òproducing
                     the sense of dislocation that some poets think is characteristic of modern lifeÓ
                     (Jovanovich 739). The content of modern poetry also differs greatly from that
                     of previous styles. Many modern poets have adapted a cynical outlook on the
                     world. According to Jovanovich, the poetry is experimental and often dark, with
                     anger directed toward society in general. Topics can include Òthe lives and
                     perspectives of the disillusioned, [and] the outcastÓ (Jovanovich 575). Poets
                     realize how Òalluring, but how destructively false [are] the values and
                     appearances of the few at the top of societyÓ (Jovanovich 575). Modern poetry
                     is also rooted in French Symbolism, which portrays different things, such as
                     material objects or the seasons to be symbols of something deeper. Another
                     important element of modern poetry is the poetÕs perception of reality.
                     According to Ellmann, the modern poet questions reality and is unsure of the
                     objective world. Poets wish to express Òhow important individual perception is
                     in shaping realityÓ (Jovanovich 574). The form of ÒThe StatueÓ shows John
                     BerrymanÕs break away from conformity. Berryman himself said he wanted to
                     write Òbig fat fresh original and characteristic poemsÓ (Bayley 86). Gary Arpin
                     claims Berryman is fascinated with technique. According to Diane Ackerman,
                     BerrymanÕs grammar use is different than that of any previous poets.
                     Capitalization is found in the middle of a sentence and in the middle of a line.
                     For example, the word ÒRespectÓ is capitalized in the middle of the sixth line of
                     the second stanza: ÒFor the ultimate good, Respect, to hunger waking.Ó
                     Punctuation in ÒThe StatueÓ is also different than that found in traditional
                     poems. For example, Berryman chooses to leave out commas in the sixth line
                     of the sixth stanza: ÒThese thighs breasts pointed eyes are not their
                     choosing.Ó Berryman chooses to end his sentences in strange places. He
                     places a period in the middle of the first line of the fourth stanza:
                     ÒDisfigurement is general. Nevertheless.Ó According to Arpin, Berryman
                     experiments with syntax. ÒA deliberately ruptured syntax quarrels with the
                     unbroken surface of styleÓ (The Times Literary Supplement 67). In the sixth
                     line of the second stanza, ÒFor the ultimate good, Respect, to hunger waking,Ó
                     the word ÒhungerÓ is stressed by placing it in front of the word Òwaking.Ó These
                     examples show that grammar is an important part of modern poetry. The
                     stanzas in ÒThe StatueÓ shape the modern poem. Berryman wrote seven
                     eight-line stanzas. Joel Conarroe notices a pentameter form is interrupted in
                     each stanza by the fourth line, which has a tetrameter pattern. For example,
                     line three of the third stanza says, ÒTo spend its summer sheltering our
                     lovers,Ó while line four says, ÒThose walks so shortly to be over.Ó Conarroe
                     also says that each stanza in ÒThe StatueÓ completes a thought, and
                     Berryman changes subject quickly from one stanza to the next. Stanza one is
                     about the sad condition of the world, stanza two is about yearning for
                     tomorrow, and stanza three is about romance. Berryman changes subjects so
                     rapidly to symbolize the disheveled state of modern life. ÒThe StatueÓ is also
                     defined as a modern poem by its content. One major subject in ÒThe StatueÓ is
                     the difference between a poetic view of mankind, and a worldly view of
                     mankind. Poets, according to Conarroe, look at mankind cynically. This is
                     exemplified in the first stanza, when the statue, Òlooks only, cynical. . .Ó at the
                     city filled with disappointment. The poet is also tortured. He can not share his
                     feelings with the world about, ÒWise resignation and world-wearinessÓ
                     (Conarroe 28). The statue is also trapped; he can not express himself either.
                     According to John Bayley, ÒThe StatueÓ is calling out to humanity, but no one
                     will listen. Arpin says that Berryman wrote ÒThe StatueÓ and other poems
                     because he felt a loss of trust in his fellow man, and a loss of being cared for
                     by his fellow man. ÒThe poet, rejected by all but fellow poets, is forced by
                     hostile environment to the edge of madnessÓ (Arpin 21). The worldly view of
                     mankind is different than the poetic view. Berryman feels that the people of
                     the world are too materialistic and oblivious to really understand each other.
                     He speaks of a world that has been ruined by manÕs selfishness. The city that
                     the statue looks upon is ravaged by defeat, failure, and frustration. Berryman
                     thinks mankind is doomed because of its coldness. He also speaks of lovers,
                     whose Òhappiness runs out like water,Ó because they truly do not care for
                     each other, but the statue can see. The statue, Òhas become a visionary
                     figure that can see when those around him are blindedÓ (Arpin 19). ManÕs
                     attitude causes the poet to express his viewpoints in modern poetry. ÒThe
                     StatueÓ has elements of French Symbolism, which helped to start the modern
                     poetry movement. In French Symbolism, common objects or elements are
                     viewed as symbols of something deeper. The statue is the symbolic center of
                     the poem, according to Conarroe. The statue symbolizes, of course, the poet.
                     It represents the poets feelings and emotions. The statue represents a
                     constant, while everything else is changing. It also represents pain, as it is
                     falling apart, like the poets hopes and dreams. Winter is used as a symbol to
                     develop the modern poem. According to Arpin, Berryman sees winter as
                     loneliness and desolation. Winter brings the destruction of happiness and
                     contentment. When Berryman says, ÒWinters have not been able to alter its
                     pride,Ó he is referring to winter as a destructive force that must be overcome.
                     Spring and Summer are also used as symbols in the development of the
                     modern poem. Berryman portrays these warm, cheerful seasons as a home to
                     lovers. However, it is only temporary because, ÒTheir happiness runs out like
                     water, of too much sweetness the expected drain.Ó Berryman even looks at
                     Spring and Summer cynically, saying they hold false hopes for lovers. ÒThey
                     trust their Spring; they have not seen the statue.Ó People of the world are
                     even oblivious to their relationships. The last element of modernism in ÒThe
                     StatueÓ is manÕs perception of reality. The poet sees reality in a different light
                     than other men. Ellmann says the poet questions reality. This is evident
                     throughout the whole poem, as the statue tries to establish his existence in
                     this unstable world. John Bayley says that Berryman feels the need to
                     establish his existence as a poet through the statue. According to John Arpin,
                     Berryman fears the future, because he does not know what it holds.
                     Jovanovich says that individual ideas are very important in the way one sees
                     reality. In order to discover himself and reality, Berryman must Òcut himself [the
                     statue] offÓ from the rest of the world (Bayley 80). The worldly perception of
                     reality also greatly differs from the poetic perception. Once again, Berryman
                     feels that people are too materialistic, this time in their view of reality. Joel
                     Conarroe says that Berryman feels that man is too materialistic to understand
                     reality. Berryman believes that man is ÒanimalÓ, and can only function on the
                     surface level. They are oblivious to their fate. He says that their happiness will
                     soon run out, but they are too ÒblindÓ to realize what they are doing. Man has
                     a false perception of reality. ÒThe StatueÓ by John Berryman shows the
                     differences between the poet and the rest of the world. It portrays the
                     coldness of mankind, and the bitterness of poets. Because of form and
                     content, ÒThe StatueÓ by John Berryman is a modern poem. WORKS CITED
                     Ackerman, Diane. ÒNear the Top a Bad Turn Dared.Ó Modern Critical Views. p.
                     101. Arpin, Gary. The Poetry of John Berryman. New York and London:
                     Kennikat Press Corporation, 1978. Bayley, John. ÒJohn Berryman: A question
                     of Imperial Sway.Ó Modern Critical Views. p. 71. Conarroe, Joel. John
                     Berryman: An Introduction to the poetry. New York: Columbus University
                     Press, 1977. Ellmann, Richard,ed. and OÕClair, Robert,ed. The Norton
                     Anthology of Modern Poetry. New York and London: W.W. Norton and
                     Company, Inc., 1988. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Publishers. ÒLiterary
                     Modernism.Ó Adventures in American Literature. p. 574. Harcourt Brace
                     Jocanovich, Publishers. ÒModern Poetry.Ó Adventures in American Literature.
                     p. 738. The Times Literary Supplement. ÒThe Life of the Modern Poet.Ó
                     Contemporary Literary Criticism Vol. 3, pp. 67-68.