Question

Modernist poetry explored the problems that arose from rapid urbanization and industrialization in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Which two lines in this excerpt from "Anecdote of the Jar" by Wallace Stevens reflect the themes of barrenness and emptiness in modern life? The wilderness rose up to it, And sprawled around, no longer wild. The jar was round upon the ground And tall and of a port in air. It took dominion everywhere. The jar was gray and bare. It did not give of bird or bush, Like nothing else in Tennessee.

Answer 1

Wallace Stevens's "Anecdote of the Jar", written in 1919, reflects the idea of environment versus human progress. By considering an object of everyday life set in the wilderness, he shows this conception. The two lines that reflect the themes of barreness and emptiness are:

The jar was gray and bare.

It did not give of bird or bush,

At beginning of the poem, the writer describes this jar as an object that starts modifying the natural environment in which it is placed, the jar is constantly changing. However, at the end, it is only a bare object that implies the idea of barrenness and emptiness.

Answer 2

The jar was gray and bare. It did not give of bird or bush, Like nothing else in Tennessee. barrenness and emptiness.
Just look for things that seem sad, depressing and or "gray and bare. "