Name: Md Redoy Rahman

ID: 1621510630

Section: 10 

1. What is meant by the phrase “the author is dead”? How is this showcased in “In A Station of the

Metro” and “Hills Like White Elephants”?

Answer to question no 1.

The phrase “the author is dead” has been an arguable term since the mid-20 th century. In this term, the
author’s intention and view are dead in the literature. What matters is the reader’s view. That means all
the facts and views of the author are no important in the literature. Instead, how a reader reads and
interprets the writings matters the most. In the “Hills Like White Elephants”, this phrase is showcased
well, in my opinion. But in the “In A Station of the Metro”, this phrase might not work well.

In “Hills Like White Elephants”, the author is not saying anything details about the operation. Why the
operation is simple and it is good for her or not. But by reading the story, a reader can understand or
interpret that the author is talking about abortion. Also, the reader may interpret different perspectives
about their conversation and operation, whether the operation might make their relationship better or
not, and so on. Here, the author’s intention or view is not clear or not alive perfectly.

On the contrary, in “In A Station of the Metro”, a 2-line poem, the author is successful to portray his
view and imagination between two scenarios. The author sees a bunch of people in a subway station
and envisions petals on a tree branch in the same way. Similarly, the reader can imagine the same. By
comparing these two scenarios, the reader can easily create a connection between the subway scenario
and petals on a tree branch. The author’s intention, view, or imagination is alive here.

To conclude, literature is all about reading, not writing. So no matter how and what the author writes, if
the reader can find the connection between the writing and its original interpretation, only then the
writing is successful. The phrase “the author is dead” is such a term that focuses more on the reader’s
perfective and less on the writer’s perspective. 

3. What is Imagism? How does “In A Station of the Metro” meet the criteria for Imagist poetry?

Answer to question no 3.

Imagism is a sub-sector of modernism where the author focuses on imagery and clear, sharp language.
Basically, it shows the connection between the real world and the imaginary world of the reader’s mind.
Instead of narrating something, the focus is to recreate the physical experience through the word and
imagination. All the words of the imagism poem contribute to the presentation of recreating the
experience. The “In A Station of the Metro” perfectly meets the criteria for imagist poetry.

To be an Imagist poetry, a poem should fulfill some criteria. The poem should focus on the ‘thing’
whether the thing is subjective and objective. Also, it has to describe the thing in such a way that it
creates a visual scene in the reader’s mind. Besides, there should not be any redundant or unnecessary
words that are not related to the contribution to the imagination. Moreover, it is not mandatory to
follow any rhythm when creating such Imagist poetry. 

Now if we compare all those criteria and the poem “In A Station of the Metro”, we can see that it fulfills
all those criteria. It focuses on creating clear and precise images through clear, precise, accessible
language. With its 20 words, the author manages to evoke a clear picture of a crowded subway station
as well as petals on a tree branch. By placing these two very different scenarios together, the author is
able to remove the line between reality and imagination. No extra words are used here and no intention
to follow the rhythm as well.  It directly invites the reader to create a relationship between urban life
and the natural world.

So overall, this small yet meaningful poem “In A Station of the Metro” is successfully passes the test of
imagism. These 20 words are not focusing but creating an imaginary scenario in the reader’s mind
without using any verb. It is creating a similarity between “faces” and “petals” and an association
between “crowd” and “bough. To conclude, this is a perfect example of an imagist poem.