The+Paper+Nautilus

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"The Paper Nautilus" is a poem written by Marianne Moore and greatly reflects Modernism writing for many of the Modernism qualities it portrays in the writing. This poem shows the different points of interest vs self-interest (On "The Paper nautilus"). This is important to Modernism writing because interest and self-interest go hand in hand in many important events during the Modernism time period. Also, the poem points to the importance of women in order to gain support for the women's rights movement. The women's rights movement is a very important movement in the Modernism period and many Modernism authors use it in their poems. Moore uses many experiences and interests in her poems which help show many similarities. She commonly uses baseball, or in this poem's case, animals from nature in her writings (Marianne Moore). "The Paper Nautilus" is an example of Modernism writing for the themes and Modernism traits Moore uses to make this poem unique.

The main theme of this poem is self-interest vs. the needs of others (On "The Paper Nautilus"). The mother paper nautilus is doing her best to prepare for and take care of the child she is about to give birth to. The poem points to the fact that the nautilus hardly eats, and protects her child within her shell. This is a very selfless act and shows that the mother greatly cares for her child (On "The Paper Nautilus"). This selflessness is a Modernism trait because of many events that coincide with Modernism, such as the Great Depression, and how they show that selflessness can still exist in a time when the only way to survive is to be selfish (On "The Paper Nautilus). For instance, during the Great Depression, many families lost everything when the stock market crashed and were forced to live on the streets. Especially in Hoovervilles, where there were many poor people packed in a small area living in small huts made from whatever materials could be gathered, people would share food or help others to survive (On "The Paper Nautilus). This kind of selflessness inspired many people to be selfless as well and gave many people hope in such a dark time.

Women Rights was an important topic for the Modernist Writers (The Paper Nautilus). Moore portrays how important women are to society and the world through the mother Nautilus. The mother protects her child and does what she can to provide for it, and most importantly she loves the child. This is important because Moore is trying to show how women are crucial to society and deserve more rights by portraying them in the conventional views of mothering and house women (The Paper Nautilus). Many people, even women, during this period felt women should stay home and run their houses. These critics of the women's rights movement used this conventional view of women to essentially state that the home is where women belong. Moore is using it to show that women can be much more than just conventional housewives (On "The paper Nautilus"). She is trying to show that if women can manage their homes, then they can be trusted with more responsibility such as the right to vote.

Marianne Moore wrote this poem as a gift for a friend. Elizabeth Bishop, a close personal friend of Moore, gave her a real nautilus shell. (On "The Paper nautilus"). Moore, in return for the nautilus shell, wrote this poem as a thank you for the gift. She felt that it would be a clever way to give her thanks for the gift that she felt was very special (On "The Paper nautilus"). Moore commonly used examples of nature in her poems as well (Marianne Moore). She used words that are descriptive and get right down to the point. It is uncommon for her to be crafty with her writing to try and confuse her readers. She preferred to get right to the point with descriptive words and imagery. One example of this is the nautilus which is an animal in nature she used to great effect in this particular poem. Moore is also a fan of baseball which often influences her writing (Marianne Moore). She even wrote a whole poem about baseball titled "Baseball and Writing" (Baseball and Writing). In this poem she used many of the same writing characteristics as she did in this poem. In many of the stanzas she made references to animals, which she commonly did in her writings, such as an owl, a puma, and a tiger (Baseball and Writing). These references are important because in almost all of her poems she referenced nature and animals in one way or another and it is a recurring theme she used (Marianne Moore). Baseball was a major influence and a great inspiration on Marianne Moore's life. She loved to watch baseball and even speak with others about it whenever she got the opportunity. She loved baseball so much that she wrote poems about it and also made many references to it in her other works (Marianne Moore). When compared with other Modernism writers, such as T.S. Eliot, Moore greatly differs. Moore does follow the traditional Modernism example of having the hero of the story in a difficult situation while Eliot most often does. In "The Paper nautilus", Moore uses nature and the love of the mother nautilus to portray a world that is caring and compassionate (On "The Paper Nautilus").

In "Baseball and Writing", Moore uses her love of baseball to describe the events of a baseball game in order to show excitement and entertainment. (Baseball and Writing). These differ from Eliot's writing because Eliot focuses on the darker side of life in many of his poems. "The Journey of the Magi" is one of Eliot's poems focusing on the difficult journey through hardship by the main character (The Journey of the Magi). Ultimately, the poem ends well but the overall theme of it is that the main character had to face many difficulties in order to rise back to prominence and a better life (The Journey of the Magi). Another poem written by Eliot, "The Love Song of Alfred J. Prufrock", is another poem that focuses on the hardships of the main character. In this poem, the main character walks through the city streets at night reflecting upon how sad his life is and what he feels is wrong with the world (The Love Song of Alfred J. Prufrock). In comparison, Moore tends to not focus on gloom and despair in her poems, but rather happiness while Eliot shows the dark side of life through many of his characters.

Marianne Moore used many Modernism writing qualities in her poem "The Paper Nautilus". She used the underlying theme of self vs selflessness to show how important it is to help others and be selfless. The poem described the importance of women as mothers in order to prove that women are responsible enough to obtain more rights. Moore also used her love of baseball and many references to nature to great effect in her poem. She was even able to use her characteristic style of being short and to the point instead of flowery and complicated in her writings. "The Paper Nautilus" is an excellent example of Modernism writing because of the themes and qualities that Marianne Moore effectively used in her poem which accurately portray Modernism writing.

Citations-

"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock." //Bartleby.com//. Bartleby.com. Web. 30 Apr. 2010. .

"Baseball and Writing." //Poets.org//. Poets.org. Web. 30 Apr. 2010. .

Heuving, Jeanne. "On "The Paper Nautilus"" //Modern American Poetry//. English.illinois.edu. Web. 30 Apr. 2010. .

"Marianne Moore." //Poets.org//. Poets.org. Web. 30 Apr. 2010. .

"The Paper Nautilus." //Poets.org//. Poets.org. Web. 30 Apr. 2010. .

"The Journey of the Magi." //Blight.com//. Blight.com. Web. 30 Apr. 2010. .