Doolittle’s American Dream She has been described as a “frenetic” traveler, an “innovative” author, but most of all, an American whose bond with her nation “was fundamental in her literary imagination” (Kelly 394). Hilda Doolittle, otherwise known as H.D., was all of these and more. From her poems, “Sea Rose” is a fine example of modernist writing in an age where new literary sights had become conceivable and American authors were set on its experimentation. Before this movement, traditional methods of writing and form were rarely broken in literature; but by the 1910s, this shift in stylistic approach revolutionized the way that writers expressed their ideas and experiences. H.D. was one of the first of these authors to navigate the new land
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was known as one of the most important figures in modernism. Her work has been regarded as highly intuitive to America on a personal and political level (Kelly 395), and as such should be part of the “Modernism Movement” unit. Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” although outwardly dissimilar to H.D.’s “Sea Rose,” would be a choice poem to be replaced by H.D.’s work. According to Songling Zhang from Chongqing Normal University, Frost incorporated Freudian theory into this poem through a “psychological journey of ‘I’” (Zhang 44) by speaking from different thought motivations coming from the id, ego, and the superego. One of the noteworthy themes in “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” is the idea that it is sometimes a necessity to step back from the “allure in the modern world” (Zhang 45) to find peace of mind. This interpretation alone demonstrates the experimental element, as well as the alienation aspect, of Frost’s work, and its portrayal of literature’s modern era. However, H.D. readily incorporated experimentation into Sea Garden as well. The poem “Sea Rose” on the surface illustrates with delicate imagery a weathered rose; but with careful speculation, the subtle metaphor of hardships faced by immigrants is made apparent. As a well-respected author whose experiences enlightened each one of her works, H.D. should be made known to students who are reading about modernism. Her legacy cannot be taken for granted, and “Sea Rose” is an example of modernist writing that is far beyond that of Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy
was known as one of the most important figures in modernism. Her work has been regarded as highly intuitive to America on a personal and political level (Kelly 395), and as such should be part of the “Modernism Movement” unit. Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” although outwardly dissimilar to H.D.’s “Sea Rose,” would be a choice poem to be replaced by H.D.’s work. According to Songling Zhang from Chongqing Normal University, Frost incorporated Freudian theory into this poem through a “psychological journey of ‘I’” (Zhang 44) by speaking from different thought motivations coming from the id, ego, and the superego. One of the noteworthy themes in “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” is the idea that it is sometimes a necessity to step back from the “allure in the modern world” (Zhang 45) to find peace of mind. This interpretation alone demonstrates the experimental element, as well as the alienation aspect, of Frost’s work, and its portrayal of literature’s modern era. However, H.D. readily incorporated experimentation into Sea Garden as well. The poem “Sea Rose” on the surface illustrates with delicate imagery a weathered rose; but with careful speculation, the subtle metaphor of hardships faced by immigrants is made apparent. As a well-respected author whose experiences enlightened each one of her works, H.D. should be made known to students who are reading about modernism. Her legacy cannot be taken for granted, and “Sea Rose” is an example of modernist writing that is far beyond that of Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy