In a Station of the Metro

The poem in its entirety serves as an experience. However, the title and the poem’s two lines also serve as independent experiences working together to create a larger experience. The title establishes the urban setting. In this urban setting, the people blur together, appearing like “apparitions” (Line 1). The “apparitions” (Line 1) are ghostly, haunting, and their appearance adds to the fleeting nature of the poem and the speaker’s experience. The word “faces” (Line 1) is also an important key in this line. “Faces” (Line 1) makes the line more personal, which contrasts the title’s objectivity. The speaker’s usage of the word “faces” (Line 1) is also important because a person’s face is typically what others notice first. Facial expressions are a means of communication. Faces are also how people distinguish one person from another. However, the speaker’s usage of the word “apparition” (Line 1) in correlation to “faces” (Line 1) also conveys the speaker’s detachment. The speaker is involved and present in the scene, and yet because they cannot connect with anyone specific, they are detached. Also, the metro’s crowd and busyness detach the speaker. The distancing also acts as a