In a Station of the Metro

A contemporary of W. B. Yeats, Robert Frost, and Wallace Stevens, Pound is considered one of the 20th century’s most influential poets. He contributed to the Modernist movement, and he championed for many of the 20th century’s Modernist and avant-garde poets including T. S. Eliot. He also developed historic intellectual and aesthetic exchanges between the United States and Europe. Published in April 1913, “In a Station of the Metro” appeared at a hugely significant time in history. In the United States, the Sixteenth Amendment, which authorized the federal government to impose and collect income taxes received ratification. The Armory Show, which displayed the work of yet-to-be influential painters, opened in New York City, and in Washington DC, the Women’s Suffrage Procession took place. Woodrow Wilson was sworn in as President, along with Thomas R. Marshall as Vice President. In April 1913, the Seventeenth Amendment passed; it dictated the direct election of senators. Later, in October, the Ford Motor Company began producing the Model T. In December 1913, Woodrow Wilson created the Federal Reserve.

1913 also ushered in a transforming series of global events. In January, in the First Balkan War, at the Battle of Lemnos, Greek admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis forced the Turkish fleet to retreat to its base.