A Pact

Ezra Pound was born on October 30, 1885, in Hailey, Idaho. Pound advanced a
"modern" movement in English and American literature. Pound helped create a movement
that he and others called “Imagism”, which signaled a new literary direction for the poet.
Pound believed that he was an optimist. Pound is in a fashion outlined his hopes for a dream
society where art and culture was king. His legacy to literature is such that no matter what his
controversial views. A Pact was published as part of his Contemporania (Contemporary
Works) in the April 1913 edition of Poetry Magazine and Ezra Pound calls “ A Pact “ as a
ceasefire between himself and the work of Walt Whitman. Walt Whitman was a poet, who
was famous for his free verse poetry. This poem relates to the relationship between Ezra
Pound and Walt Whitman. Let's take a look at the poem:

A Pact
I make truce with you, Walt Whitman--
I have detested you long enough.
I come to you as a grown child
Who has had a pig-headed father;
I am old enough now to make friends.
It was you that broke the new wood,
Now is a time for carving.
We have one sap and one root-
Let there be commerce between us.'
A Pact is a masterpiece written by Walt Whitman. A pact is an agreement between
two sides, making peace, compromise. The theme of this poem is “Pound’s reflection and
experience on Walt Whitman and especially it can be considered that the theme is “ People
with many perspective and many difference but those difference tight us more and more. This
poem is describing an agreement between two former enemies that have had a bad past. Put
past conflict aside and begin a new relationship in the purpose of this pact. In this poem, we
can see that the poem is about making a pact with a friend who is called “ Walt Whitman “ in
the line 1 “ I make a pact with you “, Pound finds to make amends which Whitman, whose
poetry Pound used to detest by him “ I have detested you long enough “.Especially, in this
line 2, the author uses the word “enough” , which proves that the author hasn’t detested Walt
Whitman anymore, because it’s enough in the past, and in the present he wants to change his
attitude. Pound used to view Whitman as his creative antithesis, but now he grows up, he is
coming to Whitman as a “grown child “and he describes Whitman as a paternal figure. He
thinks that he’s mature and he want to start a relationship with him, a relationship in poetry
area. He admits that his previous behavior was “pig- headed “(line 5). He is reluctant to take
inspiration from anyone. His initial relationship with Whitman is the relationship between
“grown child and father “. He is now approaching Whitman as an apprentice with the intent
to learn from him. In line 6 “I am old enough now to make friends “, the word “enough “is
repeated once again, comparing to the word “enough” in line “ I have detested you long
enough”, we can see that this is a similarity, long enough-old enough which makes us realize
that when the author is mature, his viewpoints and awareness is more obvious to determine
that the bad behavior is enough and he is mature enough to realize that. It can be seen that
Whitman “broke the new wood “, he creates a new path for poetry by finding “new wood
“(line 7:” It was you that broke the new wood). And now it is the time for Pound for
“carving”, he wants to take what Whitman did and refine it. So it can be seen that Pound
realized Whitman’s influence, he offers a backhanded compliment to Whitman. Pound
believes that he is a superior poet. Especially, in the last two sentences 9 and 10: “We have
one sap and one root – Let there be commerce between us “, we can see that in line 9, the
relationship here is tight which can be consider as in a family. But in the line 10, Pound uses
the word “Commerce “. Commerce is a trade of material thing between strangers with no
emotion to create value benefit and commerce is not a friendship, a love.

One of amazing factor of this poem is the feelings of Pound and the way he expresses
his emotion. Pound puts a lot of his feelings in this poem and makes readers feel what does
he feel? In a pact, his feelings towards Whitman are a mix of negative feelings like
detestableness, bitterness, shame and repentance about his behavior in the past. It is also the
positive feeling of hope and admiration about Whitman’s devote and Pound hopes to be
friends, and hopes to refine Whitman’s influence. In the line 3 “I have detested you long
enough “, we can see that Pound uses the word “detest “to say that he has negative feelings
towards Walt Whitman. He insinuates that he felt intimidated by Whitman’s success. He feels
that the poet of Whitman did not show enough restraint and reticence. He feels that Walt is
not like the family’s member. So that is the reason why he detested the Whitman’s road in
poetry. But after years, when Pound is mature, he proclaims that it has lasted “long enough “.
When he is grown up, he feels ashamed and repentant about his last behavior, he admits that
he is “ pig- headed “ , he betrayed Walt for long time. He admires Whitman, this is positive
feeling. Because he realizes the amazing trend in Whitman’s poetry. And now it’s the feeling
desire for reconciliation, he hopes to make friends and it does in an amicable manner. He
wants to make better what Whitman did. He believes that Walt Whitman is the epitome of
American authenticity. Personally, I feel sympathetic for Pound’s bad behavior, because we
are youth, so it is not viable that we can’t do mistakes. Besides, I feel about the strength of
Pound when he accepts his faults courageously and he want to befriend and refine Walt
Whitman’s way.

A striking factor in this poem which attract us is color in author’s tone. Overall, in this
poem , the author uses a mix of tone to express his confess. There are the regretful tone, the
urgent tone, the reflective tone and the optimistic tone. In line 1 , we can realize the urgent
tone of Pound. He seriously wants to make a pact with Whitman. In this poem it is clear that
listener is addressed directly in line 1 “ I make a pact with you” . This address to the listener
as “ you “ in repeat in line 2 and 3. Especially, “ you “ in this context is Whitman because in
line 1 , we can see that the author mentions the name of one person who called “ Walt
Whitman” so the listener here is Whitman and the speaker is the author when he say “ I “ and
“ I “ here is the first person .Clearly, in this line when we see the word “ detest “ and “
enough “, which makes us realize that Pound regrets about his detestableness for Walt
Whitman in the past and he wishes that he didn’t do that. This repeated “you “ indicates an
attitude of direct address of the speaker talking to someone and Whitman, in specific. The
author sends a message to Whitman. In line 2,3,4, besides the regretful tone in line 2, we can
see that his tone here shows that this is the tone of telling and reflection, showing his thought,
his confess, behavior with Walt in the past, he confesses about his activities when he was
young. In the line 9, the author uses “We “. He identifies with the people who share his
views, a sense of solidarity, his tone here is the tone of adoration and appreciation for
Whitman expressed in the poem. In the line 5, the author use “a pig headed father “ to address
Whitman, he still learns form Whitman as a father figure.Actually from line 6 to the end, it
can be easily realize that Pound is talking with the tone of optimistic. He hopes to be friend
with Walt Whitman, he hopes to follow this road and he hopes to much dedicate for
American’s poetry and it is a dream of Pound. Half of the poem is a respectful and friendly
manner Pound expressing to talk with his predecessor. The rest was to emerge in an
optimistic and appreciative tone about the future.

The author writes this poem with many intentions. One aim is to remind people about
the youth may have something wrong. We are usually stubborn and we don’t consider
problems thoroughly. The second aim is that we should learn from the old generation, and
make it refine in our young generation save nice things from the past but it’s necessary to
head off to new things in the future, modern poets would learn from their predecessors' work,
just as a son could learn from his father. Besides, we should admire the devote of the old
people. Sometimes, it’s an unfortunate fact of growing up, many of us have probably been
different with our parents at some viewpoints in our life. Parents may not like our friends,
they don’t want us to do something, or we almost inevitably end up feeling at least a little
animosity towards our parents from some reasons. Pound expresses that his own parental
pains in is growing up – not as person, but as an artist. The extended metaphor “ tree-
organic, growing – Whitman is the person who has broken the new wood and he “ carve “
this new wood. Whitman with physical aspects of revolution, claiming the more aesthetical
aspect for Pound. Pound has not entirely rejected his former relationship to Whitman. Pound
observes between his own poetic practice and the practice of the older poet. A third aim is to
respect and humble with the old generation and have passion to refine the modern life from
old things. Like in poetry, we can’t remain all old rules, we should have new and novel things
to make it better. A fourth aim is to prove that Pound is a courage person to admit his
mistakes and acquire the Whitman’s influence. A final aim is that sometimes in our life, we
can be in disagreement with someone but it’s a valuable option for us to learn how to listen
and put past conflict aside, reconcile and begin a new relationship like the way Pound realize
his blunder, commence new friendship in an amicable manner with Walt Whitman

To recap, from my perspective, I have many meaningful lessons from “A Pact “. In

our modern society, we have a chance to access with many novel and attractive things.
Sometimes, we don’t appreciate the dedication of our predecessor, we are not enraptured by
their works. But it ‘s a narrow-minded mindset, because we should learn and acquire from the
old things and improve them better in the modern life. Finally, it’s a reminder to me to reflect
about my past, my mistakes whether I am courage to accept my fault like Pound did or not ?
We are usually intolerant and it’s not easy to apologize for our wrongs and Pound can do that.