apparition (Line 1)

Importance: Here, at the very beginning of the poem, Pound questions the setting of the metro, the "faces," and the "crowd," by referring to them all as a mere "apparition" (1). In this way, he immediately causes readers to question their claim to reality and even the veracity of Pound's description. An "apparition" typically describes a ghost, an angel, or even a fairy; it points to the presence of something either supernatural or entirely illusory (1). In a single word, Pound sets his readers up to be open to alternative realities, imaginings of faraway, better worlds that, in fact, are delivered in the very next line. Thus, "In a Station of the Metro" is as much about the realities of Parisian commuter life as it is about the claims our imagination has on our lived experience.

crowd (Line 1)

Importance: Here, Pound unaffectionately describes the many "faces" that surround him on the metro (1). Not a...