How does the author of this extract understand modernism? Support your response with a direct quote from the text. Modernism can be described as a movement that has been took place in late nineteenth and early twentieth century. This essay will discuss how the author understand modernism by, explaining how modernism eventuated to the integration of mankind and the way that it can jeopardize past traditions and create new ideas.
Firstly, it can be mentioned that one of the outcomes of modernism is the destruction of limits and borders. It results to accretion of society and devastation of classes and believes and unite all members of that society. Berman believes that modernism is a paradoxical integration, as he states: “modernism pours us all into a maelstrom of perpetual disintegration and renewal, of struggle and contradiction, of ambiguity and anguish.”(Berman, 1982). This quote suggests that modernity is the termination of some diversities which may result to severity.
Secondly, it can be noted that the experiences of modernity have been considered as a fulmination to believes and history of the society. However, there is a group of ethics and ideas that have been created during this movement. Berman states that: “although most of these people have probably experienced modernity as a radical threat to all their history and traditions, it has, in the course of five centuries, developed a rich history and a plenitude of traditions of its own.”(Berman, 1982). These new ideas can assist society to control the new way of their life and make it their own.
In conclusion, this essay explained modernism with referring to some ideas and quotes of the author. Firstly, it explained the way that modernism unit all members of a society and secondly how modernism can develop new traditions as well as threating the old ones. Furthermore, todays society is experiencing post- modernism, which is a great result of what happened in twentieth century and how
Bibliography: Berman, M. all that is solid melts into air: the experience of modernism, Simon and Schuster, New York, pp. 15-16, 1982.