Introduction
Artistry and poetry have the unique ability to affect how one perceives the world, and together they allow for a new type of critical thinking to evolve out of artistic vision. Specifically, the United States has been the breeding ground for some of the most prolific writers that have shaped current-day culture. In the short time that this country has been established, we have experienced two world wars and tremendous expansion through our economics, structure, and culture. As expected, rapid change is usually met with critical opinion, and poet Ezra Pound was highly influential during the World War II-era as a major figure of the modernist movement. In December of 2004, Ellen Elaine Cardona submitted a dissertation to the faculty of the University of Texas at Dallas that detailed a historical study of Ezra Pound’s anti-Semitism. In conjunction with the work that Mrs. Cardona has already produced, we will be critically observing how Ezra Pound formed his anti-Semitic views. Ezra was an American that highly influenced English literature, and as a Jewish American, I am thoroughly interested in understanding how such an influential writer was influenced to be anti-Semitic.
Patterns in Ezra Pound’s Writing Style
Like most writers and poets, Ezra had specific patterns that he followed throughout his writing. The exploration of them is interesting not only from a linguistic and literary point of view but also helps to track the anti-Semitic traits in his writing. As mentioned by Cardona, the concepts of conspiracy and usury are mentioned by Pound repeatedly (98). What is more, “through all of Pound’s published articles, he follows a pattern of finding an enemy and writing about this enemy until he has exhausted the subject and his readers” (Cardona 104). According to the researcher, a good description of Ezra’s writing style is provided by Wyndham Lewis, who states that “poetry falls apart when he describes events or people in the present” (Cardona 104). The reason is that Ezra always treats living people merely as certain types, while men of the past make Pound fill his writings with classical allusions. While Pound took ideas from a number of writers, he was influenced by Willis Overholser because Ezra frequently cited him.
U.S. Events that Impacted Ezra Pound
There were an extended number of events that impacted Ezra’s views on life and made him develop his anti-Semitic traits. The following subsections are devoted to the discussion of the most significant events and processes that took place in America. As noticed by Cardona, Pound managed to find three historical proofs of the existence of the plot, and these proofs are evident throughout his radio speeches and writings (109). Overall, it is possible to say that Pound’s anti-Semitism is built upon the foundation of the U.S. financial handling. To be more precise, the American Revolution, Hazard Circular, and the involvement of the Rothschilds impacted Pound the most. Finally, the effects of the National Bank Act of 1863 will also be discussed.
The American Revolution
Pound frequently cited the work of Willis Overholser, A Short Review and Analysis of the History of Money in the United States. In that writing, Overholser claims that “the American Revolution was a direct result of England’s denying the colony use of money that the colony created” (Cardona 109). Thus, Pound often highlights the real cause of the American Revolution – the colonists were deprived of their right to create money, and their control of money was given to the bankers. Ezra Pound insisted that “this war was fought in order that America could possess the right to create its own money” and finds this date very important (Cardona 138). Finally, Pound believed that the American Revolution should have been seen as a part of a greater process, as an incident in a series of important events.
Hazard Circular
Further, Pound also mentions Hazard Circular frequently and finds it to be proof of the conspiracy. In this conspiracy, international bankers “contributed to the suppression of the state’s constitutional right to create its own money” (Cardona 114). Further, Pound thinks that the passing of the National Banking Act and the greenback failure are the responsibility of the international financiers (Cardona 114). The Hazard Circular made it evident to Ezra that the powerful Jews participated in the plot. Operating through the Bank of England, they wanted to enslave the people of the U.S. by controlling their money supply.
The Involvement of the Rothschilds
The third proof of the conspiracy that Pound used in his writings was the letter by the Rothschild Brothers. In this letter, they write that only a few people who will understand the new system will enjoy its benefits, while the others, the incapable ones, will carry the burdens and pay the prices, not even knowing about this (Cardona 115). Pound considered this letter the ‘great betrayal’ “because the Rothschilds became more involved in the American banking system” (Cardona 116). Therefore, the role and power of the Rothschilds frustrated Pound and ensured him of the betrayal and hostility of the Jews.
National Bank Act of 1863
It is possible to say that the acceptance of the National Banking Act of 1863 served as a way for the international bankers and powerful Jews to get control over America’s creation of money. What worried Pound was that the Jews were highly interested in the enactment of the National Banking Act, which is why they distributed the Hazard Circular (Cardona 111). Another conspiracy purpose of the act was to eliminate the flow of greenback, money created during the American Civil War. As stated in the Hazard Circular, the Jews could not control the flow of greenback, so they needed bonds to control the bank issues (Cardona 111). Consequently, the acceptance of the National Banking Act of 1863 was another victory for the powerful Jews involved in the conspiracy against America.
Areas of Pound’s Anti-Semitism
Overall, Pound’s anti-Semitism may be divided into two areas he paid specific attention to. According to Cardona, when Pound stayed in Italy, “his broadcasts turned to diatribes regarding Jewish conspiracy and usury” (98). While these ideas and considerations existed in Ezra Pound’s mind before the war, he did not accuse the Jews prior to its beginning. One may ask why Pound even got interested in the study of the Jews’ role in the conspiracy. The answer is that his path “was a result of anger and frustration that he felt because he was yet again involved in another war,” and he did not want America and Italy to take part in the war (Cardona 103). Therefore, the powerful, usury Jews became Ezra Pound’s personal enemy. Precisely the Jews’ involvement in conspiracy and usury against the U.S. triggered Pound’s anti-Semitic views and ideas. He wanted America to have the right to create its own money and control the banking system, but the power of the Jews allowed them to trick the U.S.
Conclusion
To draw a conclusion, one may say that it is quite evident how Ezra Pound developed his anti-Semitic views and managed to find several pieces of evidence proving the existence of the conspiracy. The American Revolution, the involvement of Rothschilds, and Hazard Circular made it clear to Pound that the Jews were included in the conspiracy, and this is how Ezra’s own opinion about this nation changed. Further, it is vital to notice that the 2004 dissertation by Ellen Elaine Cardona, which is the writing that inspired this paper and is frequently cited in it, is a great and insightful piece. In her writing, Cardona provides valuable information regarding the topic and also states that some of the facts and ideas of Pound can actually be not backed up by real facts. Overall, Cardona’s dissertation is a fundamental article that makes it possible to learn many facts about Pound’s anti-Semitic views.
Work Cited
Cardona, Ellen Elaine. “A Historical Study of Ezra Pound’s Anti -Semitism.” The University of Texas at Dallas, 2004.