Neruda 7/21/19

Although Pablo Neruda survived poverty while working and studying, he clearly remembered his humble roots when he became a diplomat (Puchner 1421). His experiences encouraged him to fight for the people’s rights and betterment, therefore painting his view of modernity and capitalism. Based on Neruda’s account in “Walking Around,” the emerging view of the city appears mundane and tawdry. Neruda seems dismayed by the modern appearance of his city.

In his 1933 poem, Neruda expresses his dissatisfaction with being human. All the trappings of modern humanity depress Neruda to the point that he feels as though he’s “a root in the dark” trying to find the light (Neruda ln 18). He sees modern inventions and items for sale, which causes his inner turmoil regarding his manhood. Neruda implies that he’s simply existing until he arrives at the grave, simply drifting through life consuming as modern humanity expects. His perspective clearly encouraged Neruda to join the Communist Party of Chile in order to advocate for his community (Puchner 1421). Urban dwelling did not always provide the best living conditions for the poorest individuals. Even the birds appear stained by pollution, and clothing drying in the streets still drips with dirty water (Neruda 1424).

The emerging view of the city in Neruda’s poem illustrates how capitalism and modernization created social disparities and a separation from nature. By the time Neruda wrote “Walking Around,” he surely visited countless cities -- finding deplorable living conditions and an emphasis on consuming more than necessary. If one were to pair his poem with an image, the classic commercial featuring Iron Eyes Cody shedding a tear over litter seems most suiting to Neruda’s despair over the city’s condition (Waldman 1999).

Works Cited
Neruda, Pablo. “Walking Around.” The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Gen. ed. Martin Puchner. Shorter Third edition. Vol. 2. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2013. 1423-1424.
Puchner, Martin. “Pablo Neruda.” The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Gen. ed. Martin Puchner. Shorter Third edition. Vol. 2. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2013. 1421-1422.
Waldman, Amy. “Iron Eyes Cody, 94, an Actor And Tearful Anti-Littering Icon.” New York Times, 1999. https://www.nytimes.com/1999/01/05/arts/iron-eyes-cody-94-an-actor-and-tearful-anti-littering-icon.html.