Amy Lowell defines the hopeful liberty of women in the 20th century through a central theme in the poem "Patterns". The woman's dreams of eluding from the boundaries that society has placed on her fritters away when she learns of her lover’s untimely death. She restricts herself from feeling to make it seem as if there is “not softness anywhere” about her. Due to being constricted by “whalebone and brocade,” the speaker feels like she is forced to live up to the rules that society enforces upon her. The numerous images that the speaker uses in this poem like the fluid motions of the flowers and water drops, the dressand her daydreams of her lover all play an important part in developing the theme of Freedom. At the beginning of "Patterns", the speaker illustrates daffodils dancing freely in the wind. This use of imagery is a tool to appeal to the audiences' sense of sight, these flowers are given movement, and they are described as, "blowing," and "Fluttering in the breeze,” This description produces a sense of flexibility. The woman has a desire to be like the flowers, self-confident and carefree. The second stanza of the poem begins with the woman describing the water in the marble fountain. The "plashing of water drops" demonstrates liquid in motion. She notices such little details in a fountain which shows how much the woman aspires to be free and able to move about as she wishes. The buoyant movement of the flowers and the water represents a way of life that
In the first verse Griffin begins her poem by describing the flower in a field. Within the first few lines, imagery is used in such a way that it creates a vivid picture for the reader. “Love should grow up like a wild iris in the fields/ unexpected, after a terrible storm, opening a purple/ mouth to the rain, with not a thought to the future/ ignorant of the grass and the graveyard of leaves/ around,
In the poem “It’s a Woman’s World,” Eavan Boland uses many poetic devices such as alliteration, simile, and enjambment in order to explain life from a woman’s point of view and how women have lived the same since the beginning of time.
As the poem begins, the reader immediately visualizes someone playing outside in a “polka dot dress,” and this someone is the personification of poetry (1). Forman uses
In analyzation, the connotation aspect of this poem is how women during this time, specifically white women, used their power over black men and their freedom. Although the texts’ literal interpretation, or denotation,
To begin with, the author’s implementation of short sentence fragments throughout the poem illustrates the exasperation and frustration bottled up in women in response to
He describes her singing as “quick” and “light and lose” as if she is casting a spell on him. He then describes how dazzled he was by her “flowing knees,” and how smoothly her body moved. He describes the woman as the dance she taught to him when he states that, "her several parts could keep a pure repose, /Or one hip quiver with a mobile nose," showing how everything about her is fluid not only in her movements. He thinks of her as a magical creature that moves in "circles, and those circles moved," showing the ways in which she fascinates
The use of symbolism and imagery is beautifully orchestrated in a magnificent dance of emotion that is resonated throughout the poem. The two main ideas that are keen to resurface are that of personal growth and freedom. Furthermore, at first glimpse this can be seen as a simple poem about a women’s struggle with her counterpart. However, this meaning can be interpreted more profoundly than just the causality of a bad relationship.
In “It’s a Woman's World,” Eavan Boland utilizes several literary techniques to reveal the poem’s complex conception of a “woman’s world.” Boland sheds light on the static nature of a woman’s role in society, which sparks their desire to overcome the societal limitations that is put upon them by men. Through her sarcastic title, use of personification, and critical tone, Boland is able to expose both genders stereotypical responsibilities and to convey society’s desire to silence women’s outrage against their role in this world.
The literary devices that May uses throughout the poem represent the understanding of the human mind. May states,“I've grown in secret.” The plants that the speaker tends to are a metaphor to illustrate self identity. By growing in secret, the speaker mind and understanding grows like a plant, unnoticed by the world. In addition, this illustrates that one’s self identity is found through the growth of understanding about one’s self. A flower is a garderns goal to achieve, as in a goal for
Louisa lives a life of imprisonment and seclusion, no longer yearning for change or companionship. She has developed a routine that she is content with, that satisfies her. Louisa’s solitude is mirrored by
He sees the universe as a harmonious whole, in which every subject reflects and echoes the other. The daffodils became the speaker’s companions in the third stanza, and they were describing as “the jocund company” by the poet. He enjoys the company of the dancing daffodils, which brings him happiness and joy.
The woman in the poem feels as if she is being forgotten by her husband and children. As she gets older, she experiences loss of loved ones until she is seemingly alone. Not surprising whatsoever, Gwendolyn Brooks has made yet another relatable poem. Whether they admit it or not, everyone in their lifetime feels as if they are lonely in some hard times. Brooks has the ability to create a character that portrays a complicated feeling incredibly well, which is a quality that every writer would wish to accomplish. Brooks’ talent as a writer is heightened in this poem, mostly because she shows how much she truly can transform her writing into a complex poem for audiences to think about. In doing this, she uses personification to add to the creativity of this poem in the line “the grasses forgetting their blaze and consenting to brown.” This is symbolic for autumn and the aging of a person’s physical features, because just as plants age from spring to fall, people age from a child to grow wrinkly, shriveled and no longer full of youth. Brooks incorporates repetition into this specific poem. For example, in this piece of poetry she repeats “I am a woman,” ”it is summer-gone,” and writes “I am cold in this cold house this house.” All of these uses of repetition emphasize the development from a younger woman to the older-age of womanhood. The manner Gwendolyn Brooks goes about writing this poem hints to the
Amy Lowell is an American imagist poet who uses descriptive language to create specific images in a readers mind. Set in the Victorian era (1800’s,) the dramatic monologue ‘Patterns’ explores the restrictions of unmarried women in society and the desire for freedom. My view of these issues is that of a feminist reader living in a democratic modern day society, where men and women live in a state of equality and have the right to express their opinions. A feminist reading focuses on the specific treatment of women. Through Lowell’s wondrous use of the poetic techniques, primarily visual imagery (symbolism, repetition, contrasts) and poetic voice (persona and tone,) a modern day feminist reader’s negative views of the restricted lifestyles
Louisa May Alcott, best known as the author of Little Women, was an advocate of women’s rights and temperance. Published in 1868, Little Women follows the lives, loves and tribulations of three sisters growing up during American civil war. The independence of women is a major theme in Little Women. Since its publication the novel has constantly been read and remembered for its feminist spirit. Little Women examines the place of women in society by presenting the portraits of several very different but equally praiseworthy women. We experience their multifarious interpretations of femininity and we see a range of diverse possibilities for integrating women into the society.
Wordsworth continues to relay his experience in nature as he expounds upon the affiliation between the daffodils and another natural element. Applying simile, the poet connects the flowers to the stars, "Continuous as the stars that shine / And twinkle on the milky way" (7-8). A mental picture of infinite flowers is created, while "shine" and "twinkle" produce an image of light. Wordsworth uses the light imagery to link the two aspects of nature; the luminous stars of the night and "golden" daffodils of the day. The link shows the reader the connection the poet sees in different facets of nature. The second stanza continues the description of the dance "Ten thousand saw I at a glance, / Tossing their heads in sprightly dance" (12). The image created is of large numbers of flowers moving in unison and expresses the harmony the poet finds in nature. The usage of "sprightly" makes another reference to light, but in the sense of movement and weight as "cloud" and "floats" were utilized in the first stanza. Diction in the second stanza provides the reader with a multi-dimensional prospective of Wordsworth's imagery by giving the images action, feeling and weight.