Patterns by Amy Lowell Essay -- Patterns Amy Lowell Essays

"Patterns" by Amy Lowell When one hears the words, "I sink on a seat in the shade," they will most likely form a visual image in their head, such as a person sitting under a tree. Amy Lowell, an imagist, uses sharp images, precise wording, and figurative speech as a means of poetic expression to arouse the senses of the reader. In "Patterns," Amy Lowell explores the hopeful liberty of women in the early 20th century through a central theme. A woman’s dream of escaping the boundaries that society has placed on her dissipates when she learns of her lover’s untimely death. Of the many images in this poem, the constant motions of the flowers and waterdrops, the dress the woman is wearing, and her daydreams of her lover are most crucial in developing this theme of freedom. In the beginning of the poem, as well as throughout the work, the speaker describes daffodils and other types of flowers moving freely in the wind. Using imagery to appeal to the reader’s sense of sight, these flowers are given motion, and they are described as, "†¦blowing," (3) and "Flutter[ing] in the breeze," (23). This creates a sense of freedom and flexibility. The woman in the poem, presumably Amy, wishes to be like the moving flowers, carefree and jaunty. In the second stanza of the poem, the woman begins to describe the water in the marble fountain. The, "†¦plashing of waterdrops," (28) and, "†¦plopping of the waterdrops," (54) describe liquid in motion. ...