Imagism
The Imagist movement included English and American poets in the early 20th century who wrote free verse and were dedicated to "clarity of expression through the use of precise visual images." Imagism officially began in 1912 when Ezra Pound read and marked up a poem by Hilda Dolittle, signed it "H.D. Imagiste," and sent it to Harriet Monroe at Poetry (a prominent poetry magazine at the time). Although the Imagist movement was over by 1917, Imagist doctrine influenced free verse poetry for most of the 20th century. Click the link below to read a wonderful poem by Amy Lowell.
Poem Analysis
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In Amy Lowell's poem A Gift, the gift given is words. Lowell uses beautiful imagery to help the reader form their interpretation of the poem. While reading lines 4-8 I got the feeling that Lowell believed words were sacred and precious, they are the best gift you can give to someone. When reading A Gift I imagined a young girl that was an average beauty, apart of the working class, very intelligent and in love with a rich young man. This young man was extremely handsome and charming, he was always in the company of a beautiful young woman. This young woman wants to show her affection by giving a gift to the young boy, but she has nothing of great value to give. Then, she thinks "what is the most treasured item I own?" And then the answer comes to her; her words. The girl begins to write the boy love letters and poems, but the boy does not accept them, so the girl decides the last letter she writes the poem will contain the contents of her and if he rejects the letter she will never love again. In lines 9-11 it states, that when the last word is given as a gift the narrator will die and the beloved will have the whole of him/her. These last few lines sum up the theme of the poem perfectly; when you give away a gift that is the most sacred item you own, you are entrusting a piece of your being with this person.
Literary Devices
- Imagery is used in lines 4-8 of the poem A Gift by Amy Lowell. Imagery is used to give the reader a vivid image of what the jars in the poem look like. This is an example of imagery because Lowell appeals to the reader's sense of sight and smell, by describing in detail the color, shape, texture, and smell of the jars. I believe Lowell uses imagery to describe the jars to highlight the importance of what they hold, words.