Amy Lowell (1874-1925), born in Brookline, Massachusetts. She left private school at 17 to care for her elderly parents. Her poetic career began in 1902 when she saw Eleonora Duse, a famous actress, perform on stage. Overcome with Eleonora's beauty and talent, she wrote her first poem addressed to the actress. They met only a couple times and never developed a relationship, but Eleonora inspired many poems from Amy and triggered her career. Ada Russell, another actress, became the love of Amy's life. She met Ada in 1909 and they remained together until Amy's death in 1925. Amy wrote many, many poems about Ada. In the beginning, as with her previous poems about women, she wrote in such a way that only those who knew the inspiration for a poem would recognize its lesbian content. But as time went on, she censored her work less and less. By the time she wrote Pictures of the Floating World, her poems about Ada were much more blatantly erotic. The series "Planes of Personality: Two Speak Together" chronicles their relationship, including the intensely erotic poem "A Decade" that celebrates their tenth anniversary.
Lowell’s poem “A Lady” she is writing to one of her female lovers. She is describing her beauty and discussing everything she loves about her. For example, Lowell states, “and I grow mad with gazing at your blent colours.” Most of Lowell’s poems are said to be about her female lover and the relationship that they share.
Lowell’s poem “Music” to me is a complete free verse. It has no structure, rhyme scheme, or meter. TO me “Music” read as a short story. But what really attracted to me to this poem was detail she used in writing. The way she described this man playing his flute with such vivid images kept me indulged in her poem. The tone in the poem was very calm and passionate.
Lowell's poem "The Taxi" was a very beautiful poem. The care and passion shown through this piece of writing was breathtaking . In this poem Lowell shows the love and affection she shows for another person. The first line "When I go away from you" sets the whole tone and feeling of the poem. Just from this opening line I can sense that the poem with portray love in a powerful and visual way.
I personally do not understand the idea behind a poem or poet being distinctly American. I don't understand how you can tell if the writing or the person behind the writing is from a certain place. Lowell is American but when reading her work you wouldn't ask yourself where she was from because you can easily get lost in her words and taking to a place far away anyway. But in my personal opinion poetry is poetry no matter where you are from.
Besides some gramatical errors your response was good. To adrress the point you made in your last paragraph I would tell you that a poet being American can mean whatever you want it to be. For example, to a baseball/hotdog lover a truly American poet would write about descriptive images at a ball game. American to you could be something totally opposite. Don't think too much about everyone else's standards and on your next paper come up with your own! x0x0
I enjoyed reading your responses asi! The way you connected the poems and took out quotes for examples were good. I also liked your picture. lol
ReplyDeleteBesides some gramatical errors your response was good. To adrress the point you made in your last paragraph I would tell you that a poet being American can mean whatever you want it to be. For example, to a baseball/hotdog lover a truly American poet would write about descriptive images at a ball game. American to you could be something totally opposite. Don't think too much about everyone else's standards and on your next paper come up with your own! x0x0
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