A Short Analysis of Amy Lowell's “Patterns”
Connotations play a very important role in poetry. A connotation is an alternative meaning of a word which is determined by its history of use, context in which it is used and the established associations with the word. It is said that connotations are far more imaginative and personal in such a way that it is used to bring to mind the emotions and feelings that are associated to the word beyond its literal meaning. It is important because it allows poets to further develop or complicate a poem's meaning. A lot of poets use connotations because it helps create the tone and mood of the poem and awakens the imagination of the readers in how they think of a person, place, thing or concept in the poem. In the case of Amy Lowell's “Patterns”, the conflict and tension of the poem was further developed with the use of such connotations.
In analyzing this poem, we must first pay attention to its setting. This is because the setting would give us a better idea on what is happening within the society and its people during that time in the poem. The poem opens with the persona who is a woman wearing a brocaded gown, which consists of a corset made out of whalebones, and ribboned high-heeled shoes. She also had her powdered hair and jeweled fan with her which she describes as the “current fashion” for the people. On the other hand, the persona describes men to have buckled shoes, waistcoats and swords during that time. Adding to this, terms such as “Duke”, “Lady”,“Lord Hartwell”, and “Flanders” would be seen throughout the narrative of the persona in the poem. Given all these information, we can infer that the setting of the poem was during the late 17th Century in Belgium where rulers or prominent men would be called Duke or Lord while the women would be called Lady.
As well all know, the 17th Century was actually the time where there was an inequality between the men and women in the society. It was the time...