Cindy Huang, 10K

in your view, how have poetic techniques have been used to shape modernist ideas in amy
lowell's pattern

in patterns, amy lowell explores the modernist idea that traditional customs and norms are
a hindrance to the progression of society; that society is anti-ethical to progress itself
therefore we must reject tradition in order to advance mankind. patterns uses references to
clothing of its era (especially the 'stiff, brocaded gown' of the narrator of the poem) in order
to emphasise and reinforce this idea throughout, an example of this being the line "and the
softness of my body will be guarded from embrace" in the last stanza of the poem. lowell
utilises the 'embrace' in this line as a metaphor to the workings, or patterns of society
which are thought of as almost hostile in this context (implied by the use of the word
guarded in this line). the use of this metaphor highlights the idea that the narrator of this
poem is of the opinion that the 'patterns' of this world (especially war) are useless and will
bring no fruition to humankind, tying in with the modernist idea of society's customs being
the reason that we as mankind are not developing. lowell ends the poem with the line
"christ! what are patterns for?" which uses emphatic language in order to convey this idea
even further. the exclamation and lament of this sentence appeal to the audience's
emotions and pathos, contrasting the calm facade previously displayed in the poem. this
allows the reader to gain a deeper understanding of the grief felt by the narrator and even
makes them able to sympathise with the beliefs of the narrator: that these patterns, or the
actions and traditions of the society that she lives in, are utterly futile and of no good to the
world. these patterns, as the narrator believes, are the enemy of progress and that the
result of this anti-progression of society is loss, loneliness and isolation.

conveyed by the strong themes of nature and water imagery throughout the poem, lowell's
thoughts on the concepts of existential loneliness and eternal time, as well as how we are
affected by them in society even when surrounded by others, are prominently
demonstrated. two stanzas in, she proclaims "and i weep, for the lime tree is in blossom and
one small flower has dropped upon my bosom". her use of enjambment, in separating the
phrases 'the lime tree is in blossom' and 'one small flower has dropped upon my bosom'
reflects the idea of a fragmented society that the creators of many modernist poets
describe and believe we live in. in the poem it is evident that the narrator's loss of her loved
one has led her to this belief and this is so aptly presented through the author's use of
descriptive imagery. her deliberate usage of the lime tree dropping blossoms also serves as
a reminder that the world will move on no matter what, that the sun will always set, the
seasons always change and time is eternal. the constant references to the infinitude of time,
revealed by the representation and contrast of the seasonal changes in nature (such as
summer to winter, sun and shadows, the life and death of plants and flowers), amplifies the
emotions of seclusion and isolation established in the poem. not only this but the act of one
small flower dropping down is highly reminiscent of a single tear falling. this imagery assists
lowell in heightening the reader's understanding of the alienation that the narrator
experiences after the tragic death of her husband-to-be. near then end of the poem, the
narrator laments "the squills and daffodils, will give place to pillared roses, and to asters,
and to snow", a befitting statement given the pattern of modernist ideologies illustrated
throughout the poem. the use of tricolon in this line reinforces lowell's perspective of
loneliness and alienation in society which are clearly exhibited in Patterns and how they are
magnified by passage of time. snow is also used as a metaphor for death in this line and this
exaggerates the eternity of loneliness that the narrator feels after the death of her lover.
This is only one example of how in Patterns Lowell uses descriptive nature imagery in order
to emphasise the implication of the modernist notions of alienation within social categories
and how they are intensified with the concept of everlasting time.