There can be a consensus among literary critics about the fact that poetry provides the utmost scope of exudation of literary quintessence and aesthetic appeal on the part of the literary artist. The literary artist has the liberty to use a number of metaphors that is a type of figure of speech in which a kind of expression is used for the purpose of referring to something that is not literally denoted by the expression. A metaphor thus goes on to suggest a similarity between the signifier and the signified in the literary work. Thus, metaphor can very well be deemed as one of the most powerful literary elements that catapults the affective charm and aesthetic quality of a poem to newer heights.
If one takes into consideration the poem, Patterns, penned by the famous poet, Amy Lowell, the sheer affective charm and priceless effect of poetry can be gauged in the best possible manner. Lowell goes on to use effective metaphors in the poem to bring out the central theme with all its vehemence. These metaphors portray the social disparity and imposition faced by the females during the 18th century. The poem uses specific metaphorical expressions that bring out the psyche and perspective of the speaker of this poem, and thereby renders the poem aesthetic appeal and affective charm. A close introspection of the work would enable one to have a better idea about how Lowell uses the literary element in the poem.
It needs to be noted that the actions of the speaker in this poem are in pattern. The speaker goes on to reflect the use of patterns by the poet. As such, the readers come across the description of walking in the garden with mention about the “patterned garden paths” and the talk about winter and spring. Moreover, the rhyme scheme that has been so quintessentially used by the poet is also in patterns. It is quite intriguing to note how the poet herself recognizes the fact that her own being is a rare pattern. Her “stiff brocaded gown powdered hair and jeweled fan” make her a pattern. (Lowell 1) Now, there can be no denial of the fact that the thematic consistency of patterns stands out in the minds of the readers. The use of metaphor in the course of the writing stirs the minds of the readers to the very core.
One has to note that a number of metaphors come to portray the high societal position and economic condition of the speaker of this contextual poem. As such, the huge patterned garden, the gown, the powdered hair, the jeweled fan and the fact that the speaker even has a footman come to make it obvious that she belongs to the higher rung in the society. She is even engaged to a Lord. All of these also come to function as the telltale sign of the societal rungs that existed in the 18th century. The poet went on to choose this specific era for this poem so that the theme of pattern could be related to the ways of life of the people of the mentioned time. There can be no doubt about the fact that the poet aims to show the parameters and practices of the society of the 18th century through the poem, and thus uses the specific metaphors so as to highlight the social structure along with portraying the lifestyle of the people through the words of the speaker who only works to show the microcosm of the society.
The speaker goes on to describe herself to be “a plate of current fashion”, thereby pointing to the fact that she goes on to tread on the path that is popularized by the norms of the society. This also goes on to show how the society was governed by set norms and institutions during the era that has been portrayed in this seminal literary work. Moreover, the speaker goes on to opine that all that she is made of is “whalebone and brocade.” Thus, once again one finds the apt use of metaphor of the purpose of communicating the ideas to the avid readers of the poem in context. Here, the whalebone as a metaphor can be found to be the reference to the girdle or corset that is made with ribs that come to reduce the waist of a person to a particular size. On the other hand, brocade refers to the gown’s material that is heavy in nature. As such, these two things work together to represent the shell that the speaker herself as well as the society has created around the self or the body.
It is truly very intriguing to see how the poet accomplishes the task of portraying the fact that the society had a surmounting effect on the lives of women in the 18th century. Although the poem never explicitly expresses this paramount influence, the metaphors used in penning the lines of the literary piece come to show this effect on the individual. As the poem progresses, the readers get the very first hint of the conflict as the speaker goes on to talk about the “passion/Wars against the stiff brocade.” (Lowell 1) Now, it needs to be reckoned that the passion in context is general as well as physical. Here, the brocade goes on to represent the shield around the female speaker of this contextual poem. The quintessence of this poem lies in its perfect use of literary techniques to focus on the thematic content.
In the course of this poem, one comes across quite an ambiguous metaphor when the speaker is found to weep as a lime blossom has dropped on her bosom. This goes on to intrigue the readers about the reason behind the weeping of this lady in context. Now, the stalwart author once again resorts to the use of metaphor to communicate with the readers of her work. Here, bosom of the speaker can very well be seen as the marker of female sexuality in general as well as male attraction. On the other hand, lime is known to be a sour fruit. Thus, the poet metaphorically shows how the female self goes on to live in a world where she is bound to repress her aspirations and personal desires as a human. She is made to live a life of impositions and she is expected to follow the norms established by the patriarchal society. Moreover, during the 18th century, the patriarchic norms used to be overtly dominant on the females of the society.
Very strikingly, just after the mention of tears, the speaker of this poem goes on to talk about her sensuous fantasy as an individual. It is astonishing to read how the speaker opines that she would like to throw her gown away and run naked in the garden. The poet goes on to pen, “I would be the pink and silver as I ran along the paths,/ And he would stumble after.” (Lowell 1) Thus, the poet engages in juxtaposing the harsh reality of subjugated females of the 18th century society and the inner desires of the female self. The speaker of this poem only works as an archetypal character that represents entire female community of the society of the time. Thus, it can very well be said that this poem goes on to work as a social document meshed with the perfect dash of creativity and exuberance that shows the true self of females of the world in a society where they are overtly dominated. As such, this poem is a vehement expression against the subjugation of females in the society and it provides a strong voice to female sexuality and desires.
The avid readers finally come to know the cause of her tears. The speaker goes on to talk about the squirming like snakes. This metaphor is used as a negative connotation in this poem, and it definitely works to show her vulnerability and pain of heart on being subjugated by the societal norms and parameters. Nonetheless, here one sees the inner self of a lady who belongs to the high society. So, it is not expected of her to break down and be vulnerable in any way. She is supposed to maintain her etiquettes and finesse as a female to come across to be the epitome of ‘correct femininity’ and respectfulness as established by the society. The speaker goes on to ask the footman to provide her with “some refreshment” as she has to continue in her role of a “proper hostess” being a lady of repute and position.
One is reminded of the metaphor of the heavy gown in this context as once again this lady is forced to repress her true emotions to put up a façade for the world around. This scenario talks a lot about the situation of women in the society in the era that is portrayed by Lowell in this literary work. Toward the end of this work, the poet goes on to repeat the actions as well as phrases so as to suggest the patterned and repetitive behavior of the life of the female speaker. Here pattern becomes a metaphor for the impositions of the patriarchic society on the life of the speaker and the females of the world at large. The females have to follow the patterns that have been established, and they cannot escape the institutionalized practices and impositions in any way. The speaker queries, “Christ! What are patterns for?” as she gets to know of the untimely demise of her fiancé. (Lowell 1)
It would be apt to conclude by stating that this poem stirs the minds of the readers to the very core with the perfect use of metaphorical expressions that work to bring out the psyche and perspective of the females of the society in the 18th century. The speaker stands as the representative of the female community of the society who used to face oppression of the patriarchal world. The poem properly documents the inner emotions by showing them to be at loggerheads with the societal impositions that the females were expected to follow like the established patterns. Thus, the metaphors work to establish that patterns that are set by the society are markers of subjugation and oppression on females.
Works Cited
Lowell, Andy. “Patterns.” Poetry Foundation. poetryfoundation.org, n.d. Web. 1 July
2016.
