Amy Lowell American Poet and Imagist

Known for: promoted Imagist school of poetryOccupation: poet, critic, biographer, socialistDates: February 9, 1874 - May 12, 1925 Amy Lowell Biography Amy Lowell didnt become a poet until she was years into her adulthood; then, when she died early, her poetry (and life) were nearly forgotten -- until gender studies as a discipline began to look at women like Lowell as illustrative of an earlier lesbian culture. She lived her later years in a Boston marriage and wrote erotic love poems addressed to a woman. T. S. Eliot called her the demon saleswoman of poetry. Of herself, she said, God made me a businesswoman and I made myself a poet. Background Amy Lowell was born to wealth and prominence. Her paternal grandfather, John Amory Lowell, developed the cotton industry of Massachusetts with her maternal grandfather, Abbott Lawrence. The towns of Lowell and Lawrence, Massachusetts, are named for the families. John Amory Lowells cousin was the poet James Russell Lowell. Amy was the youngest child of five. Her eldest brother, Percival Lowell, became an astronomer in his late 30s and founded Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. He discovered the canals of Mars. Earlier hed written two books inspired by his travels to Japan and the Far East. Amy Lowells other brother, Abbott Lawrence Lowell, became president of Harvard University. The family home was called Sevenels for the Seven Ls or Lowells. Amy Lowell was educated there by an English governess until 1883, when she was sent to a series of private schools. She was far from a model student. During vacations, she traveled with her family to Europe and to Americas west. In 1891, as a proper young lady from a wealthy family, she had her debut. She was invited to numerous parties, but did not get the marriage proposal that the year was supposed to produce. A university education was out of the question for a Lowell daughter, although not for the sons. So Amy Lowell set about educating herself, reading from the 7,000 volume library of her father and also taking advantage of the Boston Athenaeum. Mostly she lived the life of a wealthy socialite. She began a lifelong habit of book collecting. She accepted a marriage proposal, but the young man changed his mind and set his heart on another woman. Amy Lowell went to Europe and Egypt in 1897-98 to recover, living on a severe diet that was supposed to improve her health (and help with her increasing weight problem). Instead, the diet nearly ruined her health. In 1900, after her parents had both died, she bought the family home, Sevenels. Her life as a socialite continued, with parties and entertaining. She also took up the civic involvement of her father, especially in supporting education and libraries. Early Writing Efforts Amy had enjoyed writing, but her efforts at writing plays didnt meet with her own satisfaction. She was fascinated by the theater. In 1893 and 1896, she had seen performances by the actress Eleanora Duse. In 1902, after seeing Duse on another tour, Amy went home and wrote a tribute to her in blank verse -- and, as she later said, I found out where my true function lay. She became a poet -- or, as she also later said, made myself a poet. By 1910, her first poem was published in Atlantic Monthly, and three others were accepted there for publication. In 1912 -- a year that also saw the first books published by Robert Frost and Edna St. Vincent Millay -- she published her first collection of poetry, A Dome of Many-Coloured Glass. It was also in 1912 that Amy Lowell met actress Ada Dwyer Russell. From about 1914 on, Russell, a widow who was 11 years older than Lowell, became Amys traveling and living companion and secretary. They lived together in a Boston marriage until Amys death. Whether the relationship was platonic or sexual is not certain -- Ada burned all personal correspondence as executrix for Amy after her death -- but poems which Amy clearly directed towards Ada are sometimes erotic and full of suggestive imagery. Imagism In the January 1913 issue of Poetry, Amy read a poem signed by H.D., Imagiste. With a sense of recognition, she decided that she, too, was an Imagist, and by summer had gone to London to meet Ezra Pound and other Imagist poets, armed with a letter of introduction from Poetry editor Harriet Monroe. She returned to England again the next summer -- this time bringing her maroon auto and maroon-coated chauffeur, part of her eccentric persona. She returned to America just as World War I began, having sent that maroon auto on ahead of her. She was already by that time feuding with Pound, who termed her version of Imagism Amygism. She focused herself on writing poetry in the new style, and also on promoting and sometimes literally supporting other poets who were also part of the Imagist movement. In 1914, she published her second book of poetry, Sword Blades and Poppy Seeds. Many of the poems were in vers libre (free verse), which she renamed unrhymed cadence. A few were in a form she invented, which she called polyphonic prose. In 1915, Amy Lowell published an anthology of Imagist verse, followed by new volumes in 1916 and 1917. Her own lecture tours began in 1915, as she talked of poetry and also read her own works. She was a popular speaker, often speaking to overflow crowds. Perhaps the novelty of the Imagist poetry drew people; perhaps they were drawn to the performances in part because she was a Lowell; in part her reputation for eccentricities helped bring in the people. She slept until three in the afternoon and worked through the night. She was overweight, and a glandular condition was diagnosed which caused her to continue to gain. (Ezra Pound called her hippopoetess.) She was operated on several times for persistent hernia problems. Style Amy Lowell dressed mannishly, in severe suits and mens shirts. She wore a pince nez and had her hair done -- usually by Ada Russell -- in a pompadour that added a bit of height to her five feet. She slept on a custom-made bed with exactly sixteen pillows. She kept sheepdogs -- at least until World War Is meat rationing made her give them up -- and had to give guests towels to put in their laps to protect them from the dogs affectionate habits. She draped mirrors and stopped clocks. And, perhaps most famously, she smoked cigars -- not big, black ones as was sometimes reported, but small cigars, which she claimed were less distracting to her work than cigarettes, because they lasted longer. Later Work In 1915, Amy Lowell also ventured into criticism with Six French Poets, featuring Symbolist poets little known in America. In 1916, she published another volume of her own verse, Men, Women and Ghosts. A book derived from her lectures, Tendencies in Modern American Poetry followed in 1917, then another poetry collection in 1918, Can Grandes Castle and Pictures of the Floating World in 1919 and adaptations of myths and legends in 1921 in Legends. During an illness in 1922 she wrote and published A Critical Fable -- anonymously. For some months she denied that shed written it. Her relative, James Russell Lowell, had published in his generation A Fable for Critics, witty and pointed verse analyzing poets who were his contemporaries. Amy Lowells A Critical Fable likewise skewered her own poetic contemporaries. Amy Lowell worked for the next few years on a massive biography of John Keats, whose works shed been collecting since 1905. Almost a day-by-day account of his life, the book also recognized Fanny Brawne for the first time as a positive influence on him. This work was taxing on Lowells health, though. She nearly ruined her eyesight, and her hernias continued to cause her trouble. In May of 1925, she was advised to remain in bed with a troublesome hernia. On May 12 she got out of bed anyway, and was struck with a massive cerebral hemorrhage. She died hours later. Legacy Ada Russell, her executrix, not only burned all personal correspondence, as directed by Amy Lowell, but also published three more volumes of Lowells poems posthumously. These included some late sonnets to Eleanora Duse, who had died in 1912 herself, and other poems considered too controversial for Lowell to publish during her lifetime. Lowell left her fortune and Sevenels in trust to Ada Russell. The Imagist movement didnt outlive Amy Lowell for long. Her poems didnt withstand the test of time well, and while a few of her poems (Patterns and Lilacs especially) were still studied and anthologized, she was nearly forgotten. Then, Lillian Faderman and others rediscovered Amy Lowell as an example of poets and others whose same-sex relationships had been important to them in their lives, but who had -- for obvious social reasons -- not been explicit and open about those relationships. Faderman and others re-examined poems like Clear, With Light Variable Winds or Venus Transiens or Taxi or A Lady and found the theme -- barely concealed -- of the love of women. A Decade, which had been written as a celebration of the ten year anniversary of Ada and Amys relationship, and the Two Speak Together section of Pictures of the Floating World were recognized as love poetry. The theme had not been completely concealed, of course, especially to those who knew the couple well. John Livingston Lowes, a friend of Amy Lowells, had recognized Ada as the object of one of her poems, and Lowell wrote back to him, I am very glad indeed that you liked Madonna of the Evening Flowers. How could so exact a portrait remain unrecognized? And so, too, the portrait of the committed relationship and love of Amy Lowell and Ada Dwyer Russell was largely unrecognized until recently. Her Sisters -- alluding to the sisterhood that included Lowell, Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Emily Dickinson -- makes it clear that Amy Lowell saw herself as part of a continuing tradition of women poets. Related Books Lillian Faderman, editor. Chloe Plus Olivia: An Anthology of Lesbian Literature from the 17th Century to the Present.Cheryl Walker. Masks Outrageous and Austere.Lillian Faderman. To Believe in Women: What Lesbians Have Done For America - A History.

Essay on Does Utilitarianism Lead to Extreme Self Sacrifice

The principal of utility is to maximize the happiness in ones self by using benefits misusing the harms. It acts as to produce advantage, pleasure, good or happiness and the greatest net balance of benefits over harms for all affected impartially. In Utilitarianism, J.S. Mill was trying to show that actions and institutions should increase the overall amount of happiness in the world, and stressed the importance of utilitarianism as the first principle in ethics. Happiness should be judged, not only by pleasure, but by pain as well, Mill believes that a person should always seek to gain pleasure and reject pain. According to Smart, the act-utilitarian is to regard rules as mere rules of thumb, and will use them only as rough guides.†¦show more content†¦If someone is not found in responsible for the crime, the angry mob will own there own revenge on a much smaller and quite vulnerable section of the community. If the judge knows that the real culprit is unknown and that the authorities do not even have a good clue as to who he may be. The judge could frame a disliked and useless man who though innocent could easily be framed in order to save the community from the mob. The mob would believe that this man would be the one responsible for the wrong doing and after his execution would not take revenge on the community. â€Å"Most of us regard such a framing and execution of such a man in such circumstances as totally unacceptable.†(Nielsen, 150) In such a case some critics would say that an act-utilitarian may find it difficult because by framing the innocent man would actually be the right choice. By framing him, it will satisfy the angry mob and indeed save the community from bloody savage and revenge. However, Nielsen argues that a reasonable act-utilitarian could conclude that framing an innocent person would not be the rational act. If the magistrate were a tough minded but morally conscientious consequentialist, he could refuse to frame and execute the innocent man, even knowing that this would unleash the mob and cause much suffering and many deaths. The rational for his particular moral stand would be that, if he framed andShow MoreRelatedThe Element Of Moral Philosophy By James Rachels1161 Words   |  5 Pages In the book, â€Å"The Element of Moral Philosophy†, James Rachels explores the several criticisms of Utilitarianism. In this essay, I will touch on these criticisms, outlining the major implications they propose to Utilitarianism. I will also explain why many of the notions proposed against Utilitarianism are self-serving, and instead serve to improve the general good of a minority population, which contradicts the Utilitarian theory of equating moral aptit ude to the general good of a majority populationRead MoreUtilitarianism vs. Individualism1366 Words   |  6 PagesUtilitarianism vs. Individualism Arguments for utilitarianism and individualism will never end. The essence of utilitarianism, pleasure is the chief end of life and the greatest happiness for the greatest number should be the ultimate goal of human beings, has always been a crucial matter of concern and controversy. It is regarded as an exploit of people’s freedom and individualism. However, individualism is deemed as an ignorance of teamwork. We cannot simply tell which one is superior to theRead MoreExamples Of Utilitarianism And The Trolley Problem1208 Words   |  5 PagesUtilitarianism and The Trolley Problem Utilitarianism is an ethical principle that states that everyone should act in the way that will bring out the most good for the majority. If this were true then most people would make the decision to save five people even if it required murder or one. The Trolley Problem dives right into this core issue by describing a decision making scenario. Utilitarianism is damaged as an ethical theory because it oversimplifies this decision, and other decisions likeRead MoreDifference Between Virtue Ethics, Kantian And Utilitarianism977 Words   |  4 PagesBefore we get to the premises of my argument, I would like to distinguish the difference between virtue ethics, Kantian deontology and utilitarianism. Unlike virtue ethics, Kantian and utilitarianism tell us what our duty is to our fellow human beings. In utilitarianism the goal is to increase happiness for the greatest number of people. This often requires self-sacrifice and it can be quite demanding to figure out what decision will hav e the best consequence and the most happiness. Kantian ethics, onRead More1A.The First False Statement States â€Å"Rule-Utilitarianism1897 Words   |  8 Pages1A. The first false statement states â€Å"Rule-utilitarianism is just about following the rules that are in place. If society has a rule against doing something, then a rule-utilitarian will always agree that you should not do that.† I find this to be false because rule utilitarianism is not just about following the rules or about simply looking at the consequences. Utilitarianism itself is about doing the morally right action, this should be the action which produces the most positive balance of goodwillRead MoreUtilitarianism Versus Rawls Versus Nozick2479 Words   |  10 PagesUtilitarianism is fine if your among the winners justice is better if you are not Utilitarianism is the moral philosophy that the morally right action is that which leads to the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people. The term justice means getting what you deserve both good and bad. However there is significant disagreement between justice theorists as to what causes who to deserve what. In this essay I will be discussing John Rawls concept of contract justice and Robert NozicksRead MoreThe Lottery, By Shirley Jackson1195 Words   |  5 Pagesstory. Some names include the Puritan spiritual advisor Anne Hutchinson, who is banished for speaking out against Christian beliefs and traditions, the founder of behaviorism John B. Watson, and Jeremy Bentham the founder of modern utilitarianism. Shirley Jackson also does a great job of making the traditions and lifestyle of the villagers very distinct from one another; as well as, making the location of the village unknown. They have modern celebrations, yet they resort to barbaric methods to ensureRead More John Stuart Mill s Views On Morality1402 Words   |  6 Pagessatisfaction. Mill’s views on morality is utilitarianism, which is centered mainly on pleasure and happiness. Everyone can agree that feeling pain is bad and that happiness is a good thing. He emphasizes that actions that maximizes pleasure and decreases pain for the greatest number is right. Mills does not necessarily mean personally happiness, as that is a common misconception of utility, whereas he means happiness for the greater number of people. Which leads to examples in the aspect of sacrificingRead MoreWe Should Set Limits On Moral Obligation1398 Words   |  6 Pagesmuch can it ask of us to sacrifice for others? This question had placed great influence on Zell Kravinsky story and it is important we evaluate his arguments for moral obligation can ask of us. In this essay I intend to recognize the infraction that moral obligation puts on decisions such as ‘nondirected’ organ donation. The boundary Zell Kravinsky set an moral obligation should be avoided because his actions were not entirely moral, and placed harm on his well-being. Zell does limit to the amount ofRead More The Fight for Human Rights Essay3126 Words   |  13 Pagessecurity-for-rights compromise. Though their respective theories vary greatly in theory and in practice, they provide models to condemn this exchange. Nevertheless, each differs in the persuasiveness and effectiveness of their tools for argumentation. Mill’s utilitarianism, Nozick’s libertarianism, and Rawls’ egalitarian liberalism reject the tradeoff of security for a majority in exchange for the violation of the rights a minority. John Stuart Mill outlines a sometimes dubious plan for protecting rights and lacks

Samla’s Personal Statement Free Essays

â€Å"The vision that you glorify in your mind, the ideal that you enthrone in your heart – this you will build your life by, and this you will become. † These very powerful words, written by James Allen, are a perfect description of how I have accomplished many of my goals. My main objective is to obtain a full time position with a public accounting firm to render professional services in the field of auditing. We will write a custom essay sample on Samla’s Personal Statement or any similar topic only for you Order Now Some years ago, a former student of University of California, Irvin brought my attention to the field of auditing. I took the initiative to find out more about this career. After extensive research on the nature of the work, training and advancements, I felt this is something I could really enjoy doing for the rest of my life. I began exploring the different fields that are related to auditing programs offered and making campus visits. After several visits and consults I was attracted to the CSUF because the school allows new students to involve themselves in independent research, requiring initiative, self-motivation and a wide range of skills within the first few months and also allow students to go out for industrial practical exposure at one point or the other on a yearly basis throughout the duration of the degree. Since many of us, at one point or the other in our life, we need a professional care and assessment as regards our finance management be it an organization or the money we save or trade with or in any other capacity . So, I see this as an opportunity and it brings me great pleasure thinking about the effect I could have on the populace at large. Therefore, I have always been aware of equipping myself with solid foundations in IT and supporting knowledge in Business aspect in order to fulfill the challenging requirements of future working environment. Besides professional regular education, I have attended several trainings and extra courses instantly when I had chances and time. These include Software development, Networking, and Business development (Please refer to my resume). Academic Background and skills I attended Orange Coast College, Costa Mesa with Honors List and I major in Accounting where I got a befitting Orange Coast scholarship. I also attended Government Commercial college,Karachi,Pakistan where I had Bachelor of Commerce and I major in Accounting too. (Jan 2003-Dec 2004). Working experience My working experience dated back to early January 2004 when I was offered the post of an accountant at the Zaitoon M. A. Shakoor Brokerage Firm Karachi Stock Exchange, Karachi, and Pakistan. I was exposed to the various dynamics of stock market. My passion for this profession wax stronger after the opportunity I had in Providing professional customer service to existing customers by advising them on stock transactions, stock market trends, and providing them with up-to-date account information. I assisted with business development by providing information on the trading process to potential customers. I also learned the ability to survive under stress as I had lot of customers to attend to. I was able to exceed managements’ expectations by handling hundreds of customer accounts and supervising the office workers in the absence of a manager. I also worked as a Cashier at the Ralphs Grocery Store, Costa Mesa between Sep. 2005 – Aug. 2007 where I attended to an average of 5o customers personally on a daily basis and joined Dr Patrick the company’s marketing consultant in registering sales and issuing cash receipts. Some of the opportunities I had was as a result of my working experiences in the following areas; I was able to closely observe experts and fellow technicians to further my knowledge about accounting auditing and business management, and with this close observation, I was able to gather experiences which was to help me later in life when I finally explore and delve into some profession where these skills will be required. Besides professional regular education, I have attended several trainings and extra courses instantly when I had chances and time. These include Software development, Networking, and Business development (Please refer to my resume). I also have participated enormously so far in my undergraduate training and I have involved myself in various activities of UCI’s Accounting Association. Currently I am enhancing my knowledge by working at the Trait and associates, Inc as an accounting clerk from June 2008 till date. In the course, I also have had the opportunities of working directly under controller and CFO to organize and maintain all customer accounts and my IT knowledge has also been of immense value. My experience at Traits and associates has helped me acquire the character and those traits necessary to be a successful Auditor: commitment, confidence, compassion and strength. I believe that CSUF considers an outstanding student as one who possesses these qualities. Voluntary services Activism at any level is necessary for an individual to establish their own goals and evaluate their own career paths. Many of my interpersonal and leadership skills developed after becoming an active member of UCI’s accounting Association Future plans and goals After my Graduation from the CSUF, I would like to pursue a Master degree in the same school. I think my exposure to different accounting budgeting and auditing settings and utilization of excel to create and manage budgets for ten different departments within the company I at present work with, forces and informs this decision of mine. Not only do I want to pursue a professional carrier in Auditing, I want the opportunity to affect pre-accounting students the way the Siringos and Dr. Lee affected me. I believe I possess a talent for teaching others in manner that helps them grasp difficult concepts easily. As a part of my Auditing and accounting career, I will aim (approx. 5 years down the road) to educate Pre-auditing students as a professor at CSUF. Since many of us are confused and need someone at one point or the other to advise us on the best way and place to invest our money, I want to be part of those that will direct, lead and show others the way to financial exploit. Now is the time in which I want to pursue my true goal of becoming a professional auditor. I believe that I am mentally prepared and persistent enough to excel at any endeavor, and I have developed the compassion and commitment to the auditing profession that will drive me for years to come. How to cite Samla’s Personal Statement, Papers