(1) Compare Amy Lowell’s praise of female beauty with that of Wordsworth, Byron, Keats, and the Pre-Raphaelites.
(2) Refute Amy Lowell’s statement in “The Sisters” that women who write poetry are “a queer lot.” Comment on her choice of Sappho and Elizabeth Barrett Browning as models.
(3) Apply Amy Lowell’s six precepts of imagism to her poems “Lilacs” and “Night Clouds” as well as to the works of three American imagists: H. D.’s “Lais” or “Heat,” e. e. cummings’s “Buffalo Bill’s,” “in Just-,” or “i was considering how,” and William Carlos Williams’ “Nantucket” or “Flowers by the Sea.” Determine which works fit the constraints without compromising lyricism and aesthetic grace.
(4) Discuss the role of fantasy in Amy Lowell’s poetry.
