Historical and Cultural Connections – Symbolism and Imagism
Imagist poetry took artistic expression to a whole new level. By peeling back elaborate description and flowery language, poets were able to expose the essence of raw emotion and core visions that they yearned to express. Without the restrictions of traditional poetic rules, Imagist poets were free to create mental images with their words just as vividly as a painter wields his brush.
To enhance your understanding of Imagism, you will use your creativity and write your own Imagist poem. Remember Ezra Pound's items to avoid in a true Imagist poem. Poets should not do the following:
- Use superfluous words or adjectives
- Use abstractions
- Think poetry is easy
- Be overly descriptive
- Worry about meter
- Mix images
Keeping the above points in mind, you should follow these steps to complete your assignment:
- Find a picture of something or take a photograph with a camera.
- Using the image as the basis for your poem, write an Imagist poem with no more than fifteen lines.
- Be sure to attach an emotion or idea to that image without spelling it out for the reader.
- Type the final draft of your poem neatly and creatively in an electronic document and add the image that inspired you to the page. Remember to properly cite the source of the image.
You may need to use resources outside of this course to complete this assignment. If so, please submit a Works Cited document. If you need assistance, visit the Developmental Module for information on citing resources. Before you begin, review the Imagist Poem Checklist to make sure that you include all of the items required for full credit.
Once you have completed your poem, please submit your work to the dropbox.