The Taxi by Amy Lowell

When I go away from you
The world beats dead
Like a slackened drum.
I called out for you against the jutted stars
And shout into the ridges of the wind.
Streets coming fast,
One after the other,
Wedge you away from me,
And the lamps of the city prick my eyes
So that I can no longer see your face.
Why should I leave you,
To wound myself upon the sharp edges of the night?
Imagery
diction
Instead of describing how much pain she is suffering, she is able to express her pain through images of sharpness.
Mood
"The lamps of the city prick my eyes, so that I can no longer see your face." (lines 9 and 10)
Symbols
Sound devices
Lowell uses free verse to allow the images and lines to speak for themselves instead of using a rhyming scheme or a strict, conventional meter.
"The taxi"
by: Amy lowell


By:Vanessa DUong
Theme

biography
She has written and published over 650 poems.
As a young girl, Lowell attended private schools and by the time she was seventeen, she started going to the seven thousand volume library at Sevenels to study literature.
She was influenced by the Imagist movement, a movement in early 20th century Anglo-American poetry that favored precision of imagery and clear,sharp language.
Lowell's first collection of poetry was published in 1912.
Her first piece of writing was written with her mother and sister when she was 13 years old.
"I called out for you against the jutted stars and I shouted into the ridges of the wind." (lines 4 an5)
This creates a sharp image of her calling out for him and shouting into the wind to express the pain, which appeals to our sight and hearing.
"Streets coming fast, one after the other. " (lines 6 and 7)
This creates an image of her feeling the world is passing by while she is staying in the same place, which appeals to our sight.
The most significant symbol in the poem would be the taxi, which represents separation, removing her from her loved one.
The theme of this poem is that departing from a loved one can be depressing and terrifying.
She also expresses that she would be lost without love.
The mood of this poem is very dark and sad since she is leaving her loved one.
"Why should I leave you, To wound myself upon the sharp edges of the night?" (lines 11 and 12)
Each individual line has its own tone and meaning, which adds to an overall feel of the poem.
Lowell uses "you" to make it feel like the reader is the one being called after.
Literary devices
"The world beats dead, like a slackened drum." (lines 2 and 3)
This is an example of a simile because the world is being compared to a drum that doesn't sound as good as it used to like how the world doesn't look as bright as it did before she left her loved one.
"Streets coming fast, one after the other." (lines 6 and 7)
This is an example of personification because the streets are not literally coming after her. She shows the reader that she is going further away from where she was.
Final Thoughts
I thought this poem was very sad and depressing because she is leaving her loved one behind and will have to face the world alone.
I also thought this poem is unique because she uses free verse in her poem which is different from all the other poems I have read.