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Hilda Doolittle (H.D) Poems Analysis

Had you ever able to see the picture in your head when you are reading something? This is

called imagery. Its a literary device that can function as a way for the reader to better imagine the

world of the poems that the poet has created. Imagery not necessary to be only visual. It can be any

of five senses: taste, touch, sight, smell, and sound. Also, the meaning of the poem can be seen by

the imagery of the poem. It can send what poets want to tell us about through their imaginative

description in the poem. Hilda Doolittle or H.D is one of the poets that uses this literary device to

send her messages to the reader. Therefore, she uses natural images to explore feminist themes such

as the power of femininity.

In the Sea Rose, H.D used the sea rose to describe the new strength and beauty of women.

This poem is about comparing between the usual rose and the sea rose. From the first stanza of the

poem Rose, harsh rose/ marred and with stint of petals/ meagre floor, thin/ sparse of

leaf (Doolittle 1-4). It seems to emphasise the important role of the flowers in this poem. From the

poem, more precious/ than a wet rose (Doolittle 5-6). The wet rose can represent as the rose that

we can see in the daily life. Normally, the roses that we can think of are described as the delicate,

sweet, and beautiful, like traditional women. But in this poem, the roses are harsh and marred with

stint of petals. So, H.D wants to say that the sea rose is more precious than wet rose, which can be

related to the woman by the new type of strength and beauty of women are better than the

traditional beauty. And in the last stanza Can the spice rose /drip such acrid fragrance / hardened

in a leaf? (Doolittle 14-16). This stanza let the reader compare the scent of the spice rose that has

an acrid fragrance different from the rose that has a sweet fragrance. The spice rose and the sea rose

has the similar thing by they both have the different characteristics from the usual roses. So in the

poem, it asked that could the spice rose (or sea rose) survive? According to the poem, the poet,

H.D., would answer yes. Therefore, H.D wants to tell the reader that the hardened sea rose or new

strength and beauty of the woman are more value than the wet rose or the traditional beauty.
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In the second poem Sheltered Garden, she used the nature images to show the power of

femininity to stand by their own strength. This poem is about the displeasure among man-made

flower and plant gardens. From the poets perspective, H.D wants the garden to be destroyed by the

wind and grow by their own without any help of mankind. In this poem, the things in the garden

like flowers or fruits can use to describe the weak and vulnerable thing because they have to has the

mankind to take care of them. From the sixth stanza, Why not let the pears cling/ to the empty

branch?/ All your coaxing will only make/ a bitter fruit/ let them cling, ripen of themselves,/ test

their own worth,/ nipped, shrivelled by the frost,/ to fall at last but fair,/ with a russet

coat (Doolittle 24-32). The poet is asking mankind to let nature take its course and to stop coaxing

the fruit because this makes fruit bitter. Let them cling to their branches of which they were made,

let them ripen themselves. And in the eighth stanza I want wind to break,/ scatter these pink-

stalks,/ snap off their spiced heads,/ fling them about with dead leaves (Doolittle 43- 46). The

reader can see that H.D wants to see the wind break and destroy the garden. Refer to H.D., she

might also want to be a fight between the strength of the woman (or the garden that grow by their

own nature) and the men (the mankind). And refer to the previous example of the poem, the reader

can say that she wants the nature to win the mankind. So, H.D wants to tell the reader that the

women have the power to stand on their own like the garden in this poem.

In the last poem Sea Violet, H.D used the imagery in terms of the violet to describe the

inner strength of the woman. This poem is about types of the violets: the white, the blue, and the sea

violet. H.D used the violet to describe the types of women. From the line The white violet/ is

scented on its stalk (Doolittle 1-2). H.D described the white violet that it has a nice fragrance, just

that. It can compare to the woman that has only beauty and care about their appearance.

For the sea violet that fragile as agate,/ lies fronting all the wind / among the torn shells/ on the

sand-bank (Doolittle 3-7). From these lines, H.D let the reader imagine of the weak flower on the
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edge of the ocean confronting the wind. The torn shells can represent the violence of the natural

elements that surround the flower on the shore. So we can see that even though the sea violet lives

in the cruel environment, they still survive. The sea violet can compare to the strong women that

can survive without the beauty. And for the blue violet, it said that The greater blue violets / flutter

on the hill (Doolittle 8-9). The word flutter showing the movements of the blue violets in direct

comparison to the sea violets confrontation with the wind. In the last stanza Violet /your grasp is

frail/on the edge of the sand-hill,/but you catch the light frost,/ a star edges with its

fire (Doolittle 13-17). This stanza describes the sea violet and blue violets weakest in the battle

against the wind. But in the end, through all the vicious surroundings, they can catches the light,

ending the poem with the image of the victorious survivor. Thus, H.D expresses her thoughts

through the poem that the power of the woman comes from the inner strength of them, not just only

the appearance.

In conclusion, H.D uses natural images such as flower to explore feminist themes such as

male dominance and the power of femininity. This is the way she can send the messages what she

wants to tell the reader about the woman or change the readers mind about the womens beauty and

femininity.
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Nene Chalongkitcharoen 1109