Margaret Avison, born in 1918 in small-town Galt, Ontario is one of Canada’s greatest literary treasures. Her life was lived well with so much dignity, kindness and hard work. While she worked many occupations such as a librarian, social worker and teacher, she is mostly known for her unique poetry. Many aspects of her life led her to be the poet she was, such as conversion of religions and her personal tumults. In return, her poetry helped to shape the genre that is known as Canadian Literature. Avison’s life has been shaped by many events, starting at the very beginning of her life. After moving to Regina, Saskatchewan with her family, her family raised her in a Methodist church. This church is where her predominate childhood memories
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To begin with, she was the first poet to truly bring the Modernist movement forward. Modernism is breaking away from traditional writing and thought, and writing what you believe to be true personally instead (Whitworth, 2010). Equally, modernist writing has a tendency to take from past works and reprise, incorporate, rewrite, recapitulate, revise, or parody them (Whitworth, 2010). As aforementioned, Avison has done this with her poem “A Story”. Modernist poems tend to also include symbolism, futurism, surrealism, expressionism, imagism and so on. The literary techniques can be seen various times in her writing. The poem “the Butterfly” is symbolic of a moth/butterfly that stands for hope and aspiration (Avison, …show more content…
The judges that awarded her the Griffin Prize wrote, “Many decades she has forged a way to write, against the grain, some of the most human, sweet and profound poetry of our time” (Canadian, 2007). Her writings were relatable to so many sheerly because they are written about things we all feel and go through. While some found it complicate and at times even hard to understand, ultimately her writing was a work of art that demanded appreciation to anyone who reads it. Joseph Zezulleka, another writer and professor also said about Avison, “The thing with her poetry is that you must grapple with it, it just does not open up. Its rewards come only to those who are willing to make the effort. Her poems were not snacks, they were full meals.” (Canadian, 2007). Her life was filled with tumults and struggles, but her perseverance and faith brought her to be the wonderful writer she
To begin with, she was the first poet to truly bring the Modernist movement forward. Modernism is breaking away from traditional writing and thought, and writing what you believe to be true personally instead (Whitworth, 2010). Equally, modernist writing has a tendency to take from past works and reprise, incorporate, rewrite, recapitulate, revise, or parody them (Whitworth, 2010). As aforementioned, Avison has done this with her poem “A Story”. Modernist poems tend to also include symbolism, futurism, surrealism, expressionism, imagism and so on. The literary techniques can be seen various times in her writing. The poem “the Butterfly” is symbolic of a moth/butterfly that stands for hope and aspiration (Avison, …show more content…
The judges that awarded her the Griffin Prize wrote, “Many decades she has forged a way to write, against the grain, some of the most human, sweet and profound poetry of our time” (Canadian, 2007). Her writings were relatable to so many sheerly because they are written about things we all feel and go through. While some found it complicate and at times even hard to understand, ultimately her writing was a work of art that demanded appreciation to anyone who reads it. Joseph Zezulleka, another writer and professor also said about Avison, “The thing with her poetry is that you must grapple with it, it just does not open up. Its rewards come only to those who are willing to make the effort. Her poems were not snacks, they were full meals.” (Canadian, 2007). Her life was filled with tumults and struggles, but her perseverance and faith brought her to be the wonderful writer she