Ezra Pound: Poems Lesson Plan

Many specific people are mentioned in the first sections of this part of the poem (“Yeux Glauques," "Siena mi fe,” etc.). What is the effect of these references? Do they add something or are they too obscure?

Students should feel free to express frustration and even disapproval at the number of opaque references to various artists / thinkers / politicians throughout several of these sections. At the same time, students should be encouraged to delve into the references to see what can be gleaned. For example, it is not crucial for students to engage with the work of Swinburne and Rossetti but helpful to know that they are artists and that Pound identifies with them for the...