The War of Acmeism

During Anna’s sorrowful and unjust life, there were many beautiful things that came from her poems and literature. Just shortly after her 21st birthday and marriage to Nikolai, Anna helped to create a fairly radical movement during the Acmeism. Acmiests revolted against symbolism’s vagueness and attempts to privilege emotional suggestion over clarity and vivid sensory images. During this time, many writers were still focused and mainly writing according to the Romantic standards. Anna and her group called The Poets Guild, although, wanted something a little more revolutionary. Acmeism focused on “the value of clarity, concreteness, and closeness to things on this earth,” but each of the poets when in their own direction to find that.

The first time that we see Anna's beautiful nature imagery is in Dedication. “Mountains bow down to this grief, /mighty rivers cease to flow, /but the prison gates hold firm…” You can see just how strong and vivid Anna's imagery truly is. Throughout the rest, many can argue that Anna's strong suit is her bold imagery. “I learned how faces fall,/ how terror darts from under eyelids,/ how suffering traces lines/ of stiff cuneiform on cheeks,/ how locks of ashen-blonde or black/ turn silver suddenly…” Through Anna's imagery we can physically see the anger and the pain of a mother who yearns for her son. Some images are full of spite and hate, while others are subtle and beautiful.

On top of her imagery, there is a bitter and distasteful history. Unlike the Romantic writers, there wasn’t a truth for her. Everything that she faced was the hard and destructive hand of the government – not to mention the World Wars. This was her harsh reality. She focuses on the clarity of the moment, the concrete nature of their lives. For Anna it wasn’t all about nature and the Sublime, it was about fighting for what was right and mourning those who lost their lives to an unjust government and war. Anna uses harsh and contrasting words, especially with the inclusion of her beautiful imagery. Not only that, but she includes many different allusions throughout her poetry. Although it was published without her permission, it’s obvious that there was pure hate within her writing. But she also uses allusions to bring clarity from the past and the present. She includes friends and poets, biblical references, and mythological stories throughout Requiem.