"The Black Lace Fan My Mother Gave Me" by Eavan Boland.

... IB Language A 10/7/03 Commentary "The Black Lace Fan My Mother Gave Me" Eavan Boland Poetry can be used as a means of expression for some poets. However, Eavan Boland states that she has "never turned to poetry as a method of expression". Boland describes poetry as being "a very demanding art form" that does not lend itself to the mere expression or description of an experience. Instead, she claims that she writes "not to express the experience, but to experience it further". This justification of her writing is depicted in the poem "The Black Lace Fan My Mother Gave Me". Throughout the poem, Boland transports the reader back to the moment when a woman, her mother, received a very special gift from her lover. She emphasizes specific details about the weather, the characters' actions, and the fan itself in order to re-live her mother's experience. Boland utilizes symbolism, metaphors, and similes to illustrate the

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