“Over every mountain there is a path, although it may not be seen from the valley” ("Theodore Roethke Quotes."). This quote by Theodore Roethke demonstrates his persistence and his determined mindset that helped Roethke throughout his difficult life. Theodore Roethke did not grow up expecting to become a major American poet. He intended to become a lawyer, however during college Roethke discovered that being a lawyer was not the right profession for him. It was at this time that he came to realize his love for poetry. Roethke wrote many of his poems based on past experiences such as “Child on Top of a Greenhouse” which is based on his childhood experiences. Theodore Roethke, both an emotional and philosophical poet, was influenced by many other poets and his own past experiences in order to develop his poems which shared many ideas on the significance of life.
Theodore Roethke was an American poet whose lifetime experiences influenced many of his poetic works. Theodore Roethke was born on May 25, 1908 in Saginaw, Michigan, United States. Roethke stayed in Michigan for his childhood and college years. He died on August 01, 1963 in Bainbridge Isle, Washington, United States (“Theodore Roethke.” Contemporary). Roethke lived in recent times and this is reflected in his contemporary poems which use modern language and linguistic devices. Roethke lived in Michigan until after attending the University of Michigan. After going to college at the University of Michigan, Roethke attended Harvard University, located in Massachusetts. Roethke planned on becoming a lawyer; however during college, Roethke discovered his deep admiration for poetry. Roethke’s career as a poet initially struggled and it wasn’t until 1953 that Roethke finally receiv...
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According to Parini, Jane's death is not the subject of the poem; rather, her death presents an occasion for calling up a certain emotional state in which Roethke's feelings of grief and pity transcend the occasion. Following the standard of elegiac celebration of the vegetation god Adonis reaching back to Bion's Lament for Adonis and Moschus's Lament for Bion, Roethke associates the deceased with elemental aspects of nature--the plant tendrils, the pickerel, the wren--to defuse the pathos of her death. A Romantic poet, Roethke views death as a stage; the plants point to rebirth (138-39). The subject of Roethke's most famous poem (45) becomes the response to Jane's death and his ambivalent emotions at her graveside. Without the associations of earlier elegies, the emotion would surpass the occasion. Roethke mourns not only Jane, whom he knew only slightly, but also the deaths of us all (138-39).
Hugh Wheeler was born on March 19, 1912 to parents, Harold, who was a civil servant in the Office of the Public Trustee and Florence Wheeler, whose parents were in truck manufacturing. He was born in Northwood, Middlesex, England, (Obituary) and lived there until he was 22 years old. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of London in 1932 (Gale). After receiving his degree, he decided to move to the United States and pursue his love of writing. He served in the American armed forces in World War II. He also became a naturalized American citizen in 1942. He remained in the United States until his death in 1987 (Obituary). There are few details of Wheeler’s personal life except that he never married and lived privately (Document). He was well respected in the literary world, in which he accumulated a variety of awards.
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In “Root Cellar” by Theodore Roethke uses diction, imagery, and tone to display the various layers to the work. He describes smells and sets up visual imagery in the poem to contrast the actual message. The tone in the poem shows the underlying theme of life beneath the moldy cellar itself.
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