There are endless ways to write a poem, just like there are an endless amount of poets who write them. No matter who the poet is, each poet’s main goal is to draw the reader in and take them on a spectacular journey through their poem. Every poet wants to leave a lasting astonished impression on their readers. Each poem written has a different message and is unique in meaning. In addition to that, all poets write to deliver an unforgettable theme and enhance their poems with great detail to keep the reader interested in completing their journey. Erin Belieu is one of the most successful and most intriguing American poets. Born on September 25, 1967, American poet Erin Belieu has been writing memorable poems for years. Belieu was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska throughout her entire childhood. Belieu graduated from Central High …show more content…
School, and later studied poetry at the University of Nebraska. Belieu also studied poetry at Ohio State University and Boston University. In addition to studying poetry at those schools, Belieu also received many degrees. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Nebraska, a Master of Fine Arts degree from Ohio State University, and a Master of Arts degree from Boston University. Her poems have been published in several magazines, including The New Yorker, New York Times, Atlantic Monthly, Slate, The Rumpus, Willow Springs, and Yale Review. In addition to that, Belieu has also been the managing editor and poetry editor for AGNI magazine for five years, and is the founding editor of the magazine Hotel Amerika. Belieu’s poems have been chosen four times for the Best American Poetry series. Overall, Belieu has earned many awards for her sensational works of poetry. Many of Belieu’s poems have been influenced by her home state, Nebraska, along with common feminist issues, love, and political issues. Belieu frequently writes about feminism and her poems are often ironic, but direct. In addition to writing about personal experiences and issues, Belieu has written many poems that correspond with common poetic trends that happened in the 1900s, too. Poems written in the 1900s were typically written about political issues, and poets wrote poems that were not beautiful or appealing like poetry was known to be, but fragmented and sometimes obscure. Belieu’s poems were influenced by this because in her poems, she discusses political issues, and many of her poems are written as a large stanza, rather than breaking it up into several stanzas, like most other poems. Belieu therefore had a very creative and unique was of writing. Erin Belieu created many poems with the same common theme. She generally writes her poems with sarcasm, in order to make points without offending one. Belieu also writes poems regarding gender, love, and political issues. Poems such as these seem connected to Belieu’s life because she is a women, and many women may face the same problems. Also, all political systems are imperfect, so her poems about flawed government systems could be relatable to readers, as well as herself. In these poems, Belieu avoids insulting a reader who might support a decision that she does not agree with by talking about the political issues in sarcastic or comical ways. In addition to that, poems that are written with a common theme of Omaha, Nebraska, are often written by Belieu. Belieu was born in and grew up in Nebraska, so her poems about Omaha fit into her life. One of Belieu’s first poems written is “Another Poem for Mothers”. In this poem, Belieu discusses how many people write poems for their parents, specifically their mothers. She talks about how many people often start with the same sentence or phrase, but she says she does not want to start like that because she wants her poem to her mother to be unique. Belieu also expresses the fact that mothers help their children everyday, and how it seems impossible to describe the world that they help manage. “How to describe that world that mothers spin and consume and trap and love us in, that spreads for years and men and miles?” (Belieu). This poem fits in with Belieu’s life because she discusses how important her mother is to her. Towards the end of the poem, Belieu talks about how even though she has tried to write a poem that is creative and not like everyone else’s, she has still failed to make her own poem original. “Mother, I’ve done no better than the others, but for now, here is your clever failure,” (Belieu). Therefore, Belieu’s poem, “Another Poem for Mothers”, is about how she tries to write an original poem to her mother, but ends up writing a poem that is still similar to any other poem written for a mom. A popular poem of Erin Belieu’s is “Rondeau At The Train Station”. In this poem, Belieu talks about summertime and how sometimes it can be enjoyable, but how some of the things bother her. “It bothers me because it’s summer now and sticky…” (Belieu). Also, Belieu discusses how miserable summer conditions can be by using many metaphors and other types of figurative language. This poem has a connection to Belieu’s life, and possibly a reader’s, because of the detail she used to describe what her hometown, Omaha, felt like. Overall, Belieu uses a lot of description to enhance what was happening in her town so readers could connect to her thoughts and feelings. “...the train circling the city like a dingy, year-round Christmas display,” (Belieu). In conclusion, Belieu uses a lot of imagery in this poem to describe summers in her hometown, Omaha. Another popular poem of Erin Belieu’s is “I Heart You Dog’s Head”.
In this poem, Belieu discusses how some men are smug and vain, but in a comical way. Belieu talks about hating Bill Parcells, who is a very wealthy football coach, because he is cruel and has no empathy. “...I hate Bill Parcells more, because he is the illuminated manuscript of cruel, successful men, those with the slitty eyes of ancient reptiles, who wear their smugness like a tight white turtleneck, and revel in their lack of empathy for any living thing,” (Belieu). In addition to that, Belieu also says that she does not enjoy football because the players find glorification in violence, and she does not support that. Finally, Belieu ends her poem with a metaphor comparing Bill Parcells to the dogs that live across from her. Belieu talks about how she wants Bill Parcells to be locked up like the dogs down her street in reincarnation. This poem has a connection to Belieu’s life because of the many things she does, in support of women’s rights. Therefore, Belieu’s poem, “I Heart You Dog’s Head”, mainly talks about how Belieu disagrees with the way men
act. Erin Belieu is one of the most successful and most intriguing American poets. Belieu has written many poems, which have been very popular and given many awards. Belieu has had a remarkable education, has received many awards for her poems and books of poetry, has written some of the most successful pieces of poetry, and has also started many beneficial programs for children and women. Overall, Erin Belieu is one of the best and highly respected poets.
Kay Ryan, born 1945 in California, is an exceptional author who is renowned for her work (Poets.org). Her poems may seem simple to some, but they have the power to leave an everlasting mark in your mind. It is no surprise that distinguished writers and critics, such as Dana Gioia, have complimented her writings for its “sheer intelligence” and “indeed wisdom” (“Discovering Kay Ryan”).
Poetry is a way for authors to express their feelings on life, whether it be current events, past memories, or just abstract thought. Some poets write stories using poetry, while others write short simple imaginative journeys. One poet, Rita Dove, uses her poetry to reflect upon her past actions as a child. Her poems create extraordinary sensory experiences in the reader, mostly being visualizations that the reader can image. Both “Geometry” and “Grape Sherbet”, by Rita Dove, are similar in that they express a commonality between Dove’s childhood, and experiences people have in the present day by using common poetic devices like imagery, symbolism, and personification.
The overall tone of the poem is somber. Weigl uses themes such as sadness and guilt to express the emotions of the May’s owner and the veterinarian. Weigl writes, “I cleaved to that smell / and lied into her ear / that it would be alright” (19-21). The speaker feels guilty because he/she is lying to the dog. The veterinarian was also sad about putting May down, “The veterinarian, whom I’d fought / about when
In her book, Against Love, Laura Kipnis explains her views on love and why she is against it. She begins with an explanation of how maturity plays into love; maturity in love is seen as the willingness to settle down while immaturity is not wanting to commit. Then she gives a tour of love throughout history, stating that romantic love didn't exist until only a few centuries ago. Also, Kipnis believes that advanced intimacy, one of the essential things to keep a relationship healthy, isn’t good and an overall scary experience. Lastly she lists off an endless list of arbitrary things that you can not do in a relationship anymore. Kipnis contends that if it helps a society to have its citizens believe that it’s shameful to start over, or that wanting more from a relationship is illicit, grizzly acts of self mutilation are clearly needed. However, I believe that love is, in essence, unnecessary. One can live their entire life without
Poetry is something that is to be read delicately and cautiously if one wanted to find meaning through the words. Readers have to be gentle and patiently ponder about what they are reading in order to find any significance in the poem. If someone is not patient with reading, they will not feel impacted by poetry and will not want to read it. In Billy Collins’, “Introduction to Poetry,” he uses figurative language to help readers see that the way to enjoy and understand poetry is by reading between the lines and being patient with how each individual relates to the readings.
...r’.” Poetry for students. Ed. Sara Constantakis. Vol. 43 Detroit: Gale, 2013. Literature Resource Center. Web. 30 Mar. 2014. http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?>.
It is a way to crucially engage oneself in setting the stage for new interventions and connections. She also emphasized that she personally viewed poetry as the embodiment of one’s personal experiences, and she challenged what the white, European males have imbued in society, as she declared, “I speak here of poetry as the revelation or distillation of experience, not the sterile word play that, too often, the white fathers distorted the word poetry to mean — in order to cover their desperate wish for imagination without insight.”
In Gwendolyn Brook’s Kitchenette Building the audience is able to see her unique writing style by taking her own life experiences and creating a poem that can s...
In today’s modern view, poetry has become more than just paragraphs that rhyme at the end of each sentence. If the reader has an open mind and the ability to read in between the lines, they discover more than they have bargained for. Some poems might have stories of suffering or abuse, while others contain happy times and great joy. Regardless of what the poems contains, all poems display an expression. That very moment when the writer begins his mental journey with that pen and paper is where all feelings are let out. As poetry is continues to be written, the reader begins to see patterns within each poem. On the other hand, poems have nothing at all in common with one another. A good example of this is in two poems by a famous writer by the name of Langston Hughes. A well-known writer that still gets credit today for pomes like “ Theme for English B” and “Let American be American Again.”
"Characteristics of Modern Poetry - Poetry - Questions & Answers." ENotes - Literature Study Guides, Lesson Plans, and More. Web. 09 Jan. 2012. .
In life all humanity faces a struggle or heartbreak that seems almost impossible to make it through. In the poem Everybody Has a Heartache the author Joy Harjo discusses and introduces the opinion that everyone faces a heartache or blues. The author goes into detail about the different kinds of heartbreak that goes on in a variety of peoples’ everyday life. This poem was very interesting to me because the author chose very diverse and out of the normal heartbreaks for her characters to face rather than the normal heartbreaks that everyone can see. The author used several literary devices to establish an emotional connection with the readers.
Marianne Moore ranked with Emily Dickinson among America’s finest woman poets. Moore crafted her poems superbly. She generally used poetic forms in which the controlling element is the number and arrangement of syllables rather than c...
Alexandra Fuller and Pan Macmillan’s extract from, Don’t Let’s Go To The Dogs Tonight, explore the roles of the family dynamic and their roles within the family. This is a first person narrative, written from the perspective of one of the daughters. As well, this passage describes the event of selling bales of tobacco in a market setting. This passage develops the roles of the narrator, the mother, and the father, through techniques such as animal imagery, body language, diction, punctuation, as well as structure.
Love That Dog is a phenomenon free verse piece written by Sharon Creech that talks about a young boy named Jack’s inspiring journey with poetry. Jack finds poetry difficult and irrelevant to his life; however, as he progresses the school year, his poetical journal responses to his teacher, Miss Stretchberry, significantly improve. Jack begins to share sensitive and moving topics through his poetry. Poetry becomes inspirational to him to an extent that will astound the reader and keep them on their feet. This book is best suited for students ages 8 - 12. The book falls under the genre of poetry (realistic fiction and tragedy). The genre provides condensed, evocative language, causing the reader to interpret beyond literary meaning. Instead of analyzing this book from a simplistic point of view, one can delve more in depth based on its genre. The concepts discussed in this book are universal and applies to humanity at large.
Born on September 25, 1967, American poet Erin Belieu has been writing memorable poems for years. Belieu has written four books of poetry and her poems have been published in several well known magazines. Belieu was also a former managing editor and took the role of a poetry editor in other well known magazines. Belieu has had a remarkable education, regarding poetry and earning several degrees from three universities, as well. Belieu has also exceeded in teaching. She has taught at Washington University, Boston University, Kenyon College, and Ohio University. In addition to that, Belieu is one of the directors of the creative writing program at Florida State University, and an artistic director of the Port Townsend Writers' Conference. She also co founded and co directs an organization that supports women’s creativity in literary arts, along with Cate Marvin, who is also an American poet. Erin Belieu is one of the best and most successful American poets.