Matthew Antonelli
October 14, 2008
All Poetry
James Wright will forever be remembered for being a member of the Academy of American Poets and for receiving the Pulitzer Prize in poetry for his Collected Poems. Wright was born in Martins Ferry, Ohio on December 13, 1927. Wright joined the army after high school and was stationed in Japan during American occupancy.
After having graduated from Kenyon College, Wright married Liberty Kardales. Wright earned his master’s degree at the University of Washington. Not only was he an accomplished teacher but he also had many published works. His works were modeled after Robert Frost, often used as a medium to discuss his political and social views. Wright received his Pulitzer in 1971 and passed away in 1980, while in New York City.
Wright is an accomplished author with many published works, including his poetry:
Above the River: The Complete Poems (1992)
Collected Poems (1971)
Moments of the Italian Summer (1976)
Saint Judas (1959)
Shall We Gather at the River (1969)
The Branch Will Not Break (1963)
The Green Wall (1957)
The Lion's Tail and Eyes: Poems Written Out of Laziness and Silence (1962)
This Journey (1982)
To a Blossoming Pear Tree (1977)
Two Citizens (1973)
He also has a collection of prose:
Collected Prose (1983)
And many published anthologies:
Neruda and Vallejo: Selected Poems (1971)
Poems by Hesse (1970)
The Rider on the White Horse by Theodor Storm (1964)
Twenty Poems of César Vallejo (1962)
Twenty Poems of Georg Trakl (1961)
Twenty Poems of Pablo Neruda (1968)
Wandering: Notes and Sketches by Hesse (1972)
Wright’s works tend to reflect common themes. Often times his works surrounds itself with powerful imagery that captivated the reader. He uses strong descriptions, which are effective at drawing out emotions. Wright also presents the idea that we are all just men, a bleak reality of death and sorrow. Yet he does say man can control their surroundings and being strong and holding power will help distinguish you from animals. His work is often masking the true meaning behind his writing. He uses these poems to highlight how he views society and nature.
Imagistic: The Blessing
We step over the barbed wire into the pasture
Where they have been grazing all day, alone.
They ripple tensely, they can hardly contain their happiness
That we have come.
They bow shyly as wet swans. They love each other.
There is no loneliness like theirs.
Power: On the Skeleton of a Hound
Scatter this hulk about the dampened ground;
And while the moon rises beyond me, throw
The ribs and spine out of their perfect shape.
For a last charm to the dead, I lift the skull
And toss it over the maples like a ball.
Strewn to the woods, now may that spirit sleep
That flamed over the ground a year ago.
Fascination with Death: A Poem About George Doty in the Death House
Close to the wall inside,
Immured, empty of love,
A man I have wondered of
Lies patient, vacant-eye.
A month and a day ago
He stopped his car and found
A girl on the darkening ground,
And killed her in the snow.
Despair: Fear is What Quickens Me
Many animals that our fathers killed in America
Had quick eyes.
They stared about wildly,
When the moon went dark.
The new moon falls into the freight yards
Of cities in the south,
But the loss of the moon to the dark hands of Chicago
Does not matter to the deer
In this northern field
Helplessness: At the Executed Murderer's Grave
Staring politely, they will not mark my face
From any murderer's, buried in this place.
Why should they? We are nothing but a man.
James Wright’s poetic work would classify him as a Confessionalist. This means he uses his own life experience to influence and deliberate his poetry. Wright has served in the Vietnam War and has used his voice he gained in the war to discuss American issues. He also saw the line between rural American and modern-urban American. He often uses his voice to walk the reader through a moment of realization.
Members of the Confessionalist group write as Wright is described. They mask realities and tell their story through a veil, but from a real perspective. These writers do not just tell you what they have learned; they use their writings to walk the reader through the idea. This is an exact definition of Wright and how he helps the reader come to realizations on their own.
There is a poet Robert Hass who is a self-proclaimed follower of James Wright. He often reflects American politics in his work. Both artists also stretch the character of the American Hero to be all encompassing of emotions, from low to high. Hass was born March 1, 1941 in San Francisco, CA. Hass has produced publications from the early ‘70’s until the present.
James Wright was very influenced by famed American port Robert Frost. He mimics Frost’s style of using poetic language to disguise a societal voice. Frost was born March 26, 1874 also in San Francisco, CA. Both poets discuss the “ruralness” of American and have “behind the scenes pessimistic and menacing tones.” Frost released work from the 1920’s until he passed away in the ‘60’s.
Michael Palmer was born on May 11, 1943 in Manhattan, New York. Palmer began actively publishing poetry in he 1960’s. He is known for his attendance of the Vancouver Poetry Conference of 1963. He has also gained his reputation be editing the journal Joglers.
Palmer has had many poems published, but he also has a few novels.
Poetry
Plan of the City of O, Barn Dreams Press (Boston, MA), 1971.
Blake's Newton, Black Sparrow Press (Santa Barbara, CA), 1972.
C's Songs, Sand Dollar Books (Berkeley, CA), 1973.
Six Poems, Black Sparrow Press (Santa Barbara, CA), 1973.
The Circular Gates, Black Sparrow Press (Santa Barbara, CA), 1974.
(Translator, with Geoffrey Young) Vicente Huidobro, Relativity of Spring: 13 Poems, Sand Dollar Books (Berkeley, CA), 1976.
Without Music, Black Sparrow Press (Santa Barbara, CA), 1977.
Alogon, Tuumba Press (Berkeley, CA), 1980.
Notes for Echo Lake, North Point Press (Berkeley, CA), 1981.
(Translator) Alain Tanner and John Berger, Jonah Who Will Be 25 in the Year 2000, North Atlantic Books (Berkeley, CA), 1983.
First Figure, North Point Press (Berkeley, CA), 1984.
Sun, North Point Press (Berkeley, CA), 1988.
At Passages, New Directions (New York, NY), 1995.
The Lion Bridge: Selected Poems, 1972-1995, New Directions (New York, NY), 1998.
The Promises of Glass, New Directions (New York, NY), 2000.
Codes Appearing: Poems, 1979-1988, New Directions (New York, NY), 2001. Notes for Echo Lake, First Figure, and Sun together in one volume.
(With Régis Bonvicino) Cadenciando-um-ning, um samba, para o outro: poemas, traduções, diálogos, Atelieì Editorial (Cotia, Brazil), 2001.
Company of Moths, New Directions (New York, NY), 2005.
Palmer’s work using amazing imagery to allow the reader to see a mental picture. His language is executed excellently. Sometimes Palmer’s readings are so wordy they seem like a game. The reader plays a large role in Palmer’s work and that is why they get sucked into his poetry.
Creative: Dearest Reader
He painted the mountain over and over again
from his place in the cave, agape
at the light, its absence, the mantled
skull with blue-tinted hollows, wren-
like bird plucking berries from the fire
her hair alight and so on
lemon grass in cafe in clear glass.
Captivating: Sun
Write this. We have burned all their villages
Write this. We have burned all the villages and the people in them
Write this. We have adopted their customs and their manner of dress
Write this. A word may be shaped like a bed, a basket of tears or an X
Post- modern: As a Real House
"I said darkling and you said sparkling"
The play-house appears before us
as a real house in the dark
filled with people cut out
of magazines and postcards
and called real people at the start
Open ended: Untitled
O you in that little bark
What is the relation of the painting to its title
The painting bears no relation to its title
The tiny boat bears
nameless people across
water that is infinitely dark
darker even than snow on paving stones
darker than faces in shadow on a boat
Transcendental: IF NOT, NOT
They tell each other stories,
lies composed as dreams and
always in the colors of
dreams: rust, chrome yellow, coral,
chemical green. Of the dying
figures, loosely assembled, by a
riverbank. The gatehouse. A journey
by train through beautiful countryside,
indescribable countryside. I was there
cut in half, only to
survive.
Palmer is often notes as a Language author. This means the words create the poetry, literally, most times the speaker’s existence is questioned. Often considered “overly poetic”, Language poetry can be difficult to understand, forcing the reader to participate in discovering a meaning. Palmer says he uses Language poetry in an attempt to “escape from the assumptions of poetic production that were largely dominant in our culture.”
One of Michael Palmer’s followers would be George Oppen. Palmer’s influence is not that widespread, yet Oppen was a known follower. He was born April 24th, 1908 and died in 1984. He was an unconventional poet turned political activist, turned poet. He and Palmer had the same ascetic as an artist, they wanted to show the reader something different than what was out there. Oppen release work from the 30’s until the late 70’s.
Charles Olson had a profound impact of Michael Palmer’s career. Olson preached the same idea that poets should shy away from confessional poems and focus more on thinking outside the box. Olson was born December 27, 1910 and died in the 1970’s. He was known for being a pioneer of post-modernism and had a ongoing effect on many poets during his life. Olson’s work was release from the 30’s until the 80’s.
Works Cited:
http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/73
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confessionalism_%28poetry%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_James
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Frost
http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/98
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Language_School
http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/m_r/palmer/online.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Oppen
