Dove practices a style of poetry that is empowering through her use of history and brutal honestly of modern culture. She is a very relatable writer as she elaborates or her own personal experiences by incorporating her grandparents in her poems and significant writers in history such as Shakespeare. Dove is unlike any other Afro-American poet because her work isn’t focused on the African American but on the American that happens to be black; she incorporates the black person into the American society rather than isolating them. Most of her poems have a song-like rhythm to them which is culturally relatable to the black community and attracts the interest of every ethnicity. She primarily writes in free verse along with first and third person narratives. She does tend to focus on oppressed groups such as women, black, or the impoverished but never places them in the victim’s role; they are always represented by empowering characters.
My personal favorite work by Dove is “Adolescence III.” Even though this poem is referencing a young black woman, living on a farm with no father and big dreams, I think every female learns the lessons of sacrifice and that’s what transforms her into a woman. And the beauty of that transformation is that she doesn’t lose her big dreams of falling in love and finally finding that savior to rescue her from all her pain and heartache. Dove beautifully captures this timeless element of womanhood that is so relatable its hard not feel empathy when reading it.
Rita Dove is a poet with contemporary messages that can be related to across cultures and philosophies. While much of her poetry focuses on oppressed groups such as women, blacks, and those with less opportunity, her messages are universal and multifaceted. As Pauline did, I found the poem “Adolescence III” particularly noteworthy. While I fail to relate to her specific situation working on a farm without a father, the feelings and emotions she displays are familiar. She feels that she is working very hard, sacrificing herself without end, in the glimmer of hope that someday her life may be better. She does not know when, or even if, but she still has hope and dreams that someday someone will come and take her away, cleansing her of her troubles, something that her father failed to do to her.
ReplyDeleteI really like what Pauline said about how Dove incorporates minorities into society rather than setting them apart, emphasizing this idea that humans should not be categorized and according to race. I can see a dramatic contrast here to the poet I researched, Pat Mora, who seems to often emphasize the difficulties and struggles of minorities to incorporate themselves into such a culture (particularly Mexican-Americans), though the desire to do so is very strong. It's very interesting to observe the contrast.
ReplyDeleteI like the personal tone of Dove's poetry, and I really like that she doesn't make the subjects of her poems into victims. She has a talent for showing hardships without letting those hardships become excuses for poor behavior and failure. I am not used to seeing that attitude from black american's and it was refreshing to read, I felt a lot of respect for Dove as I read her poems and biography.
ReplyDeleteI think that poets who write with "brutal honestly" are those who write the best; they get a strong message across that can be well-interpreted.Her personal experiences adds a touch of emotion that is vital for successful poetry. I think since "she incorporates the black person... rather than isolating them" is something rare in black poets and definitely something to celebrate.
ReplyDeleteI think that the empowering undertones of Dove's poetry give it a real strength. They seem to help create a heroic sort of outlook. Too often, the poems that focus on minorities make them out to be victims or oppressed by the more dominant culture. though this may indeed be true, it is refreshing to see a poet who presents this in a powerful light. I feel that this is taking the best of both worlds: drawing on the rich culture that is present in the minorities, and also showing the power that they can have.
ReplyDeleteDove seems to really love the theme of loss of innocence. In "DayStar," "Hade's Pitch," and all three of the "Adolescent" poems, Dove weaves the common thread of losing one's innocence. However, she employs it in different ways in each of the poems, resulting in some surprisingly varied poems. "DayStar" for example outlines a woman's realization that having kid's is a lot more work than she perhaps originally imagined. "Hade's Pitch" is about a girl who dabbles in love, and doesn't quite yet know what to do about it. And, as many have already mentioned, the "Adolescent" poems are probably the best examples of young women losing their innocence.
ReplyDeleteI think Pauline did a beautiful job of describing Dove's treatment of minority groups, and shows a real understanding of her poetry. I think that is what makes Dove's poetry so important-- her empowerment of minorities, and refusal to fixate on their alienation.
ReplyDeleteAs a woman, girl, whatever, I also found "Adolescence III," inspiring. I think sacrifice is one of those things that makes us who we are. Look at the strong figures in your life, for the sake of argument, we'll say mothers. Mothers sacrifice so much for their children, but it makes them who they are. Dove's recognition of this, as well as her communication of this idea, really makes her poetry beautiful.
I think Brendan's comment was on point. Dove really does seem to focus on loss of innocence in women. I wonder if this is a theme she fixated on due to personal experience, as we have seen with many of the poets we have studied.
I too noticed the loss of innocence theme that we've seen so many times in this class. All of these poems deal with women's problems exclusively, which is important to give all readers perspective. I;ve noticed that many of the poets in this project have been minorities during times of racial struggle. It's important to look back and understand those times.
ReplyDeleteThe idea that Dove doesn't separate the blacks and white in her poetry and makes them a whole group really stands out to me. I think it's important to show that especially when writing about the struggles of the minorities and how our modern culture has come to be in America. I totally agree with Katie, in that, when people discuss the differences between minorities and the rest of the world they make it sound like they need a lot of help and they are stuck in that way forever and they need the majorities to save them. I think it's great that she is giving the minorities a more powerful role and saying the will rise up.
ReplyDeleteI also noticed there is a great deal of enjambent in her poems. This helps it flow nicely and stresses her main ideas. I agree that her poems about opression for African Americans are relatable to any group opressed. I think she uses poetry to get her point across because it is a quick read yet contains a powerful messedge. Poetry also tricks people into being entertained yet learning something.
ReplyDeleteDove addresses some social issues in her work, which i find appealing in poetry. She discusses race and race roles in her work. This coupled with the fact that her poetic style is both enjoyable and relevant make for a fun read.
ReplyDeleteDove's poetry addresses the issue of lost youth and innocence, especially that of young women. People can relate to her poems because everyone cannot retain their youth and innocence forever. Her poems on the oppression of women, are relevant to anyone being repressed, whether they are female or not.
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