Post by sarohwe38 on May 21, 2012 15:15:20 GMT -5
Rita Dove is an African American poet who often finds influence for her poetry in her real life experiences from growing up in Akron, Ohio. She was born into a supportive and financially stable family with parents who intellectually encouraged her to always focus on her studies; ones who believed that “half a happiness is better than none at goddam all” and that “learning was the most important thing that could happen to you.” She craved knowledge, and was pleasantly surprised to find that at the library “all the time in the world was there, and sometimes all the world on a single page.” Raised with this idea within her, Rita was invited to the White House as a “Presidential Scholar” shortly prior to her eighteenth birthday, acknowledging that she was one of the one hundred most intelligent high-school seniors in the nation during 1969.
Rita first became interested in poetry when she was eleven, after reading poems by both Shakespeare and Langston Hughes from her parents’ library. Her poetry has been compared to that of Robert Frost, Langston Hughes, and Gwendolyn Brooks, especially in rhetorical structures. In her poetry, Rita is able to bridge the gap between oral and written text, allowing her to create her own unique style of writing which easily captivates her audience. Rita Dove’s poetry has grabbed the attention of numerous people in high places; she was the Poet Laureate of the United States from 1993-1995 and the fellowships she has received from organizations such as the Nation Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation are just the beginning of her long list of the acknowledgements for her gift.
Rita Dove is a very narrative and biographical poet, and tells the story of her family in many of her poems. She became the second African American poet to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1987 for her most famous collection of poetry entitled Thomas and Beulah, a tribute to her grandparents, which perfectly captures the story of her grandparents and all the hardships they faced throughout their lives.
Unlike other African American poets, Rita Dove does not make forward statements about race or the oppressive aspects of the history of African Americans; rather, she creates events and characters to tell a story and how one event can affect many others, as a form of “protest poetry.”
The majority of her poetry revolves around her four main topics: childhood, culture, history, and religion. In her poem “Testimonial,” Rita explains that “Back when the earth was new/ and heaven just a whisper, /…I gave my promise to the world, / and the world followed me here,” explaining that the journey from childhood to adulthood is an important and memorable one that can never be forgotten. She believes that everyone has the chance to change the world, and pleaded “May the world, in your hands, / brighten with use,” begging the audience to do something with their lives and to not just let it float by them.
So for all of this, and everything she does, “She is bright; she shines.” I would like to thank Rita Dove for coming here tonight and for inspiring us to never give up hope and to always believe in ourselves. So now, it is my immense honor to welcome Rita Dove to the stage.
Word Count: 553
Rita first became interested in poetry when she was eleven, after reading poems by both Shakespeare and Langston Hughes from her parents’ library. Her poetry has been compared to that of Robert Frost, Langston Hughes, and Gwendolyn Brooks, especially in rhetorical structures. In her poetry, Rita is able to bridge the gap between oral and written text, allowing her to create her own unique style of writing which easily captivates her audience. Rita Dove’s poetry has grabbed the attention of numerous people in high places; she was the Poet Laureate of the United States from 1993-1995 and the fellowships she has received from organizations such as the Nation Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation are just the beginning of her long list of the acknowledgements for her gift.
Rita Dove is a very narrative and biographical poet, and tells the story of her family in many of her poems. She became the second African American poet to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1987 for her most famous collection of poetry entitled Thomas and Beulah, a tribute to her grandparents, which perfectly captures the story of her grandparents and all the hardships they faced throughout their lives.
Unlike other African American poets, Rita Dove does not make forward statements about race or the oppressive aspects of the history of African Americans; rather, she creates events and characters to tell a story and how one event can affect many others, as a form of “protest poetry.”
The majority of her poetry revolves around her four main topics: childhood, culture, history, and religion. In her poem “Testimonial,” Rita explains that “Back when the earth was new/ and heaven just a whisper, /…I gave my promise to the world, / and the world followed me here,” explaining that the journey from childhood to adulthood is an important and memorable one that can never be forgotten. She believes that everyone has the chance to change the world, and pleaded “May the world, in your hands, / brighten with use,” begging the audience to do something with their lives and to not just let it float by them.
So for all of this, and everything she does, “She is bright; she shines.” I would like to thank Rita Dove for coming here tonight and for inspiring us to never give up hope and to always believe in ourselves. So now, it is my immense honor to welcome Rita Dove to the stage.
Word Count: 553