I am going from the rhetoric of essays to the aesthetic of poetry with this post. However, don't be fooled by the pretty colors in poetry. Once your pulled in by the flowery language of a poem and you lean in for a smell of the nectar therein, BAM! It hits you like a brick wall. The author had something important to say and it makes you think. Such is poetry, not all "roses are red, violets are blue."
I want to focus on not just any poet, but the great Emily Dickinson. The reason is that she created beautiful poems with all the flowery language, but she usually had a point to make. She was also very unique, and is considered one of the greats, not just for a lady. That is what I want to focus on. One of the greatest poets ever felt very much restrained as a woman in society, and she expressed that in her poetry.
What are some of your favorite pieces of literature by women? They don't have to be poetry or refer to a specific topic.
1737
Rearrange a “Wife’s” affection!
When they dislocate my Brain!
Amputate my freckled Bosom!
Make me bearded like a man!
Blush, my spirit, in thy Fastness—
Blush, my unacknowledged clay—
Seven years of troth have taught thee
More than Wifehood every may!
Love that never leaped its socket—
Trust entrenched in narrow pain—
Constancy thro’ fire—awarded—
Anguish—bare of anodyne!
Burden—borne so far triumphant—
None suspect me of the crown,
For I wear the “Thorns” till Sunset—
Then—my Diadem put on.
Big my Secret but it’s bandaged—
It will never get away
Till the Day its Weary Keeper
Leads it through the Grave to thee.
http://hellopoetry.com/poem/3459/rearrange-a-wifes-affection/
There are so many female authors that I enjoy, it would be hard to name them all. Some of them some people probably would know, but there are some that more well know the English world, like that of Harper Lee, who wrote to Kill A Mocking Bird, Olive Anne Burns, who wrote Cold Sassy Tree, and Sue Monk Kidd, who wrote The Secret Life of Bees. All of these are great authors, who expounded their literary skills, and demonstrated their understanding of social tendencies to come up with their stories. Though all of these are not poets, they are one of my favorite authors.
ReplyDelete