The Poetry Of Gwendolyn Brooks

Mary Oliver’s experiences in life profoundly influenced her poetry’s subjects, themes, and style. On September 10, 1935, Helen M. Vlassak Oliver gave birth to a baby girl whom she named Mary. She was raised in a semi-rural suburb outside of Cleveland in the small town of Maple Heights, Ohio. Early in her life, Mary was a victim of incest.

Although many of the themes of her poems did vary , she never explicitly wrote about racial discrimination or slavery. “Her poems mirror her religious and classical New England upbringing. Wheatley never centered her poems on the theme of racial equality." Instead of writing about racial equality she took advantage of her gift and wrote about what truly spoke to her. Without meaning to she eventually broke down the barrier and created their own African American literature.

I. Introductory Paragraph and Thesis Statement Phillis Wheatley has changed the world of the literature and poetry for the better with her groundbreaking advancements for women and African Americans alike, despite the many challenges she faced. By being a voice for those who can not speak for themselves, Phillis Wheatley has given life to a new era of literature for all to create and enjoy. Without Wheatley’s ingenious writing based off of her grueling and sorrowful life, many poets and writers of today’s culture may not exist. Despite all of the odds stacked against her, Phillis Wheatley prevailed and made a difference in the world that would shape the world of writing and poetry for the better. II.

Her parents were divorced and she just wanted to get away from all of that. She received a full-ride scholarship to Iowa State University, the home of the Cyclones. She decided her path there would lead her to major in political science and later on she would go to law school. She was an

If The Fair Gwen had not judged Max Freak and Max would not have become friends. On page 20 the narrator states, “... she’s scared of me” (Philbrick 20). This shows that The Fair Gwen is scared of Max because of his demeanor. However if The Fair Gwen had not judged Max, she would not have felt bad about judging him by his size, she would not have invited Max over to dinner to apologize about her behavior. Because The Fair Gwen realized that judging a person by their demeanor was wrong Freak and Max bonded which lead to them becoming best friends.

She attended the Wahpeton Indian Boarding School, and later went on to study at Dartmouth College and Johns Hopkins University (McCay, Deroche). She writes with themes of revenge, redemption, strength, parenting, and humor. She is a poet, novelist, and proud Native American and allows that to influence

His poem Sympathy is just one example of how he felt trapped like a caged bird in his life. Even though the Civil War was over, African Americans still did not have as many privileges and opportunities as most White people had. Most of Dunbar’s writing showed his perspective of life and the struggles that came with it. Maya Angelou was born in 1928 and suffered a hard childhood that later on affected her writing. When she was eight years old, Maya was sexually abused and raped by her mother’s boyfriend.

“Today, Michelle and I join millions around the world in remembering one of the brightest lights of our time – a brilliant writer, a fierce friend, and a truly phenomenal woman.” (Online - White House). This memorial statement, by Barack Obama in 2014, encompasses how many felt towards Maya Angelou, one of the most influential writers and voices of her generation. Over the course of her lifetime, Maya Angelou was awarded over 50 honorary degrees and received the highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Angelou’s personal admiration and self-love that is reflected in her poetic works, specifically, “Phenomenal Woman,” is credited to the overcoming of her traumatic childhood and her work in activism.

At her nest foster home her foster father,used her for oral sex in trade for LSD and cocaine. After this incident she moved in with her great aunt in Los Angeles. During her stay she joined a gang at the age of 12. She almost died when he was shot in the back at the age of 16. After that she made the decision to leave the gang.

In today's society a countless amount of intelligent young adults throw away their talent by making short sided decisions, or partaking in harmful habits. Some claim the dilemma on modern media glamorizing such bad habits. Others asseverate that the people around them are to blame. None the less Gwendolyn Brooks expresses these concerns in an almost morbid fashion with her powerful poem "We Real Cool" which conveys a cautionary theme that those who chose to live fast paced lives filled with so called "cool" choices tend to live short lives. Her use of rhythm, dialect, and word choice presents the almost unnerving theme in an incredibly haunting way .

Through her pursue of education she was able to obtain a better life and made it to the Ivy League. She is now an international speaker who recently graduated from Harvard

Have you ever been scared of going somewhere new? How about enrolling in a certain program? Did you want to just conceal yourself from the world around you? Maybe you stay that way for a while, but then you get up and realize that you have to move on, confront your fears, get on with life. The poem “Speech to the Young” by Gwendolyn Brooks is a poem talking to younger people that advises them on their lives going forward. It tells them to never give up, don’t let people deter them and always have sights on what you want to accomplish. Clarified explanation of the message, effective and clever use of hyperbole and metaphors, and choosing a certain audience all contributed to the overall relevance and flow of this poem.

Shirley Anita St. Hill Chisholm was born on November 30, 1924 in Brooklyn, New York. As a young girl, she went to public schools, but for college she attended Brooklyn College and graduated in 1946 cum laude with a Bachelor in sociology. Not only was she giving her time to further her career, Shirley had an interests in helping children. In 1946-1953, she dedicated those years to being a nursery teacher and performed her duties in a daycare. From there, she received her Masters at Columbia University in early childhood education in 1956.

She was born on February 29, 1956 in Rochester Michigan. She was abandoned as an

When thinking of personal experiences, “The Mother” by Gwendolyn Brooks touches on the emotional topic of abortion. Even though this poem was published decades ago, it can still be seen very relevant to this day. Accepting abortion and the outcome can indeed be a challenging task for many, while others seem to adapt to it without much of a problem. Gwendolyn Brooks’ writing lets us take a look at the mothers view point of abortion and how a mother responds to her new situation. Throughout the poem, the speaker shows signs of grieving concern of the topic of abortion and its outcomes by presenting emotions of regret and memories, shame and guilt, and contradicting herself to almost justify what she has done.