Summary:

With the end of World War II in 1945, America's economic prosperity and competition with the USSR led to an emphasis on patriotism and cultural homogeneity. America became increasingly suburbanized, which led to a shift in literature - writers attempted to represent America as a whole in their works; the entire experience of the American people. With the notion of the Great American Novel and the new American goal of conformity came the urge to represent the nation through poetry. However, poetry as a whole is less tied to this idea - there is no "Great American Poem."

Poet Laureate Gwendolyn Brooks (1917 - 2000) become the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize for poetry. Like many writers of the Harlem Renaissance, Brooks represented the common experiences of African Americans. She published her first collection of poems, A Street in Brozeville, in 1945, which includes "Kitchenette Building," a poem that describes dreams as a responsibility - something to care and nurture. A later poem, "We Real Cool," 1960, utilizes the black dialects of Chicago.

Theodore Roethke (1905-1963), another Pulitzer Prize winner, is admired for his natural imagery, despite his frequent mental breakdowns. Rather than remaining secluded like many poets before him, Roethke was a part of a movement which brought successful poets to teach at universities. Many of his works focus on his life and experiences; he is a confessional poet. Roethke's The Lost Son, 1948, examines familial relationships. In one of his poems "The Weed Puller" (1948), Roethke attests that work in a garden is "an indignity," but the poet keeps himself alive by actively writing poems. In "Frau Bauman, Frau Schmidt, and Frau Schwartze," 1948, Roethke admits watching women is like poetry – women order and straighten plants as a poet does words.

[Word Count: 298]

Passages:

"'Dream' makes a giddy sound, not strong / Like 'rent,' 'feeding a wife,' 'satisfying a man.'"

     ~ Brooks, "Kitchenette Burning," (lines 2-3)

     - The word "dream" is unfamiliar to the people living in bronzeville. There is no time and no payoff for keeping a frivolous dream. A dream is an obligation, and those living tough lives on this street find their other obligations more important, such as "rent, feeding a wife, satisfying a man." This poem suggests that dreams are linked to whiteness in that the writer suggests that these struggles described are specifically linked to being african american.

     - if dreams are white, and they take time and effort, why strive for them? African Americans see the hopelessness in dreaming, largely because of segregation practices.

"We/ Jazz June. We / Die soon."

     ~ Brooks, "We Real Cool," ( lines 6-8)

     - "We Real Cool" (1960) is Brooks' most famous poem. An excellent example of regionalism, the language in this work is representative of black dialect in chicago. The syncopation, alliteration, and internal rhyme give the poem a jazzy musical rhythm. This poem is representative of those who were different, who didn't follow the rules and norms of that society. The words "We Jazz June" is suggestive of sex.

"The indignity of it!--"

     ~ Roethke, "Weed Puller," (line 10) 

     - Weed Puller" is referring to the act of destroying "perverse life." Although weeds are harmful, they have a place, in the narrator's perspective. This could be suggestive of other social issues of the time, such as civil rights.

Key Terms:

G.I. Bill: provided college education for thousands of returning World War II veterans

Ideology: a belief system that governs how something works; the principle of belief is more important than the pragmatism that guides decision-making processes, similar to theory.

Baby Boomers: the sons and daughters of educated World War II veterans. These veterans were able to have stable families by the education they recieved from the G.I. Bill.

The Great American Novel: Hemingway was promulgator of this notion; he noted Twain's Huckleberry Finn as the first Great American Novel. The Great American Novel aims to capture essence and experience –- it is not just to write a war novel, but write the war novel. Some examples include: Melville's Moby Dick, F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, and DeLillo's Underworld. There is no "Great American" poetry.

Confessional Poets: poets writing about themselves; a new direction poetry takes mid-20th century

Lecture Slides