Post by charlielu112 on May 31, 2013 23:23:22 GMT -5
Throughout his childhood, Wilbur would go on idyllic walks of the countryside in North Caldwell, New Jersey, which would nurture his imagination and meaning of life seen later in notable nature works such as "Hamlen Brook" and "The Beauty Changes". Wilbur used nature to express himself and derive meaning from his life. He said "All that we do is touched with ocean, and yet we remain on the shore of what we know" to highlight the hesitance of men and with the implication of finding one's self through nature. Most notably, was Wilbur's simple, yet profound style of poetry that exists regardless of the subject.
Wilbur attended Amherst College in 1938, where he expressed extremely radical left ideas. He was seen attending Marxist study groups and praising the progressiveness of the New Deal. He is also the only Poet Laureate to have been homeless. College gave Wilbur time and space to experiment with his writing. His first book, "The Beautiful Changes and Other Poems," had mixed reactions from critics.
When Wilbur joined the Army as a Cryptographer during World War II, he started to write more and improve his style. Thus, when his book "Things of This World" stunned critiques it came to no surprise. The work brought Wilbur to prominence and won him the Pullitzer Prize as well as the National Book Award.
After the War, Wilbur furthered his education like many others under the funding of the G.I Bill. He attended Harvard Graduate School for English. He won many more decorations including the Junior Fellow, which is the highest award Harvard could award a young scholar. Eventually, Wilbur was became apart of Harvard's faculty and found a love of teaching there among other things.
However, Wilbur's most influential experience at his time at Harvard was his relationship with Robert Frost. They became friends quickly as they shared similar literary tastes. Wilbur took to Frost's style of gripping surface material above an unsettling profoundness in his poems and began to alter his style of writing.
Wilbur's love of teaching brought him to many universities such as Wellesley and Wesleyan. Wilbur has shown his fascination for language through his life decisions such as becoming a teacher and cryptographer. Also, he has tried his hand at children's poetry to promote an early interest among kids. His works for children still exude the style of intriguing surface material alongside a deeper meaning. His style rewards those that dig deeper.
A man that genuinely cares for poetry and its well being. A shining example. I proudly present Westfield High School's 2013 Visiting Poet, Richard Wilbur.
Word Count: 432
Wilbur attended Amherst College in 1938, where he expressed extremely radical left ideas. He was seen attending Marxist study groups and praising the progressiveness of the New Deal. He is also the only Poet Laureate to have been homeless. College gave Wilbur time and space to experiment with his writing. His first book, "The Beautiful Changes and Other Poems," had mixed reactions from critics.
When Wilbur joined the Army as a Cryptographer during World War II, he started to write more and improve his style. Thus, when his book "Things of This World" stunned critiques it came to no surprise. The work brought Wilbur to prominence and won him the Pullitzer Prize as well as the National Book Award.
After the War, Wilbur furthered his education like many others under the funding of the G.I Bill. He attended Harvard Graduate School for English. He won many more decorations including the Junior Fellow, which is the highest award Harvard could award a young scholar. Eventually, Wilbur was became apart of Harvard's faculty and found a love of teaching there among other things.
However, Wilbur's most influential experience at his time at Harvard was his relationship with Robert Frost. They became friends quickly as they shared similar literary tastes. Wilbur took to Frost's style of gripping surface material above an unsettling profoundness in his poems and began to alter his style of writing.
Wilbur's love of teaching brought him to many universities such as Wellesley and Wesleyan. Wilbur has shown his fascination for language through his life decisions such as becoming a teacher and cryptographer. Also, he has tried his hand at children's poetry to promote an early interest among kids. His works for children still exude the style of intriguing surface material alongside a deeper meaning. His style rewards those that dig deeper.
A man that genuinely cares for poetry and its well being. A shining example. I proudly present Westfield High School's 2013 Visiting Poet, Richard Wilbur.
Word Count: 432