Post by danielsa116 on May 30, 2013 20:00:30 GMT -5
Born to a military doctor, Tony Hoagland grew up on various military bases throughout Southern USA. His father’s work made him a miniscule part of his son’s life and deprived young Hoagland of many other features that many see as standard in the American family. This setting very likely contributed to the biting criticisms of American society and the American people that are transparently clear throughout most, if not all of his works. Hoagland himself describes his influences as equal parts Sharon Olds and Frank O’Hara citing Olds as where he began and O’Hara as where he strives to be.
Most of Hoagland’s work focuses on the culture of consumerism and capitalism that is vastly present in the United States, which is a maximum security prison whose walls are made of Radio Shacks, Burger Kings and MTV episodes. Hoagland dreams of a life where Americans can unclog their hearts of money, which keeps them from their liberty. Despite Hoagland’s cynical message, he manages to present it in a way that would make the poetic funnyman, Billy Collins proud. Hoagland expresses his views on issues such as racism, music, sex, drugs and materialism with a sort of light-hearted humor to them. Hoagland’s light-heartedness ranges from the blind obedience to celebrities being seen as a grammar lesson, or a society where the poor are put down as a mere ride along a river.
Hoagland, in a very Shakespearean manner, gets inside the head of an American citizen, and analyzes his or her desires and motives. Americans are a people who self-consciously subscribe to racist feelings of having to root for one of their own tribes or get consumed by the nightmare of 24-hour cable while others drown in the same water that we ride our pleasure boats upon. Just as Shakespeare delved into the jealousy that plagued Othello or the woes of Romeo and Juliet, Hoagland manages to look at why the American society today is not to his particular liking.
All of these aspects of Hoagland’s life culminated in his many acclaimed works such as “What Narcissism Means to Me”, published in 2003 and the recently published “Late Honda Dynasty”. Hoagland continues to write his sharp critiques of American society and burrows evermore into the minds of those who share this piece of land we call the United States. Knowing all of that, it is now my pleasure to introduce our next poet, hailing from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, USA, Mr. Tony Hoagland!
412 Words
Most of Hoagland’s work focuses on the culture of consumerism and capitalism that is vastly present in the United States, which is a maximum security prison whose walls are made of Radio Shacks, Burger Kings and MTV episodes. Hoagland dreams of a life where Americans can unclog their hearts of money, which keeps them from their liberty. Despite Hoagland’s cynical message, he manages to present it in a way that would make the poetic funnyman, Billy Collins proud. Hoagland expresses his views on issues such as racism, music, sex, drugs and materialism with a sort of light-hearted humor to them. Hoagland’s light-heartedness ranges from the blind obedience to celebrities being seen as a grammar lesson, or a society where the poor are put down as a mere ride along a river.
Hoagland, in a very Shakespearean manner, gets inside the head of an American citizen, and analyzes his or her desires and motives. Americans are a people who self-consciously subscribe to racist feelings of having to root for one of their own tribes or get consumed by the nightmare of 24-hour cable while others drown in the same water that we ride our pleasure boats upon. Just as Shakespeare delved into the jealousy that plagued Othello or the woes of Romeo and Juliet, Hoagland manages to look at why the American society today is not to his particular liking.
All of these aspects of Hoagland’s life culminated in his many acclaimed works such as “What Narcissism Means to Me”, published in 2003 and the recently published “Late Honda Dynasty”. Hoagland continues to write his sharp critiques of American society and burrows evermore into the minds of those who share this piece of land we call the United States. Knowing all of that, it is now my pleasure to introduce our next poet, hailing from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, USA, Mr. Tony Hoagland!
412 Words