Post by rachelfa112 on May 31, 2013 17:43:23 GMT -5
Born on Prince Edward Island in Canada, Mark Strand was raised in an ever-changing environment, moving with his family to America when he was only four years old. Throughout his childhood, his family relocated to various cities across the country, giving Strand a sense of restlessness and movement that would become prevalent themes in his future poetry. Although at first Strand wished to pursue painting, after receiving his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Yale University he decided to become a poet instead. Strand admitted that “[he] was never much good with language as a child” and the career change was a surprise for everyone, including himself. With 17 collections of poetry and counting, including his Pulitzer Prize winning collection Blizzard of One, Strand has established himself as one of the most important American poets of the time period.
Influenced by Walt Whitman, Jorge Luis Borges, and most especially Wallace Stevens, Strand’s poetry has focused on how the individual feels within his environment. Even though many critics say Strand’s poetry focuses on the recollection of his childhood memories on Prince Edward Island, the main idea Strand’s poetry explores is the concept of discovering one’s self-identity through a mainly first person perspective and the recurring themes of anxiety, absence, and restlessness. Throughout his poetry, the speaker details the feelings of absence he feels because “wherever [he is], [he is] what is missing”. The speaker “starts to fade as longing fades until nothing is left of [him]” and his anxiety about disappearing makes an appearance under the calm demeanor of Strand’s physical words.
Although Strand himself has commented that his poetry is not necessarily dark, many critics would disagree as literary critic Harold Bloom states that “Strand keeps moving from ‘It is dark’ to ‘It is darker’” throughout his works of poetry. However, his later poetry has given the reader a sense of restoration as the speaker becomes “a new man” at the end of his more recent poems.
Strand’s poetry makes us question our own existence in the volatile world we live in as we have all been in a situation that we felt we “shall never come back” from. The skill Strand possesses that allows us to relate to his poetry lets us “walk into what light there is”. We learn our value as an individual and that even if “the end is near” we must “love what [we] are”. His poetry teaches us that we are important as individuals and to not be washed out by the environment surrounding us.
Currently teaching at Columbia University, Strand is sharing his knowledge of the English language with the next generation of artists, prepping them to discover their own individual styles and voices. We are lucky to have him here tonight to share his insight and poetry with us too. Please join me in a warm round of applause and welcome tonight’s presenter, Mark Strand.
Word Count: 482
Influenced by Walt Whitman, Jorge Luis Borges, and most especially Wallace Stevens, Strand’s poetry has focused on how the individual feels within his environment. Even though many critics say Strand’s poetry focuses on the recollection of his childhood memories on Prince Edward Island, the main idea Strand’s poetry explores is the concept of discovering one’s self-identity through a mainly first person perspective and the recurring themes of anxiety, absence, and restlessness. Throughout his poetry, the speaker details the feelings of absence he feels because “wherever [he is], [he is] what is missing”. The speaker “starts to fade as longing fades until nothing is left of [him]” and his anxiety about disappearing makes an appearance under the calm demeanor of Strand’s physical words.
Although Strand himself has commented that his poetry is not necessarily dark, many critics would disagree as literary critic Harold Bloom states that “Strand keeps moving from ‘It is dark’ to ‘It is darker’” throughout his works of poetry. However, his later poetry has given the reader a sense of restoration as the speaker becomes “a new man” at the end of his more recent poems.
Strand’s poetry makes us question our own existence in the volatile world we live in as we have all been in a situation that we felt we “shall never come back” from. The skill Strand possesses that allows us to relate to his poetry lets us “walk into what light there is”. We learn our value as an individual and that even if “the end is near” we must “love what [we] are”. His poetry teaches us that we are important as individuals and to not be washed out by the environment surrounding us.
Currently teaching at Columbia University, Strand is sharing his knowledge of the English language with the next generation of artists, prepping them to discover their own individual styles and voices. We are lucky to have him here tonight to share his insight and poetry with us too. Please join me in a warm round of applause and welcome tonight’s presenter, Mark Strand.
Word Count: 482