Just Kids: Patti Smith

In her poetry, Bernadette Mayer spoke honestly about her opinions and feelings about motherhood; this was something that wasn’t commonplace at the time. It was often expected, and ingrained into women, that they were to have children and be nurturers, and Bernadette was no exception. She had children, but through her poetry, she expressed her conflicting emotions and thoughts about the way her world operates. Patti Smith, like Mayer, addresses her experiences, and shares how her pregnancy was looked down upon simply because she wasn’t married. These two women had the courage to write about what other

She then goes on to explain why she wanted to read this poem for her presentation. She says,“I like it because

Smith’s early life could be described as abusive in every way except physical, for Smith, who resembled both his Father and Grandfather, was thankfully spared the nightly beatings his father had to endure. The artist, in looks, habits, behavior, and personality, became a carbon copy of the two men who had for years neglected or viewed their sons as romantic rivals and fought a constant struggle throughout his life to deny that inheritance as he

We Left School. We Lurk Late. We Strike Straight.” The poet does something that many modern artists in music as well as media do in today’s society. Through flaunting his or her immorality he/she

In today’s modern view, poetry has become more than just paragraphs that rhyme at the end of each sentence. If the reader has an open mind and the ability to read in between the lines, they discover more than they have bargained for. Some poems might have stories of suffering or abuse, while others contain happy times and great joy. Regardless of what the poems contains, all poems display an expression. That very moment when the writer begins his mental journey with that pen and paper is where all feelings are let out. As poetry is continues to be written, the reader begins to see patterns within each poem. On the other hand, poems have nothing at all in common with one another. A good example of this is in two poems by a famous writer by

Poets can utilize poetry to not only showcase their style, but also their opinion on a variety of matters. Carl Sandburg was a famous American poet that used poetry to magnify his dedication to the common man. Moreover, Sandburg’s career as a poet effectively supplemented his career as a journalist by further demonstrating the effect his childhood and surroundings in general (Siber 1). Furthermore, he composed numerous quality works that illustrated his uniqueness and originality. Because of Sandburg’s interesting life, compelling works, distinct style, and various contributions, he is a significant poet.

her far from herself. In one line in the poem she brings us starkly into the world of a

Poetry is much different than any other style of writing. Poets have a way of communicating their message in a much more indirect way than regular writers. One reader may interpret a poem in a way that is drastically different than another. To truly understand a poem, one must understand the author as well. Sharon Olds, an American poet, who is known for her morbid and unhappy poems, writes about various themes including political violence, family relationships, and sexuality (Gale). In Olds’ poem, “The Death of Marilyn Monroe” we see her examining sexuality not only in 20th century, but in today’s age as well. Olds uses the death of a famous sex icon to really show how women were, and are still being sexualized in society.

“From the sphere of my own experience I can bring to my recollection three persons of no every-day powers and acquirements, who had read the poems of others with more and more unallayed pleasure, and had thought more highly of their authors, as poets; who yet have confessed to me, that from no modern work had so many passages started up anew in their minds at different times, and as different occasions had awakened a meditative mood.” (2) (paragraph 31).

Patti was and still is to some extent a shock performer, with loads of an aggressive energy and non-conformity. Her musical style is a fusion of music and poetry and is a musician’s musician, not as a vocalist but also playing the guitar and clarinet. Early in her musical career she contributed

By using his “sunken feelings” from his past and present, his personality can thrive and become something stronger so that he will stop thinking about asking others’ whether his poems are any good and will focus more on what the poem actually means to him (6). He will also stop expecting and considering any rewards like money or fame from his works of

Patti Smith started her career with the passion for writing poetry. In 1967 after leaving college and moving to New York she worked as a member of the St. Mark’s Poetry Project, where she spent her time painting, writing and performing. Then, a few years later, in 1974, she was performing music on her own. She combines rock and poetry into her songwriting and singing. Eventually she started adding members to her group. The group was called the Patti Smith Group; they eventually signed with Clive Davis of Arista Records and recorded their first album Horses, which was released in 1975. In 1980 Patti Smith got married, and had two children a boy and a girl. Thus, she ended up taking a semi break off from music. On November 4,1994 her husband

The Beat Generation is a literary movement during the 1950s that consisted of male authors including the widely known Allen Ginsberg, who explored American culture in their poems. The Beat Generation could be described as misogynistic and patriarchal due to their exclusion of women and concerns confined to only male outcasts. In Allen Ginsberg’s 1956 “Howl”, he brings his audience’s attention to male outcasts in society. In her 2015 “Howl”, a critical response to Ginsberg’s “Howl”, Amy Newman explores the oppression outcasted women endure in a male-dominated culture through the allusions of an admired female poet, Ginsberg’s original stanza form, and utilizing diction to convey a woman's perspective antithetically to Allen Ginsberg's original.

In this essay we will look into her life through three of her poems in

Understanding her own purpose in writing, Barrett set out to perfectly portray it to others. This search for clarity in vocabulary is what drove her to create such complicated poetry that, unfortunately, more often than not, perplexed her critical contemporaries. Barrett characterizes her process of writing as being "thought-tied"