¶ … Knew a Woman by Theodore Roethke:
Theodore Roethke was, above all, a great American poet -- planted solidly in the tradition of Emerson, Thoreau, and Whitman. Indeed, much like Thoreau, Roethke seemed to have an ability, perhaps gleaned from his intense love of nature, that allowed his poetry to communicate in a way that few poets ever imagine.
Born in Saginaw, Michigan, in 1908, as a child, Roethke was prone to spending large amounts of time in the family greenhouse. It is from this time, some theorize, that the poet would absorb much of the imagery that would influence him in his verse (Poets.org). A rather lackluster student, he attended the University of Michigan as well as Harvard. Although he was not a relatively prolific writer by any means (his first book, Open House, published in 1941, took ten years to complete), the work he did produce was very well received. In fact his collection, The Waking garnered him the Pulitzer Prize in 1954 (Poets.org). Additionally, although he was first and foremost a poet, he was also a teacher, and he worked at colleges and universities from Vermont to Washington State (where he died in 1963).
Of his collected poetry, Roethke's "I Knew a Woman," is one of the most discussed -- due, perhaps, to its striking sexual imagery. However, there is more to this poem than first meets the eye.
The poem begins with a stanza marked by an interesting and playful use of repetition. He writes, "When small birds sighed, she would sigh back at them:/Ah, when she moved, she moved more ways than one:/The shapes a bright container can contain!"
The very words, playful and coy, signal the reader that there will be more here than what is on the surface. He seems to say, "Wake up!"...
Walking with his owner, he considers the absurdity of the human mind, sinking in the past "thinking of what you can never bring back" (8) or thinking about tomorrow. It is only a few seconds before our speaker is distracted by his "work / to unsnare time's warp" (10-1) and pull his owner from it back into the here and now. We do not need to wonder if the
Robert Hayden's "The Whipping," and Theodore Roethke's "My Papa's Waltz" describe child abuse. Both poets have similar approaches to this weighty and sensitive subject matter. Hayden and Roethke avoid cliches, self-righteousness, or judgmentalism, instead choosing to focus on the complex psychology underlying these issues. However, neither poet is willing to overlook the need for compassion and sympathy, even when dealing with abusive parents. This isn't to say that Hayden
Human Suffering in the Works of W. Faulkner, S. Plath, T. Roethke, and W. Shakespeare Literature is considered as one of humanity's powerful medium of expression. Different forms of expression are used in literature, such as poetry, plays, novels, and short stories. As a medium of expression, literature becomes the primary vehicle in expressing the human experience. Take as an example the theme of human suffering in literature. Numerous poems
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