Robert Lowell
Memories of West Street and Lepke
First I must say something about Robert Lowell-- what a ridiculous life! He fights his dad for his wife; rejects and criticizes the president and war; he goes to jail ( what did he expect?) which helped make him even more famous. He leaves his second wife for his baby momma at the young age of 54. This guy never had a dull moment; although what bipolar person does?
I could have blogged about the guy's bio alone, but the most interesting poem to me is Memories of West Street and Lepke--mostly because of why it was written.
If I knew why other poems and stories were written, as thoroughly as I know this poem's reason, I'm sure I would have a similar reaction.
He rejected and criticized The Man. When refusing to rake part in war He basically said "ya know, I'll pass actually because I think it's ridiculous"; he then later makes a statement to the President which says "I don't agree with you so no, I won't go out of my way for you".
He was standing for a cause in Which he believed in. By come on--it's the president! I suppose after denying the government once, he wasn't so afraid of the repercussions; or at least he was planted in his purpose.
From his poem, the reader can tell that he though a lot about his life while in jail--the past, present, and future. He writes about some o this thought process starting in line 20 with "Given a year..."
He continues with this writing until the last few lines he talked about a fellow inmate who was executed. I'm sure that got him thinking about a lot more.
I've always wondered what people think when they go through that kind of experience. Recently I helped a family member go through the same process (different situation). I have a lot more respect for those people and especially their families
Good post! Lowell's life is ... well ... as you described it. Never a dull moment. We didn't talk about this in class, but along with Lowell, Roethke had his own mental health problems; both wear writing at a time when psychoanalysis was very much in vogue. Both poets (along with Plath and Anne Sexton) suffered mental breakdowns. Of course, so did Berryman, who ended his own life.
ReplyDeleteIt's challenging to read these poems without trying to make them fit with the poets' biographies. Do you think it's important to know about the life of the poet, or should we just concentrate on the poem?
I think it's important to know about the Poet, because many times it gives context to the poems they write. It provides the same insight as knowing the customs and culture of society during the time they were written.
ReplyDeleteOn the flip side, reading a poem with no context at all leaves it open for interpretation by any reader. And almost every interpretation will be different in some way. Some poets write specifically for that purpose. They know that different people will draw out a different meaning to which they can relate.
If I had the choice, I would choose to have context. I already struggle reading poetry as it is; I could use all the help I can get!