Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Poet Ridiculed by Hysterical Academics" is a poem by William DeWitt Snodgrass, first published in his 1960 poetry collection titled "Heart's Needle."

Explanation:

The poem is written in the first person, with the speaker being a poet who is being ridiculed by academics for the way he writes. The poem starts with the poet talking about how he used to write about nature, but then he began to write about his personal life and experiences. This change in style seems to have made the academics uncomfortable, as they now see him as a "confessional" poet and ridicule him for it.

The speaker expresses his frustration with this situation, asking why he is being ridiculed for writing about his own life when other poets write about politics, sex, and violence with no such backlash. The poem ends with the poet defiantly proclaiming that he will continue to write about his life experiences, no matter what others may say or think.

Poetic Elements:

• Form: The poem consists of one stanza with 16 lines.
• Tone: The tone is defiant and frustrated.
• Imagery: The poet uses vivid imagery to describe his earlier nature poetry and the way he now writes about his own life.
• Repetition: The phrase "Why, oh why" is repeated several times in the poem for emphasis.
• Allusion: The poem references the concept of "confessional" poetry, which was a movement in American poetry in the 1950s and 1960s.

Conclusion:

"Poet Ridiculed by Hysterical Academics" is a poem that speaks to the struggle that poets face in being accepted for their work, particularly when it deviates from traditional styles and themes. Snodgrass' frustration with being ridiculed for writing about his personal experiences is palpable, and the poem serves as a rallying cry for poets to write what they want, regardless of what others may think.

Poem Snippet:

"Why, oh why, 

Should I be punished for a crime 

That goes unchallenged all around me?"

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