Theodore Roethke Essay -- modern American poetry

Theodore Roethke â€Å"Roethke was a great poet, the successor to Frost and Stevens in modern American poetry, and it is the measure of his greatness that his work repays detailed examination† (Parini 1). Theodore Roethke was a romantic who wrote in a variety of styles throughout his long successful career. However, it was not the form of his verse that was important, but the message being delivered and the overall theme of the work. Roethke was a deep thinker and often pondered about and reflected on his life. This introspection was the topic of much of his poetry. His analysis of his self and his emotional experiences are often expressed in his verse. According to Ralph J. Mills Jr., â€Å"this self interest was the primary matter of artistic exploration and knowledge, an interest which endows the poems with a sense of personal urgency, even necessity† (Contemporary Authors 476). Roethke was born in 1908 in Saginaw, Michigan to Otto Roethke and Helen Huebner. He demonstrated early promise in a Red Cross campaign speech as a high school freshman. This speech was translated into twenty-six different languages and showed that he had talent and potential even at a young age. He graduated magna cum laude from the University of Michigan in 1929, and was pressured to move on to law school by family members. However, he was not interested in law and dropped out in order to take graduate courses in literature at Harvard University. Allan Seager concluded, â€Å"it was more than an unsuppressible awareness of life that led him to choose poetry as a career† (Contemporary Authors 475). He took up various teaching positions afterwards at colleges including Lafayette College, Pennsylvania State University, Bennington College, and final... ...uminaries who had an effect on his writing were Leonie Adams, Emily Dickinson, Rolfe Humphries, Stanley Kunitz, and Emily Wylie (1). â€Å"At the University of Washington, Roethke found talented protà ©gà ©s in Carolyn Kizer, David Wagoner, and James Wright† (Kalaidjian 2). He is well known for his influence on this subsequent generation of award-winning poets. Works Cited Parini, J. â€Å"Roethke, Theodore.† Chambers Biographical Dictionary. Ed. Melanie Perry. New York: Larousse Kingfisher Chambers Inc, 1997: 1584. â€Å"Roethke, Theodore.† Encarta 2002. CD-ROM. Redmond, WA: Microsoft 2002. â€Å"Roethke, Theodore (Huebner).† Contemporary Authors. Volumes 81-84. Ed. Francis Carol Locher. Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1979: 475-479. â€Å"Theodore Roethke’s Life and Career.† Walter Kalaidjian. 1999.