A sturdy Black bridge : a symbolic connection among three generations of Black female poets.

The period of the 1950's and the 1960's marks a critical awakening of African-Americans to a previously and wholly unacknowledged recognition of self, family, and race. They were eager to establish an identity for themselves that included both the African and American heritages without subordinating one to the other. In The Souls of Black Folks, W. E. B. Du Bois discusses this issue at length. Although he voiced this concern many years ago, the sentiment seems no less true today. In fact, many African-Americans have pointedly articulated their desires to complete the process toward "wholeness" in their search for identity. Some history books record the turbulent 1960's as a time when changes in the responses to this search appear to be some of the most significant in African-American history. Also, historians show that poets have often played a major role in the revelation of the important events of people. The black poets of the 1960's used their poetry to urge African-American people to act in order to make changes in their own lives. This poetry often exposed the events of change through the voices of Amiri Baraka, Dudley Randall, and many other black males. Although black women had contributed significantly to the literature during the 1960's and 1970's, the point of view often used to tell the story of blacks was primarily male. It was not until the 1980's, however, that many people recognized that there was an equally important story that female voices could tell as well. From a decidedly feminine perspective, poets such as Gwendolyn Brooks, Audre Lorde, Ai, and many others have used their poetry to enhance the history and literature of Black people. One major focus of this study is upon a core group of African-American female poets born during the Great Depression. These poets use their poetic expressions to discuss race, sex, and personal relationships. In doing so their poetry is part of a continuum of poetic development among these generations from postwar to contemporary America. The activities and events in the lives of the poets born during the Great Depression parallel the struggle of all blacks for acceptance of their individual and collective contributions. Lorde and her peers created a "bridge" that joins black female poets of three distinct generations. In this study, each generation of poets will be represented by one poet who best exemplifies those traits that identify her group of poets. Gwendolyn Brooks will represent the generation of postwar poets, born after World War I had begun; Audre Lorde, the poets born during the Great Depression; and Ai, the poets born during the mid 1940's. In addition to the poets' identities, special consideration for critical approaches is important. Houston A. Baker's concepts of cultural criticism and some theories about the influence of gender and social class on the development of these writers from certain feminist critics will enable readers to explore the manner in which language and culture profoundly affect expressions of creativity. This analysis will use cultural criticism, some ideas from feminist criticism, and historical events to examine selected poetry from the early to late volumes of the poets' canons to uncover evidence of a previously unexplored relationship among three generations of writers. Since no substantial body of criticism exists for the majority of poets in this study, one goal of this analysis is to assess their contributions to the American literary canon. To assert that this study will do more than raise pertinent questions about a specific group of poets would be to promise more than can reasonably be accomplished here. Until the 1980's, contemporary literary criticism about many black female poets has been minimal. This study will generate further exploration of poetry from a small group of these writers. Finally, such an examination will provide more information, not only about three specific poets, but also about femininity, blackness, and humanity.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.A.

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters

Grantor

Baylor University.

Year dc:date.issued

1990

Author dc:creator

• Holston, Anna R.

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• LeMaster, J. R., 1934-

• African American women poets.

Statement dc:rights

• Baylor University works are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. Contact libraryquestions@baylor.edu for inquiries about permission.

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/2104/14470

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:baylor-ir.tdl.org:2104/14470