Poetry Is The Spontaneous Overflow Of Powerful Feelings

‘‘Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility’- William Wordsworth. Born in Missouri USA in 1928, the African American poet Maya Angelou was brought into a white male dominated world made to abnegate her existence as anything of value. At the age of eight, she became victim to the social hierarchy which saw her raped. Too traumatised to speak out, Maya shared her distraught with her brother which soon resulted in the death of her rapist. It was at this stage of her life that Maya realized the power of her words and as a result became mute for 5 years. Maya later found herself within degrading occupations such as that of a pimp, a nightclub dancer and a prostitute. Although her early life was very unfortunate, it is these experiences of oppression which seep from her poems, making them as compelling as they are. Despite her interests beginning with drama and dance, Angelou’s power wit h words soon became acknowledged by many including Dr. Martin Luther King. ‘I know why the Caged Bird Sings’ was the powerful first in a series of Angelou’s works, as it explicitly spoke of issues which were often disregarded at the time. She continued her work producing several more poems including ‘Still I Rise’ which with ‘Caged Birds’ presents a unified ideology about her sentiments concerning the ostensibly impossible battle against oppression. Maya Angelou’s poetry embodies her personal experiences as an AfricanShow MoreRelatedWilliam Wordsworth and his not so Spontaneous Overflow of Powerful Changes in â€Å"I wandered lonely as1600 Words   |  7 PagesWilliam Wordsworth and his not so Spontaneous Overflow of Powerful Changes in â€Å"I wandered lonely as a cloud.† William Wordsworth wrote that â€Å"all good poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feeling: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquillity† (Owen, 329). Wordsworth revised â€Å"I wandered lonely as a cloud† after a period of reflection and recollection on the scene of daffodils during a time that placed importance on nature, reflection and imagination. His revised versionRead MoreEssay on Romantic Era: Time of a New Time1656 Words   |  7 Pagespast. These little appreciation and acknowledgments by these few men led to a great change in time. This change began to open people’s eyes. People began to appreciate the little things. They began to appreciate music and art as well as nature and poetry. Times began to change as people started to believe in what they want some stayed with the original version of what the church had taught them and dictated to them but many began to read and do their own research and were able to decide for themselvesRead MoreOn William Wordsworths Preface to Lyrical Ballads764 Words   |  4 Pageschange in the historically rigid structure of poetry, as witnessed by the collection of poems entitled Lyrical Ballads, penned by William Wordsworth and Samuel Coleridge. At first deemed an experiment, Lyrical Ballads garnered enough interest and favor to warrant Wordsworth’s â€Å"Preface to Lyrical Ballads† in 1802, as an introduction to the second edition of the collection. This revolutionary preface became a manifesto of sorts, ushering in a period of poetry defined by descript ions of raw emotion, whileRead MoreAnalysis Of William Wordsworths Poetry737 Words   |  3 PagesAs this question states, William Wordsworth’s poetry demonstrates â€Å"nature poet,† â€Å"real language of men,† â€Å"spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings,† and â€Å"emotion recollected in tranquility.† The first is the easiest to indemnify. In Wordsworth’s poem Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood, there are several lines that depict nature. An example is the line, â€Å"The Rainbow comes and goes, / And lovely is the Rose.† (Wordsworth 10 – 11). In the preface to Lyrical BalladsRead MoreThroughout History, Poetry Has Evolved To Fit The Needs1515 Words   |  7 PagesThroughout history, poetry has evolved to fit the needs of the poet. Typically, scholars categorize writings in time periods that often reflect similar ideals between writers. The Age of the Romantics, can be viewed as a lit erary movement in which writers appear to have a similar driving force behind writing. Two important authors during this Age of the Romantics are William Wordsworth and William Blake. Although both Blake and Wordsworth are considered to be writers from the Romantic literary periodRead MoreReflective Poetry Essay757 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿Reflective Poetry Essay Composing poetry is an artistic expression; subsequently it’s a way of conveying everything that needs to be conveyed and finding importance in expressions. Through poetry words are illuminated to form a picture, express feeling and share a thought in so few words. Putting down on paper all the emotions going through ones head is a way of re-living and remembering the overwhelming emotions they grapple with throughout their lives. Poet Michelle Williams states that: Read MorePlot in England in the Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte709 Words   |  3 Pagescharacters all have meaning for the story. Question IIA: Romantism is important in poetry because it presents feelings and emotion first and outcome and wit last. The writer writes out of what Woodsworth calls the Spontaneous overflow of feelings. Coleridge’s interpretation on romantism was that natural laws govern the imagination and by not writing what you felt you were creating injustice. The key to most romantic poetry is that the settings and scenery, the natural elements are brought forth in theRead MoreUse Of Memory And Dreams During The Romantic Era1248 Words   |  5 Pagesinfluencing writing in the Romantic Era as it is one of his well known pieces of poetry. In a study of Romanticism by Ashley Miller, a student at Boston University, Miller points out Coleridge s view of poetry â€Å"in print culture†, stating that it â€Å"revises the way poetry is seen to function in relation to the reader s mouth, but it also revises poetry s relationship to the reader s memory: Coleridge implies that poetry operates within memory in ways that are irregular, striking, and self-replicating†Read MoreEssay on Wordsworths Poetry1413 Words   |  6 PagesThe Romantic thinking was influenced by the ideas upon poet and poetry sustained by three of the greatest writers of the age: William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Percy Byshe Shelley. In the Preface of the second edition of Lyrical Ballads Wordworth sustained that the poet is a man speaking to men- a man (it is true) endued with more sensibility, more enthusiasm and tenderness, who has greater knowledge of human nature, and more comprehensive soul, than are supposed to be the commonRead MoreA Comparison of Nature in Romantic Poetry1097 Words   |  5 PagesA Comparison of Nature in Romantic Poetry Wordsworth poetry derives its strength from the passion with which he views nature. Wordsworth has grown tired of the world mankind has created, and turns to nature for contentment. In his poems, Wordsworth associates freedom of emotions with natural things. Each aspect of nature holds a different meaning for Wordsworth. The beauty of morning; silent, bare, excerpt from Composed on Westminster Bridge. A main source of interest for Wordsworth is the