american political poetry in the 21st century - STIBA Malang
american political poetry in the 21st century - STIBA Malang
american political poetry in the 21st century - STIBA Malang
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
MIGRATORY AGENCY 119<br />
with his claim, it is easily po<strong>in</strong>ted out that middle- to upper-class white<br />
males are much more likely to look at <strong>the</strong> dom<strong>in</strong>ant culture more<br />
fairly than women, <strong>the</strong> poor, and m<strong>in</strong>orities; <strong>the</strong>y are, <strong>in</strong> fact, part of<br />
<strong>the</strong> dom<strong>in</strong>ant culture ra<strong>the</strong>r than apart from it. Though von Hallberg<br />
would argue that some white poets—Levertov and Bly, for <strong>in</strong>stance—<br />
have not looked fairly at <strong>the</strong> dom<strong>in</strong>ant culture, he does not consider<br />
that what might be “fair” for African Americans or Lat<strong>in</strong>as/os may be<br />
different than what is fair for whites.<br />
The major problem, <strong>the</strong>n, with even a smart book such as von<br />
Hallberg’s is <strong>the</strong> title. For him, as for many o<strong>the</strong>rs, “American <strong>poetry</strong><br />
and culture” represents an extremely narrow range of poets. Although<br />
his book was published <strong>in</strong> 1985, before hip-hop ga<strong>in</strong>ed a measure of<br />
respect with academics, before spoken-word <strong>poetry</strong> became popular,<br />
and before much of <strong>the</strong> emphasis on multiculturalism <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> academy,<br />
<strong>the</strong> same fundamental dynamics of his study persist today. Any relatively<br />
comprehensive study of contemporary American <strong>poetry</strong> and<br />
culture that does not take African American and Lat<strong>in</strong>a/o poets <strong>in</strong>to<br />
account is very limited, just as any contemporary study that does not<br />
take on hip-hop omits <strong>the</strong> most vibrant <strong>poetry</strong> scene <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> United<br />
States. Writ<strong>in</strong>g about American <strong>poetry</strong> with limited breadth is important<br />
for understand<strong>in</strong>g specific poets, but a readjustment of scope is<br />
necessary if a critic chooses not to write about poets concerned with<br />
race, ethnicity, and civil rights.<br />
In many cases, however, critics <strong>in</strong>clude one or two poets o<strong>the</strong>r than<br />
canonical white ones <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir books. Kev<strong>in</strong> Ste<strong>in</strong>’s Private Poets,<br />
Worldly Acts: Public and Private History <strong>in</strong> Contemporary American<br />
Poetry (1996) is a typical example. Ste<strong>in</strong> features chapters on Lowell,<br />
Rich, Frank O’Hara, James Wright, Lev<strong>in</strong>e, Komunyakaa, Dove,<br />
David Wojahn, and Forché. As has become relatively standard of<br />
books on American <strong>poetry</strong>, Ste<strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>cludes a selection of <strong>the</strong> frequently<br />
discussed (Lowell, Rich, O’Hara, and Wright) alongside several<br />
African Americans, here choos<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> canonical Dove, and one that<br />
fits <strong>in</strong>to his specific framework (Komunyakaa). Ste<strong>in</strong>’s book, more<br />
impressive <strong>in</strong> breadth than many, is emblematic of <strong>the</strong> white–black<br />
dichotomy <strong>in</strong>herent <strong>in</strong> studies of American <strong>poetry</strong>. To an extent,<br />
African Americans have ga<strong>in</strong>ed entry <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> canon whereas o<strong>the</strong>r<br />
groups rema<strong>in</strong> outside, even though Joy Harjo is sometimes <strong>in</strong>cluded<br />
<strong>in</strong> monographs. But rarely is a Lat<strong>in</strong>a/o poet, especially one who<br />
writes <strong>in</strong> Spanish and English, <strong>in</strong>cluded as one of <strong>the</strong>se additions,<br />
despite <strong>the</strong> potential benefits of <strong>the</strong> juxtaposition.<br />
The <strong>in</strong>verse of <strong>the</strong>se dynamics is apparent <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> weight borne by<br />
scholars of Lat<strong>in</strong>a/o and Chicana/o <strong>poetry</strong>. 2 In <strong>the</strong>ir authors’ efforts