For February 7 2022, I selected poet Charlotte L. Forten Grimke in honor of Black History Month. This US poet who lived until the First World War is important as a writer, political activist and one of the founders of the National Association of Colored Women. Read her biography.
I chose her poem "The Angel's Visit" because it recorded how she felt at the loss of her only child's life and is the most heartfelt. Other poems she wrote are dedicated or cite famous works of art or people like Wordsworth.
I chose her poem "The Angel's Visit" because it recorded how she felt at the loss of her only child's life and is the most heartfelt. Other poems she wrote are dedicated or cite famous works of art or people like Wordsworth.
"The Angel's Visit" is written as ten stanzas of eight lines and tells a story of a mother grieving. It has two major turns in the poem, one when grief is answered by an angel, and a second turn when grief departs. Charlotte L. Forten Grimke's life changes as she goes on to be politically active, beginning a new life in Washington, DC. What is apparent in the poem is that she exhibits honest faith and real loss. Yet her poem is able to be measured and careful to convey meaning without sacrificing form.
The picture above is from the bridge of Angels in Rome, Italy at sunset. Below is an alternate use of an Angel by a modern band. It is one of the valuable aspects of poetry is it makes music lovely.
Writing Assignment: Write about an Angel that visits you for some reason. Use a fixed form but convey strong emotion.
The picture above is from the bridge of Angels in Rome, Italy at sunset. Below is an alternate use of an Angel by a modern band. It is one of the valuable aspects of poetry is it makes music lovely.
Writing Assignment: Write about an Angel that visits you for some reason. Use a fixed form but convey strong emotion.
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