Background Information Born in Akron Ohio Middle-class family Stable childhood Very good student First black to be known as the Poet Laureate of the US Went to Germany and was interested in black Germans

How it effects her writing Pride Strength (ex. Exit) Searching (ex. Sunday Greens, Golden Oldie) Pleasant

Golden Oldie I made it home early, only to get stalled in the driveway-swaying at the wheel like a blind pianist caught in a tune meant for more than two hands playing. The words were easy, crooned by a young girl dying to feel alive, to discover a pain majestic enough to live by. I turned the air conditioning off, leaned back to float on a film of sweat, and listened to her sentiment: Baby, where did our love go?-a lament I greedily took in without a clue who my lover might be, or where to start looking.

Theme Haunting her Relationships -Childhood -Family African American background -Slavery -Freedom Past and Present

Literary Devices Rhythm Figurative Language Imagery

Literary Criticism: Agreement Rita Dove’s poems have a creative dynamic in that they take something as simple as a classic song on the radio (as seen in Golden Oldie) or an out-of-the-ordinary passer-by (as seen in Lady Freedom Among Us) and transforming them into beautiful works of art. Her poems often deal with parts of life such as being an African American woman (and the issues that go hand-in-hand with it), world history (and how it relates to/affects her life), experiences in life such as adolescence, romance and of course, romance coming to a screeching halt. Structurally, like most poets, her poems are purposely spliced into different lines in order to create a more effective, yet less predictable poem. She does not use a specific rhyme scheme, and therefore her poems are written in free verse. While her verse is free, it is also very evocative and concise.

Literary Criticism: Disagreement Her writing is compassionate. Usually, her writing illustrates remaining emotionally strong through the struggles of life, therefore, not providing a sympathetic comfort, but a sturdy guide to carry-on. Her poems use symmetry. Rita Dove uses neither a steady rhythm nor an even structure, and therefore, symmetry is not a major benefactor to Dove’s artful style.

List of Works Cited Academy of Achievement. Rita Dove Interview. 18 June Carlisle, Theodora. Reading the Scars: Rita Dove’s the Darker Face of the Earth- Critical Writing. Spring Cruz, Christian Dela. On the Bus with Rosa Parks by Rita Dove. 9 May Donohue, Cecilia. Rita Dove. 12 Jan 2005 Dove, Rita. Selected Poems. New York: Pantheon Books "Geometry: Style." Poetry for Students. Ed. Marie Rose Napierkowski. Vol. 15. Detroit: Gale, eNotes.com. January April Stamper, Anthony. Rita Dove(1952- ) Modern America –1914 to Present. “Rita Dove.” Answers.com. 15 Apr