Whose dark eyes wandered?: a creative writing project in poetry

Author

Candance W. Wages

Date of Award

6-1988

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Major

English

Major Professor

Jon Manchip White

Committee Members

John Hurt Fisher, Arthur Smith

Abstract

Poetry has changed a great deal since William Wordsworth's revolutionary declaration in 1800 that poetry is "the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings." Other poets since have experimented with form, diction, rythym, etc. One wonders what Wordsworth would think of modern poetry today in all of its diverse manifestations. And yet, it really hasn't diverged from the basic spirit of his words. It is still the voice of the common people in common language, inspiring a sense of wonder, all with the very powerful voice of emotion within the poet.

These poems, too, speak in the spirit of the romantic manifesto and are akin to the theme of the exile in search of a place of peace and acceptance. In this case it is a journey through the exile of pain to see if there is peace from the nightmare on the other side.

The poems are divided into four sections which are: Father, Mother, Lover, and Voices. These divisions represent the search for the individual voice of the poet. This can be achieved only after the poet has explored the well worn path to the past and reached a catharsis of pain and experience. The new voice, then, is spoken in the last poem of the work when the poet has found the means to pass over into the present.

Recommended Citation

Wages, Candance W., "Whose dark eyes wandered?: a creative writing project in poetry. " Master's Thesis, University of Tennessee, 1988.
https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes/13365