American Primitive (Masterplots II: Poetry, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: William Jay Smith
- First Published: 1957
- Type of Work: Ballad
- Genres: Poetry, Ballad
- Subjects: Children, Family or family life, Parents and children, Suicide, Fathers, Death or dying, Materialism
The Poem
William Jay Smith’s “American Primitive” is a contemporary ballad of three quatrains describing the scene of a suicide in the voice of a child narrator. Smith’s title warns the reader that the poem may engage with unsophisticated content, be untrained in style, or perhaps even be crude in nature. Both content and style fulfill this promise, as a tragic scene is revealed in bits and pieces that contribute to a growing sense of mystery and horror. Only gradually do readers come to understand who and what is “primitive” in this American scene, but the issue is...
[The entire page is 1424 words long]
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