Lawrence Ferlinghetti

Poets around the world are known as unique individuals. They are people who are able to put their feelings, emotions, experiences, and opinions into words. One of these unique individuals is poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti. He is a man whose poems are simple and speak easily. In Lawrence Ferlinghetti's poetry: confusion, love, culture, background, politics, and war in the world from the 1940's to the 1960's are all themes communicated in Ferlinghetti's poems. He is a poet who is able to use what he knows, believes and hopes for the world. Through three of his poems: "Dove Sta Amore", "A Vast Confusion", and "I Am Waiting", he is able to communicate the issues of his time. Whether the themes of his poems come from personal struggles or social struggles, Ferlinghetti communicates the issues at hand effectively.

Lawrence Ferlinghetti is the son of Italian immigrants. As an Italian American, he uses his Italian background and mixes it with his English to write one of his classics, "Dove Sta Amore". His ability to speak two different languages allowed him to communicate his poetry to two different cultural groups; the Italians, and the English. New York was heavily populated with Italian immigrants at the time. To Italian readers, this poem took them back to a wonderful place. They felt some form of nostalgia remembering home. Dove sta amore translated to, "where lies love?" A part of this poem goes, "Dove sta amore, where lies love, dove sta amore, here lies love." These opening lines are stating that love lies here, within all of us. It can be interpreted in a personal love sense, or a loss of love in the world in general. Regardless, it represents an issue of his generation to the readers.

Life after World War II wasn't so full of love. Times were hard and confusing, as conveyed in Ferlinghetti's poem "A Vast Confusion". As a minor participant himself of the war, he knew the troubles and difficulties of the time. "A vast confusion in the universe, a rumbling and roaring" is a line from this poem showing how everything in this universe is out of order. Ferlinghetti goes on to finish the poem by writing,"Chaos, unscrambled, back to the first harmonies." This goes to show his dream of peace and happiness once again. Many people during this time felt the exact same as Ferlinghetti. They had had enough of war and heartache. Ferlinghetti once said," I think if there was another depression, there might be some hope." This is a perfect example of how Ferlinghetti always had high hopes to get through the struggles of his time. This is an inspiration to his readers. The message is simple. There will be hardship and confusion, but always have hope.

Last but not least, in Ferlinghetti's poem "I Am Waiting", he writes about his waiting for a perfect world without corruption or deceit. This poem is one of Ferlinghetti's longest, which is not typical of him. He has much to say in this poem, which makes this poem one of the most interesting. "And the blue angels are coming back to scare the local population. I remember seeing old Vietnamese women ducking under the benches in Washington Square; they thought they were back in the war." That is a quote from Ferlinghetti, and a perfect one to express the basis of which this poem was written. Society has gone completely insane, literally. It is the governments who have done this to their people, and throughout this poem Ferlinghetti talks about the deceit of society by governments. Ferlinghetti once said,"Anyone who saw Nagasaki would suddenly realize that they had been kept in the dark by the United States government as to what an atomic bomb can do." Ferlinghetti clearly has a strong dislike towards the government, their abuse of power and money, and their secrets. "I Am Waiting" is a poem to remind readers to always ask questions, and to not be fooled. This poem has to do with not only Ferlinghetti's generation, but any generation. There is a valuable lesson to be learnt in this poem.

Ferlinghetti's poems describe the feelings of an American in a war, and a post war generation. Everyone living in his time or times of trouble can connect to his poems. One reoccurring theme in Ferlinghetti's poems is the restoration of normality. This goes to show the type of man Lawrence Ferlinghetti is. He changes the world of his readers through his words, and he does it effectively. Through his poetry, Lawrence Ferlinghetti truly communicates the real troubles of his time.

LAWRENCE FERLINGHETTI

For: Ms. Picone

Done By: Jonathan Filippone

Course: ENG3U1

sDate: Wednesday, December 12, 2007