Poetry that Kills

Megan ReilyCHHS125 Writing as HealingPsychology Poetry that Kills and Heals: Research on Confessional poets

I have always been interested in the healing powers of poetry since I started using it to vent or share difficult feelings.I was curious how my favorite poets used their poetry to heal themselves. I wanted to learn more about the connection of depression and writing poetry.Personal Connection

Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton could not find a way to heal by writing confessional poetry because they focused too much on the individual self; although, it is still possible to heal through writing poetry if it is written for the good of the whole, like the poetry of Maya Angelou. Thesis

Harshly criticized because of high number of suicides. Poets used it to try to heal. Free all pain and intimate details of life. Air out dirty laundry. Connected with self-absorption and narcissism. Individualistic nature and wording.Confessional Poetry

Traumatic lifeBecame obsessed with deathWrote for themselvesBoth committed suicide early in their livesWrote about their own painIndividualistic writing made them more trapped in their minds.

Plath and Sexton

Grew up oppressedJoined Civil Rights MovementWrote for the peopleUnderstood the need for revolution and rightsWrote for the good of the community as a wholeHer poetry healed her

Angelou

Readers need something to gainDiscover something about their own humanityDo not retraumatizeControl emotions on the pageDo not glamorize dangerous lifestylesWrite for the good of the wholeWork towards solving an issueHow to Write Poetry

Anyone who is interested in poetryPoets who want to know about healingWhat not to doWho to read to find influence

Community connection

Degout, Yasmin. (2009). The Poetry of Maya Angelou: Liberation Ideology and Technique. Maya Angelou. Bloom, Harold. New York: Infobase Publishing,Desalvo, L. (1999), Writing as a Way of Healing, Boston, MA: Beacon Press Hall, C. (1989). Anne Sexton. Boston: Twayne Publishers. Holbrook, D. (1988). Sylvia Plath : Poetry and Existence. London: Athlone PressPennebaker, J. Wiltsey, S. (2001). Word use in Poetry of Suicidal and Nonsuicidal Poets. Psychosomatic Medicine July/August 2001 vol. 63 no. 4 517-522Images:http://www.nndb.com/people/603/000099306/ (Slide 4)http://www.brainpickings.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/plath.jpg (Slide 4)http://www.biography.com/imported/images/Biography/Images/Profiles/A/Maya-Angelou-9185388-2-402.jpg (Slide 5)

References

Thank You For Listening!