Rita Dove
Rita Dove is an accomplished contemporary African-American author whose works inspire readers from across the globe. She was born on August 28, 1952 in Akron, Ohio to Ray and Elvira Dove. Her parents truly inspired and encouraged her to read; they also instilled in her a love of poetry and music. She read widely from a young age and grew up to become very successful. Graduating as a Presidential Scholar, she was one of the top one hundred high school graduates in the United States in 1970. According to people.virginia.edu, “In 1993 Rita Dove was appointed Poet Laureate of the United States and Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress, making her the youngest person — and the first African-American — to receive this highest official honor in American poetry.” She went on to win many more awards and achieve many accomplishments, including the Pulitzer Prize, twenty-five honorary doctorates, the Heinz Award, as well as many many others. One poet, Brenda Shaughnessy, stated that “Dove is a master at transforming a public or historic element — re-envisioning a spectacle and unearthing the heartfelt, wildly original private thoughts such historic moments always contain.” One such work that could characterize this excellent description of Dove’s work is Parsley, a poem about a political issue in the Dominican Republic.
PARSLEY
Parsley explores the killing of migrant workers in the Dominican Republic in the 1930’s. During this time, the military dictator of the Dominican Republic made a decision that anyone who could not pronounce “parsley” correctly would be executed. This decision was solely because of the fact that he did not want people with Haitian accents in his country, an incredibly cruel and unjust decision. Rita Dove chose to write a poem about this and portray the situation from both the perspective of the Haitian workers and the General.
The first part of the poem is titled The Cane Fields and it discusses a green “parrot imitating spring” (1). It describes from the workers perspective, the General “search[ing] for a word” (5). This description seems to depict him choosing a random word on a whim with no real reason. This really does turn out to be exactly what he does, and when he comes to a decision on “perejil” (15), anyone who cannot “speak an R” (7) is killed.
The second part of the poem is titled The Palace. This section is about the general but instead of portraying him from the common people’s perspective, it describes him almost in first person because it describes his emotions and feelings. He is in his palace “think[ing] of his mother” (27) and sorrowful about his loss. As he contemplatively reflects on memories of his mother, he simultaneously “wonders/ Who can I kill today[?]” (32).
Rita Dove has written numerous other poems as well, which include:
Exit, Flirtation, Taking in Wash, Borderline Mambo, Testimonial, Straw Hat, The Cane Fields, Reverie in Open Air, Vacation, Wingfoot Lake, The Great Palaces of Versailles, November For Beginners, Lines Composed On The Body Politic, Dusting, Wiring Home, The Secret Garden, Canary, Golden Oldie, Shirt Sleeved, Chocolate, Fifth Grade Autobiography, Heart To Heart, The Only Dark Spot in the Sky, The Yellow House on the Corner, Mandolin, Museum, Thomas and Beulah, Grace Notes, American Smooth, and Sonata Mulattica.
She has also written other works, such as short stories and novels, for example:
Fifth Sunday, Through the Ivory Gate, The Darker Face of the Earth: A Play, and The Poet’s World.
Artifact 1. This image shows the heartbreaking deaths that took place during the Dominican Republic “Parsley Massacre.” Dove’s poem “Parsley” connects very well to this image. The workers describe that “For every drop of blood/ there is a parrot imitating spring” (18–19). These lines of Dove’s poem illustrate the extreme pain and anguish in the Massacre and the way it affected the community.
Artifact 2. This is an image of the cover of one of Rita Dove’s works called “On The Bus With Rosa Parks.” This book of poems contains works that deal with racial injustice and social issues. Rita Dove captures the struggle of interacting in a world that does not view all races equally and she beautifully illustrates the struggle of the racially discriminated.
Scholarship.
The John Hopkins University Press published an article by Helen Vendler titled “Rita Dove Identity Markers.” This article analyzes Rita Dove’s works and significance. She highlights Dove’s race and the importance that has played in her fame as well as her influences. “A primary imaginative donnee for the black poet Rita Dove — as for any other black poet in America — has to be the fact of blackness. Since we have not yet become a color-blind country, any black writer must confront […] the enraging fact that the inescapable social accusation of blackness becomes […] a strong element of inner self-definition.” Vendler proceeds to explain the great impact Dove’s race had on her success and incredible works.
Pat Righelato’s book Understanding Rita Dove explains many of the less known aspects of Dove’s life. He does not attempt to convince readers of any particular opinion of Dove’s works, but instead provides them with his own interpretations. He explains, “My readings are intended as provisional, so that other readers can move in and find their own way, responding, resisting, ready to think about how this poetry was produced and to consider specific critical approaches.”
Some Helpful Resources:
This website gives an brief, clear summary of Dove’s life and her accomplishments.
This webpage is a comprehensive biography of Rita Dove written by her daughter. It describes her life and accomplishments in extreme depth.
This website describes the Dominican Republic “Parsley Massacre” in great detail, and it gives a vivid description of the implications of this event.
