Taylor Eichinger

Creative Writing I
Summary and Analysis
3 March 2015

In To an Unknown Poet, Carolyn Kizer explores the contrast between the life of a
successful poet and an unsuccessful poet. The poem opens with a scene in which a failing,
poverty-stricken poet appears at her doorstep and wants to come inside with his family. The
narrator tries to come up with excuses to not let him in. She doesnt want the poor poet and
his family to ruin her expensive house and belongings. She goes on to offer him assistance in
indirect forms, such as sending money or care packages. It is then revealed to the reader that
she had attended his poetry reading, though there was no one there besides herself and his
family. Contrastingly, the narrator goes on to say that she has been invited to receive an
award from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, and that she, along with
other successful people, will enjoy a high class celebration while the poor poet remains far
away in his poverty.

At the time that this poem was written, poetry was changing and in many ways
forgotten by society. Few people still attended poetry readings, which is still true today. In
other words, being a poet as an occupation was risky in that very few poets were known.
With that in mind, Kizer wrote this poem to show the huge gap between successful and
unsuccessful poets. Although Carolyn Kizer would be considered a successful, known poet, I
dont think the narrator is meant to represent her own feelings, but rather to represent the
attitudes that some well-known poets may have as a collective. The same can be said about
the unknown poet in the poem. He is meant to represent any poet that hasnt reached fame or

success, as the poem is addressed as well. The most prevalent aspect of the poem is this
comparison of the two lives and the use of the language to do so. Another important feature
of the poem is the sense of voice. The narrator seems to have a sympathetic tone toward the
unknown poet, but in the end does nothing for him. The narrator has an overall
condescending attitude toward him, despite this sympathetic tone. This is all somehow
portrayed through choice of language.

To emphasize this contrast between the lives of known and unknown poets, the author
uses specific language that creates clear images in the readers mind. Your clothes smell of
poverty, illness\and unswept closets.(Kizer). The author didnt simply state that his clothes
smelled bad, but used words that are exaggerated and have connotations in the readers mind.
Similarly, strong descriptive language is used to describe the life of the successful poet.
while we eat and drink and congratulate one another\in this bastion of culture.(Kizer). The
author seems to use more sophisticated language when talking about the narrators life.

Perhaps an even more striking aspect of the poem is the strong sense of voice. This
narrator, meant to represent a very successful, rich poet, makes this very clear throughout.
The author may have been trying to represent a specific person, or just a general attitude held
by this group of people. One reason for this strong sense of voice may be that Kizer grew up
in the same environment that is being described, as her parents were both very successful and
well off. The narrator doesnt want to help the unknown poet directly or be bothered to let
him in the house, yet makes several attempts to seem like she has a sense of charitability and
morality. Id love to send you a box\of hand-milled soap;\perhaps a check,\though it wont
be enough to help.(Kizer). It sounds as if the narrator is justifying not letting the man into
her house because she would feel bad otherwise. Despite these attempts to seem like a good

person, the reader clearly sees through this, especially near the end when she says, And you
will be far away, on the other Coast, as far from our thoughts as Rimbaud(Kizer). This refers
to Arthur Rimbaud, an influential poet whose creative period ended after his teens. Perhaps
this comparison is implying that the unknown poet will have to give up on writing and move
on, forgotten to the world.
Carolyn Kizer uses a variety of literary techniques to make a statement about poets in
society. She contrasts the different lifestyles of well-known poets and poor, unknown poets.
This shows the truly large gap between the two, and how the gap is widening as poetry
becomes less popular in mainstream society. The poem serves as a kind of letter to struggling
poets everywhere from someone that has made it in the occupation. The use of voice and
descriptive language makes the piece very effective and revealing of these phenomena.

Works Cited

Kizer, Carolyn. "To an Unknown Poet." A Garden of Forking Paths. N.p.: n.p., n.d.
322-23. Print.