An Avenue to Tracy K. Smith

 In Symposium class, we have been diving deeply into Tracy K. Smith's Pulitzer-Prize winning third book of poetry Life on Mars,  which explores a vast array of different topics and themes that, at large, make up a discussion about the human experience and human existence. With a myriad of allusions to David Bowie, which can be seen in the titular "Life on Mars," as well as many other pop culture references interspersed throughout, this collection serves as a vehicle to a more complete understanding of the universe. Smith in these poems envisions a sci-fi, dystopian future that is devoid of any true threats and dangers; wonders about the dark matter of our universe that serves to keep people both closely connected and also ever distant; and contemplates her relationships, both with those around her and those who have passed, specifically her relationship with and connection to her father, who worked on the Hubble Space Telescope and was the main factor in Smith's growi...

  Poetry Workshop #2 Welcome to the second poetry workshop! In this series, you will be introduced to a myriad of poetic techniques and styles and discover how Tracy K. Smith in particular employs such tools into her own writing. Today, let’s dive into Smith’s use of alliteration. What is alliteration? According to Merriam-Webster, alliteration is “the use of words that begin with the same sound near one another.” For example, the phrases b abbling b rook and w ild and w ooly use alliteration due to the fact that there is the occurrence of the same letter – in the first case the use of “b” and in the second case the use of “w” – at the beginning of closely connected words. Generally, in alliteration, the words should follow in quick succession as they do in the previous two examples. In addition, the key to alliteration is that the words must begin with the same sound , not necessarily the same letter. That’s why “ g ym j unkie” is alliterative while “green gin” is not. How does t...