Nelson, Marilyn. Carver:
A Life in Poems. Asheville, NC: Front Street, 2001. ISBN: 1-886910-53-7.
SUMMARY
Marilyn
Nelson thoughtfully and carefully portrays the life story of one of America's
most influential agricultural scientists, George W. Carver. The biography, told
in poetic verse, begins when Carver, an orphaned slave, is raised with his
brother as their own sons by a childless white couple, the Carvers, to whom the boys' mother had been a slave. Carver, always
inquisitive and eager to advance his education, faces and overcomes the
challenges of prejudice and discrimination in order to fulfill the destiny he
feels is God's will for him. As the poems carry the reader forward through
significant periods in his life, the reader grows to understand the gentle and
artistic man behind the great agricultural scientist known to the world.
ANALYSIS
Through her poetry, Marilyn Nelson captures the essence and
spirituality of George W. Carver in Carver:
A Life in Poems. While other biographies of this incredible man may speak
of his great accomplishments in agriculture, Nelson focuses on the man behind
the science. Through her poetry, the reader comes to know him as a gentle
person whose spirituality and belief in the goodness of mankind leads him to
serve others through his gift of inquisitive intelligence. Supported by his
foster parents, he leaves home at the young age of thirteen to embark on his
quest for learning and serving others through the knowledge he gains.
Nelson's writes her poetry in a sophisticated style. She constructs
her poems to reveal the speakers behind them by adapting the words to fit their
voices, yet retains the poetic form of rhythm and meter. In her poem,
"From an Alabama Farmer," the reader can picture the simple farmer
who writes to Carver: "Dear Mr. Carver, I bin folloring/ the things I herd
you say last planting time./I give my cow more corn, less cottonseed/and my
creme chirns mo better butter. ../" When reading this poem, the reader understands
the simple education of the farmer, but also senses that Carver must not be an
intimidating man who - because of his education- sets off airs, but instead he
is a man who sees the souls of the farmers and they respond to his kindness. Each poem has a different speaker, sometimes
Nelson, and other times a person in Carver's life. The style and word choices
make clear that she changes characters as the poems continue throughout the
book.
The beauty of this book is that although the order of the
poems leads us through Carver's life, as a biography should, each poem by
itself carries its own message and image. In the poem, "Four a.m. in the
Woods," the power of revelation emits from its words. "Darkness
softens, a thin/tissue of mist between the trees./One by one the
day's/unaccountable voices come out/like twilight fireflies, like stars./"
As the poem continues, the dawning of revelation appears...at first slowly, but
then suddenly in all its light: A moment of awareness.
Carver: A Life in
Poems is a perfect memoir to a man who inspired so many in his lifetime and
afterwards. The poetry calls the reader to slow down, to envision and
contemplate the life of a simple man who not only influenced science, but whose
life continues to inspire people to remain steadfast in the pursuit of their
dreams. Included in the novel are photographs of Carver, his personal
belongings, and people who he knew in his lifetime. Through the poetry and the
photographs, the reader realizes the greatness of this simple and humble man
who made great contributions to agriculture.
AWARDS
Coretta
Scott King Book Award, 2002: Honor Book Author, United States
John
Newberry Medal, 2002: Honor Book, United States
Flora
Stieglitz Straus Award, 2002: Winner, United States
Boston
Globe-Horn Book Award for Excellence in Children's Literature, 2001: Winner
Fiction and Poetry, United States
National
Book Award, 2001: Finalist Young People's Literature, United States
SUGGESTED
ACTIVITY
I recommend Carver:
A Life in Poems to be read in a higher grade level literature or history
class, perhaps grades 8 -12. Below is a
link to several discussions derived from the poems. Marilyn Nelson wrote the
discussion questions, which help provide insight into the poems for those who may
be unfamiliar with Carver's personal life.
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