Artistic Voice Essays -- Essays Papers

Artistic Voice Authors have a distinct identity that you recognize when you read their work of art. The qualities and aspects of a text that give an author a distinct identity as an artist are known as their artistic voice. Denise Levertov and Anne Sexton both use different themes in their poetry that separate them from other poets. Denise Levertov writes about the unknown and the unsaid in life. Anne Sexton distinguishes herself by writing about her family, loves, and her emotional tragedies. Sandra Cisneros wrote a novel called The House on Mango Street that contained a different setup than most novels. It was written in fragments and the language was straightforward. Cisneros focuses on the importance of freethinking and home. Brian Friel, an author who focuses on Irish issues and concerns, wrote a play, "Dancing at Lughnasa." Denise Levertov chose to write about things that were not readily seen by others. She wrote her poems in free verse and she paced her writing to lead to a climax that contrasted the intensity of her poems. Her artistic voice can be examined in her poem The Ache of Marriage. The ache of marriage: thigh and tongue, beloved, are heavy with it it throbs in the teeth We look for communion and are turned away, beloved, each and each It is leviathan and we in its belly looking for joy, some joy not to be known outside it two by two in the ark of the ache of it. When people think of marriage they think of a wonderful life complete with the white picket fence and kids playing on the lawn. Levertov, in this poem, talks about how marriage is not glorious all the time. In the first stanza she is talking about the physical aspect of marria... ...e one another. At the end of the play, Michael says, "†¦Father Jack was dead within twelve months. And with him and Agnes and Rose all gone, the heart seemed to go out of the house." (70) One of the family's main concern was to lose each other, but they proved themselves to be strong. After they lost three of their family members, they worked even harder to make ends meet. They did not give up; they stayed strong for one another. An author's artistic voice is important because it helps distinguish an author apart from the mainstream of things. Levertov and Sexton focus on different aspects in life to give them a distinct identity. Cisneros uses a different format in her writing in her novel and Friel focuses on Irish culture to distinguish their artistic voice. After reading these works of art, it is clear what point the artist is trying to convey.