Dana Gioia is widely recognized in America as an influential and leading figure in the world of poetry and literature. Having earned his degree in English literature with a focus on poetry from Stanford, his own writings have received high acclaim and won awards such as the American Book Award and the Lila Wallace Reader’s Digest Writers Award. He has also established himself as an advocate of poetry and its importance in society.
In his acclaimed poem “Can Poetry Matter?” Gioia attempts to address the question of why poetry seems to have lost much of its importance in modern-day society. “Can Poetry Matter?” was first published in a 1992 issue of the Atlantic Monthly which sold over 40,000 copies. The resulting attention and widespread reaction to his writing gave an immense amount of legitimacy to Gioia’s argument that poetry can still be an active and vital force in society.
The poem consists of a series of rhetorical questions to draw out and emphasize the fact that poetry has slipped into the background of American culture and ergo become lost in the ambient noise of mass entertainment and other news. He then lays out a passionate and persuasive plea to acknowledge the importance of poetry and its potential impact, which he sees as key to transmitting meaningful ideas and creating any sustainable culture.
Analyzing “Can Poetry Matter?”, one can connect it to the traditional humanist tradition of looking to poets as the mouthpiece of truth and moral guidance. Gioia’s plea is that poets should remain an essential part of any culture and the importance of their words should transcend the relentless pursuit of material wealth. Poetry should be cherished for its ability to help readers understand and accept the world around them; a self-referential act which compels readers to connect with themselves and their peers.
Gioia’s work and argument for the importance of poetry have had a major effect on modern writing. Authors such as George Saunders, Cheryl Strayed, Tyler Perro, and many more have all credited Gioia’s poem as a major source of inspiration. It has even been taught in numerous classrooms around the country, from high schools to universities. By inspiring a generation of writers, Gioia not only has affected our culture in a positive light, but also has made an effort to ensure that its future is just as bright.
The Poet’s Role as Society’s Visionary
Gioia’s mission to bring attention to the importance of poetry stretches beyond its ability to bring pleasure or intellectual growth. Rather, a great focus of his work is to make society recognize another important aspect of poetry – its unique prophetic vision. For centuries, writers created verse that lifted up tropes of morality and justice, and envisioned a better world. This kind of thought has found space throughout most of known literature.
Poetry’s true power lies in its ability to capture the zeitgeist of a given moment and distill the collective sentiment of its people down to a few simple lines. This is due to the enlightening experience of being able to contemplate the same words in different context. Great examples of this can be seen with harbingers of national movements such as Walt Whitman’s pivotal artwork Leaves of Grass, which accompanied the launch of the United States as a nation, or Abraham Lincoln’s speech at Gettysburg, which galvanized the unification of America.
In these political climates, poetry not only serves as a tool to rally people together, but also serves to take a stand against injustice, inequality and unfairness. A reclaiming of moral agency can be easily seen in the works of today’s protest poets and in movements such as #metoo or Black Lives Matter, where poetry has taken center stage. This is why Gioia’s goals of reinvigoration of poetry in the modern day setting is not only important, but essential to the progress and well-being of our nation.
Gioia’s Impact on Poetry Writing
On top of his staunch advocacy, Gioia has had a strong impact on the actual way people write and experience poetry. Traditional poetry has long been seen as a medium that lacked accessibility to an average reader. Much of what was written was jarring, symbolic, and as a result was too complicated to be effectively understood. He revolutionized the way people look at poetry and made it accessible to ordinary readers. He is credited with bringing poetic meter back into the realm of contemporary, mainstream writing.
Additionally, Gioia has long championed the use of humor, conversation, and everyday life as sources of rich poetic inspiration. This style, which has been termed the “New Formalism” has become very popular in modern day readings and presentations. Examples of this can be seen in such works as that of contemporary poets such as Billy Collins, Yehuda Amichai, and Philip Levine.
His direct effect on the perception of the medium and his constant effort to make it more accessible has caused writers to aim to create even more personal and relevant poetry. This production of authenticity has allowed poets to better engage and connect with their intended audiences, allowing them to bring poetry back into the public spotlight.
Gioia’s Poetic Legacy
What has become Dan Gioia’s most lasting mark on poetry has been his ability to allow it to positively connect to people in meaningful ways. The beauty of poetry, for Gioia, is in its power to help those who experience it to comprehend their own humanness and to reflect on their intimate thoughts and feelings. By never losing sight of this, his efforts and achievements have allowed us to return to the basics of what makes us human and reclaim the power art has on our lives.
From his own writing to the new generation of poets he inspired, Gioia’s legacy is an immense one. Poetry has not been at the same pinnacle as it once was, but thanks to his efforts it clear it is still very much around and relevant. The answer to the poem’s title question ‘Can Poetry Matter?’ is a resounding yes, and Dan Gioia’s work has played no small part in reminding us of this.
The Publishing Industry Impact of Gioia’s Poetic Achievement
Gioia’s success in the industry serves as an inspiration both for aspiring poets and publishing companies alike. His sheer dedication to bring meaningful poetry to the public’s attention has real world implications, spurring the publishing industry both small and large to invest their resources in quality poetry. This in turn provides quality opportunities for writers, allowing them a reliable platform to express their work and be compensated for it.
Aside from publishers, Gioia’s success has also put pressure on the public to reconsider poetry as a genre. This pressure has allowed poets to make poetry more tangible and digestible, creating books that are accessible even to those who are unfamiliar with the art form. Moreover, Gioia has been able to garner broad success on multiple platforms, by successfully curating events, founding magazines, and publishing articles.
The significance of Gioia’s success cannot be overstated; it has enabled a diverse range of artists to come forward and express their work. In an era populated with short reads, free Instagram poetry, gifs, and memes – Gioia is keeping poetry alive for all.
Gioia’s Reinforcement of Poetry’s Timelessness
What makes Gioia’s accomplishments so powerful, is that it reinforces poetry’s timelessness. His poem Can Poetry Matter? was first published in 1992, but its message is just as resonant now as it was then. It’s easy to forget that the spoken and written word is one of the oldest forms of communication. Poems, dating back to ancient times, have been found carved into artifacts, parchments, and other objects. These poems carry meanings that were meaningful thousands of years ago which are still relevant today.
Moreover, Gioia’s goal is to bring attention to the momentary acknowledgment of poetry as an antiquated art form; an approach which denies the fact that fine art verse can still provide insight and inspiration to those that experience it. Gioia’s influence on poetry and the publishing industry speaks to a larger universal notion that poetry is alive and can positively shape the minds of our communities.
When asked to weigh in on the importance of poets in current times, Gioia remarked “Poets can help us to remember what truly matters.” This direct quote from one of America’s most famous poets, serves to illustrate the fact that Gioia’s mission has, at least in part, been accomplished.
The Complexity of Gioia’s Poetic Works
Gioia’s writing does not deal exclusively with straightforward matters, but instead captures the complexity of life. Although Gioia’s works have a clarity that lends itself to direct understanding, he has also achieved a distinct beauty in his ability to recognize the inherently intangible aspects of our lives.
His poem “The Actual World” is a masterfully written exploration of the distance between reality and our subconscious. By pairing imagery of the beauty of everyday living with a commentary on our own mortality, Gioia is able to construct a poem that looks into our uncompromising reality and accept it for what it is.
Gioia’s style not only captures our mental state, but also acknowledges our hearts. In his poem, “Memory,” Gioia aims to capture a feeling of solitude, of the isolation of a person – a juxtaposition to his more optimistic effort of “Can Poetry Matter?” In Memory, Gioia is able to beautifully illustrate the sentiment of deep longing, one which is familiar and yet original.
Gioia’s works are ultimately, a timeless celebration of life, inclusive of both its joys and its sorrows. His understanding of life is rarely matched, and he has left an indelible mark in modern day poetry that will forever be remembered.
