Melvin
B. Tolson is arguably one of the most influential poets of not only his time,
but of literary history all together. His unique style of writing has made him
one of the most interesting yet underrated African American poets in. His
importance in regards to the advancement of black literature and the black
community as a whole is second to none. Tolson always had his share of support
from many of the most well known poets of his time. Ronald Lee Cansler in his
work “The White and not- White Dichotomy” points out this support when stating,
“At each publication Tolson never lacked one or two vocal supporters in the
ranks of poets and critics, such powerful voices as Robert Frost, William
Carlos Williams, Theodore Roethke, John Ciardi, and Allen Tate” (Cansler 115).
This support from many of the most well known writers of his time indicates
that Tolsons work was very influential and important in the time period.
Tolsons
unique style of writing creates an importance in itself. No poet had ever used
such a style in this time period. Tolson was viewed as both a modern and black
poet, which was unheard of at the time of his poetry. Cansler sites Emanual and
Gross in saying that this form of writing is called “poetic evolution”. Cansler
writes, “As Emanuel and Gross record, “Tolson’s poetic evolution moves from
erudition and lyricism of Rendezvous with America, through the modernist
complexities of the Libretto, to the brilliant versatilities of Harlem Gallery”
(Cansler 115). Emanuel and Gross are describing the immense overall knowledge
Tolson possessed to be able to write in such versatility, a characteristic that
is very rare for a writer.
A
telling factor in answering the question of if a writer was looked at as an
important and respected figure in history is the opinion of other great writers
in history. Cansler quotes William Carlos Williams’s in reference to what he
thinks poetry worth recognition entails. He quotes Williams saying:
“Well… I would say that poetry is language charged with emotion. It’s words, rhythmically organized… A poem is a complete little universe. It exists separately. Any poem that has worth expresses the whole life of the poet. It gives a view of what the poet is” (Cansler 117).
Cansler takes
Williams description of what worthy poetry is and compares it to Tolson’s work
and connects many similarities. Cansler compares when he writes, “This is a
very comfortable description of Tolson, his work in general, and Harlem Gallery
in particular. The feeling is there; the rhythmically organized words are
present…. The poem fits William’s definition of “worth” in expressing the poets
totality of life and experience.” (Cansler 117-118). Cansler effectively takes
the description of a great writer and connects it to Tolsons work.
A
great writer is able to touch his audience in a way that makes them feel as if he
were talking to them specifically. Tolson was a modernist poet who used his
poems to motivate his audience towards a revolutionary goal. Kathy Lou Schultz
in her work “To Save and Destroy: Melvin B. Tolson, Langston Hughes, and the
theories of the Archive” quotes biographer Robert M. Farnsworth saying in
regards to Tolsons poetry, “the strong assertion that Tolson makes for black Americans
being a part of a national American identity from its beginning” (Schultz 116).
Tolson speaks to his fellow black Americans and creates a strong argument for
them to be included to a greater extent in the nations identity. A great example of this is expressed in
Tolson’s piece “Dark Symphony” when he creates a rally cry for all of his
fellow black Americans. Tolson writes:
“The
New Negro
Breaks
the icons of his detractors,
Wipes
out the conspiracy of silence,
Speaks
to his America:
“My
history-moulding ancestors
Planted
the first crops of wheat on these shores,
Built
ships to conquer the seven seas,
Erected
the Cotton Empire,
Flung
railroads across a hemisphere,
Disemboweled
the earth’s iron and coal,
Tunneled
the mountains and bridged rivers,
Harvested
the grain and hewed forests,
Sentineled
the Thirteen Colonies,
Unfurled
Old Glory at the North Pole,
Fought
a hundred battles for the Republic.” (Tolson lines 66-80)
In
bringing all these points to life in a poem, Tolson creates a piece that almost
all of his target audience can relate too.
Melvin
B. Tolson is one of the most important and influential poets in history. Famous
critics and writers alike recognize him as an exceptional writer. He produced
poetry that related to his target audience and also writing that served great
importance in the Black Arts Movement. His importance in contribution to the
Black Arts Movement along with his unique way of writing makes him one of the
most interesting and researched writers of all time.
Works Cited
Cansler, Ronald Lee. ""The White and Not-White
Dichotomy" of Melvin B. Tolson's
Poetry."
Negro American Literature Forum 7.4 (1973): 115-18. JSTOR. Web.
30
Apr.
2014. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/3041437?ref=search-
gateway:dadbc0443ab126a8b82167f270ec2c69>.
Schultz, Kathy Lou. "To Save and Destroy: Melvin B.
Tolson, Langston Hughes, and
Theories
of the Archive." Contemporary Literature 52.1 (2011): 108-45.
Print.
Tolson, Melvin B. Dark
Symphony. The Norton Anthology of African American
Literature.
Ed. Henry Louis Gates and Nellie Y. MacKay. New York: Norton,
1997.
1373-374. Print.
