Anne Sexton: Poet, Mother, Divorcee, and Star of Literature - Essay Sample

Introduction

Anne Sexton, one of the greatest American poets, was born in November 1928 in Newton, Massachusetts. She lived mainly in Bolton while she was growing up. Sexton studied at the Rogers Hall in Lowell starting 1945 (Gale, 2018). However, three years later, she got married to Alfred Muller Sexton. They lived together with her husband until 1970 when they filed for a divorce and went separate ways. By then, Sexton had two children, Linda Gray Sexton and Joyce Sexton (Gale, 2018). Sexton is primarily famous for composing the highly personal poems reflecting on her life and seems more of her own confession verses. Her greatness in poetry and arts is evident through her winning the Pulitzer Prize back in 1967. Additionally, 12 years into poetry made Sexton earn the status at the Royal Society of Literature as well as being the first feminine participant of the Harvard chapter of Phi Beta Kappa (Gale, 2018). Most of her poetry works are centered across the sensitive themes of her attempted suicides, her struggle and lengthy battle with depression as well as personal intimacy. Some significant poems that she composed address the relationship that she had with her husband and her two daughters.

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Starting in 1954, Sexton developed severe mental disorders, which later affected much of her life. The notable episode in her life occurred in 1955 (Smith, 2017). As a result, she had to seek therapeutic assistance from Dr. Martin Orne. Orne, who by then worked at the Glenside Hospital, became one of the most significant figures in Sexton as he encouraged her to pursue the poetry line to alleviate the mental stress that Sexton was experiencing. Thus, Sexton attended the poetry workshop organized by John Holmes. The encounter at the first poetry workshop made Sexton develop a strong desire to register and join the poetry classes. Therefore, she consulted with friends who would then call her and accompany her to these poetry classes. Her determination and passion for poetry led to early acclaim for her work. Most of her poems and verses paved their way to The New Yorker, Harper's Magazine, as well as the Saturday Review, where they recorded positive reviews. Sexton, thus, took farther poetry studies at Robert Lowell at Boston University.

Sexton got a boost in her poetic career after she encountered W.D. Snodgrass in 1957 during the Antioch Writer's Conference (Smith, 2017). Snodgrass's poem, "Heart's Needle," resonated well with the works and composition lines of Sexton as she liked the theme of separation addressed in the poem. As a result, Sexton got an inspiration to write "The Double Image" in the reflection of the separation with her child. Besides working with Snodgrass, John Holmes and Maxine Kumin were also significant working partners.

Sexton died on October 4, 1974, after committing suicide in her car. The cause of her death was as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning. Before her death, Sexton had hinted at a possible suicide attempt when she said that she had compiled the first drafts of The Awful Rowing Towards God (Smith, 2017). She categorically spoke of two days of utmost despair and another three in the mental health institution. Sexton added that she would not let the publication of these drafts and poems precede her death.

Sexton poetic works address life issues such as depression, segregation and isolation, suicidal thoughts and attempts, and despair, as well as focusing on issues that specifically affect women, including menstruation, abortion, masturbation, and adultery. Sexton addressed these issues at a time when they were uncommon and rarely discussed in society. Therefore, Sexton stands as a courageous woman who revealed her thoughts regardless of the situation. She levied respectful critics through her poetic works (Smith, 2017).

References

Gale, C. (2018). A Study Guide for Anne Sexton's"" I Remember"". Gale, Cengage Learning.

Smith, E. M. (2017). Sexton, Anne. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Literature.