Rita dove in the opening of her book The Penguin Anthology of Twentieth Century American Poetry, discussed a bundle of information in regards to poetry and the ever changing society. The book scrutinizes how as new movements in the world arise, new writing styles emerge as well. Dove supplying a crucial background is important for the audience to comprehend the reason why she chose the poems she did and the significance of the writing style during this timne period

As continued today, most artists use poetry as an artistic outlet to express their own personal ideology on society. Rita Dove reviews how historical movements caused poets to shift gears in their writing. Second way feminisim, gay awarnwss, hippies, the student protests are all distinct crusades in which aided in progressive writing styes.

One specific coalition was the Black Arts Movement. An art campaign lead by African American to create new cultural institutions and illustrate a message of black pride. Dove quotes, “The nascent Black Arts movement entered a jew phase; unlike their counterparts of the Harlem Renaissance, African- American poets now were not only describing and reflecting upon the pecularities of their place at America’s table–they were upturning the benches and walking off to eat by themselves.” Artists apart of the Black Arts Movemen generated politically captivating work to explore the African American experience, both culturally and historically, in addition to changing the way African Americans were portrayed in literature and the arts. 

In 1965, after the assaination of Malcom X artisit were angery with the slow progession of the civil rights movement. As the Dove goes more in depth into the new phase that the New Black Asthetic had become, she mentions, “The old Euro-American literary standards were rejected, and African Culture…and its derivatives this side of the Middle Passage became the rallying cry of the New Black Asthetic.” Blacks were no longer accepting the portrayal and histroy of their culture their White American. Defining cultural experiences on their own terms. Poetry written during this time period focused solely on unity and pride within the Black community.

The Black Arts movement and the New Black Asthetic reclaimed the power that had been taken from the Black community. Giving blacks a sense of pride known to them in the 1920’s. Living by the “Black is beautiful” motto, which eventually became mainstream. White folks wearing dashikis and tuning in to black artists music such as Marvin Gaye gave the African American community a sense of hope. Not only was hope instilled in the Black Community, but also in other minority struggles. The Black Arts Movement became the blueprint for other communities and encouraged them to speak up. Neglected voices such as Feminists, Native Americans, Hispanics, gays, and Asian Americans spoke up and united due to the similarities and differences discovered. However,  self segregation also brought white washed poems to the table as well.

Poetry became an important part of cultural, especially when it came to political movements. As I mentioned before, poetry is an art that people still to this today feel comfortable voicing their experiences weather it be personal, cultural, or historical. Understanding the background of poetry and its connections to these is very pivotal when it comes to modern poetry. By recognizing the importance of the past of poetry, it brings you to the current and even the future of poetry. Rita Dove wrote this introduction to make sure the audience resonates with how particular styles of writing came to be, and also understanding why she chose the poets she did. By educating us on the history, it gives us room to interpret the works of arts in a new light.