Theodore Roethke's Meditation At Oyster Bay

Theodore Roethke writes with one of the most unique voices in poetry, its poems contain a richness of feelings communicated with pure honesty. In his poem “Meditation at Oyster Bay” the speaker draws the reader into his journey as he describes in great detail that entire he sees while meditating at this special place. The appeal of this poem is the visual effects; the reader can see what the speaker is describing. Roethke’s poetry about nature was one subject he focus on his writing was an outlet he used to deal with his trouble past. Born Theodore Huebner Roethke in Saginaw, Michigan to local farmers Otis and Helen Roethke who were owners of a beautiful greenhouse and his love of nature began here. While in high school Roethke showed early

Roethke describes the beach as a tranquil place in lines 32-35 “The waves, altered by sand-bars, beds of kelp, miscellaneous driftwood, Topped by cross-winds, tugged at by sinuous undercurrents the tide rustling in, sliding between the ridges of stone, The tongues of water, creeping in quietly.” Beaches are one of the several natural resources that provides fun and recreation for many family’s often spend hours basking in the sun while watching children play in the sand. The beach has so many activities going on and can also be a place of solitude. Located on the coast of Savannah, Georgia Tybee Island beach features deep blue waters and whiles of white sand. Visitors from all around can enjoy Kayaking, riding bikes or visiting the light house. This beach is located near a camp ground where campers can have full access to the facilities which makes this a home away from home and the place comfortable for so many campers. This beach community is deeply involved in the place in the rescue and protection of the sea turtle population at this beach. Loggerhead sea turtles are endangered and their nesting is well protected. Each year from May1-Oct 31 these turtles come to nest on the beaches. It’s important to protect these magnificent creatures. Although, Roethke described the beautiful scenery of the beach he also

His main characters would give you a very descriptive poem which was his method of writing most of his works. The speaker in “Meditation at Oyster Bay” is really fond of the place he has choose to meditate and can’t help but to admire all the amazing activities of nature going on around him. Later in his writing career he began to write many different collective books of poems. “Praise to the End!” was composed after the poet’s move to the University of Washington where he began a teaching career. His time at the University of Washington he found talented protégés and also loyal colleagues such as Robert Heilman who, as department head, helped Roethke manage his recurring bouts of the depression. Roethke was awarded Guggenheim Fellowship in 1950, the Poetry magazine Levinson Prize in 1951, and major grants from the Ford Foundation and the National Institute of Arts and Letters the year after. In Italy where he honey mooned with his wife he began editing the galley proofs for “The Waking: Poems” and was published to win the Pulitzer Prize. It included major works such as Elegy for Jane and Four for Sir John Davies, which was modeled on Davies’s metaphysical poem Orchestra. During 1955 and 1956 Roethke and his new wife traveled Europe, on a Fulbright grant. The following year he published a collection of works that included forty-three new poems entitled Words