Poetry and the American Presidency

161 Pages·2012·0.623 MB·English

by  Paul J. Ferlazzo

Poetry
AND THE
American Presidency
PETER LANG
New York (cid:121) Washington, D.C./Baltimore (cid:121) Bern
Frankfurt (cid:121) Berlin (cid:121) Brussels (cid:121) Vienna (cid:121) Oxford
PAUL J. FERLAZZO

Poetry
AND THE
American Presidency

PETER LANG
New York (cid:121) Washington, D.C./Baltimore (cid:121) Bern
Frankfurt (cid:121) Berlin (cid:121) Brussels (cid:121) Vienna (cid:121) Oxford
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Ferlazzo, Paul J.
Poetry and the American presidency / Paul J. Ferlazzo.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Politics and literature—United States. 2. Presidents—United States—Poetry.
3. Poetry—Social aspects—United States. 4. Presidents—United States—
Knowledge and learning. I. Title.
PN1081.F47 809.1’9358—dc23 2012009351
ISBN 978-1-4331-1768-8 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-4539-0540-1 (e-book)

Bibliographic information published by Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek.
Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the “Deutsche
Nationalbibliografie”; detailed bibliographic data is available
on the Internet at http://dnb.d-nb.de/.

The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability
of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity
of the Council of Library Resources.

© 2012 Peter Lang Publishing, Inc., New York
29 Broadway, 18th floor, New York, NY 10006
www.peterlang.com

All rights reserved.
Reprint or reproduction, even partially, in all forms such as microfilm,
xerography, microfiche, microcard, and offset strictly prohibited.

Printed in Germany
a_fm_t5 Pal 3/7/2012 12:43 PM Page v
For
Michael, Olivia, Julia, and Anna
a_fm_t5 Pal 3/7/2012 12:43 PM Page vi
a_fm_t5 Pal 3/7/2012 12:43 PM Page vii
Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction xi
1. Thomas Jefferson 1
2. John Quincy Adams 19
3. Abraham Lincoln 34
4. Theodore Roosevelt 46
5. Woodrow Wilson 58
6. John Fitzgerald Kennedy 68
7. Jimmy Carter 88
8. Ronald Reagan 100
9. Ten Presidents 111
George Washington 111
James Madison 113
a_fm_t5 Pal 3/7/2012 12:43 PM Page viii
viii | Contents
John Tyler 114
James A. Garfield 117
Herbert Hoover 118
Harry S. Truman 120
Gerald R. Ford 121
William J. Clinton 124
George W. Bush 127
Barack Obama 130
Afterword 135
Works Cited 139
Index 143
a_fm_t5 Pal 3/7/2012 12:43 PM Page ix
Acknowledgments
I wish to thank the faculty and administrators of Northern Arizona University
for their support of a sabbatical leave that was essential in the early stages of
research for this book. I also thank the numerous colleagues, students, and
friends who encouraged me in the project and made helpful suggestions, in par-
ticular, Bill Burke, Allen Woodman, Glenn Reed, Paul Helford, Donelle Ruwe,
James Leve, the late Jim Simmerman, Peggy Mullaney, Brian Rademacher,
Heather and David Alberts, Beverly Burns, Jacquelyn Jackson, Fred Linch, Jeb
Rosebrook, Roger Hornbeck, Perry Snyder, Nancy Bunge, and Steve Robinson.
And to family members who had faith in the project and confidence in my
work, I give a special note of thanks and love to Richard and Mary Sheedy,
Michael, Dessia, the late John Paul, and my beloved wife, Carole.
***
Elizabeth Alexander, excerpt from “Praise Song for the Day” from Crave
Radiance: New and Selected Poems. Copyright © 2005 by Elizabeth Alexander.
Reprinted with the permission of The Permissions Company, Inc., on
behalf of Graywolf Press, www.graywolfpress.org.
Excerpts from “The Strength of Fields” by James Dickey from Selected Poems
(Wesleyan University Press, 1998). © 1998 by James Dickey and reprinted
by permission of Wesleyan University Press.