Apollonian Is a Literary Concept Term Paper

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In this reading, Dobyns' "Counterparts" is his statement of personal philosophy that argues the only way to reach the Apollonian ideals is to work with, and embrace, the Dionysian and thus create a whole, or a yin-yang. This practice of using the Dionysian in order to achieve the Apollonian is a common strategy used in Dobyns' poetry.

Likewise, poet Frank O'Hara also uses Apollonian themes in the majority of his works. Like Dobyns, Frank O'Hara is also an American poet. He is best known as being a key member of the New York School of poetry.

O'Hara is known for his ability to write provocative and provoking poetry that was composed immediately, sometime even over the time frame of a lunch break. Thus, both high and low brow cultural references are common in O'Hara's work, as they are in Dobyns'.

O'Hara was good friends and deeply inspired by numerous leading painters of the day, including Jasper Johns and Jackson Pollock, thus his poetry tends to reflect the inspiration he found in various works of art. O'Hara stated that in his poetry he hoped to produce through words the same effects artists have when painting on a canvas.

In this sense, O'Hara is an Apollonian at heart. As he felt the purpose of poetry was to convey the emotions found in art, he was essentially trying to create the Apollonian way of life through words. However, like Dobyns', O'Hara also made use of the Dionysian in order to reach the Apollonian.

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In this sense, O'Hara was a realist, understanding that the direction to the Apollonian ideals involved going through the fields of Dionysian intoxication as the world we lived in was fundamentally Dionysian.

In his poem entitled, "Homosexuality," Frank O'Hara asks, "so we are taking off our masks, are we, and keeping our mouths shut?" This is in reference to living a life not visible to society. Thus, the illusions to "then we are off!" And "our delicate feet will not touch the earth again." From here the character floats above New York City, observing everything he loves, but at a distant. The poem concludes by stating, "It's a summer day, and I want to be wanted more than anything else in the world." This realization of being removed from what one really wants, or love, is in reference to the common Apollonian theme of working to attain the meaning of life.

Thus, in conclusion, from the above referenced poets and poems, it can be seen that poets, as a whole, tend to associate with the Apollonian ideology over that of the Dionysian. The reason for this is the poet, through his or her poetry, strives to create the Apollonian standard of life and is often critical of what they view as the falsities found in a Dionysian life. Thus, poets can be called the muse of the Apollonian philosophy......

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