Ben Cacace
April 26, 1999
                        Poetry and Work

     I could write a poem about the tragic killing of 12 high school students in
Colorado, but would that bring them back to life?  I could write about the last piece of
rainforest in the world, but would my poem be printed on a tree from that forest?  I am
writing on the many problems that the working class face on a regular basis.  Will this
solve the problems?  I say no, yes, and no, but if a parent read that poem and talked to
their kid about violence or an administrator read it and decided to prevent the problem
before tragedy hit their school then my poem would have done something.  If my poem
made newsprint and people recycled the paper because of it, they just may save some
trees.  If my paper makes people see injustice, then maybe change will come.  The
question follows, does poetry change the world?  I do not think so, but it can change
people who change the world.  Without its reflection of harsh reality and beautiful
fantasy, how would people know what to savor and what to change?  Everyone may not
like reading difficult high-end vocabulary writing, or some may think themselves too
good for the media of the masses, but the wide scope of poetry allows it to reach all.  One
group of issues that poets have been dealing with for a long time now is the issue of class
and all the race, sex, and economics that go along with it.  Philip Levine has written an
ample amount concerning this topic in his book of poems about the experiences of the
working class entitled What Work Is.  He also wrote concerning the working class in
other books of poetry as well, although not in as condensed and straightforward a manner. 
Coming from a working class background gives Levine a firsthand knowledge of the lives
and the concerns of a person in that class.  He is well recognized as far as modern poets
go, allowing him to reach more people with writing that is easy to read and widely
available.

     Levine was born in Detroit in 1928 where he got an education at public schools
and Wayne State University.  He worked several industrial jobs there before moving
around the country and finally settling in Fresno, California.  He has written sixteen
books of poetry including Pulitzer Prize winning The Simple Truth and other major prize
winning books.  In addition he has received the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, the Harriet
Monroe Memorial Prize from Poetry, the Frank O'Hara Prize, and two Guggenheim
Foundation fellowships.  Levine served for two years as chair of the Literature Panel of
the National Endowment for the Arts.  He now lives in New York City as well as
California and teaches at New York University (poets.org).  His awards and positions
have made him well known, allowing his work to reach more people than most poets will
ever reach.

     The book of poetry most obviously related to issues of the working class is titled
What Work Is.  In many ways the book seems almost autobiographical in nature.  The
poems are written with details that could only come from experience, the type of
descriptive details that show what work really is.  Detroit, where Levine worked some
industrial jobs before moving to California is also mentioned in several of the poems. 
The book starts off with a poem titled Fear and Fame.  The poem describes the work of
going into a processing tank to mix new solutions made up of strong chemical compounds
for plating plumbing components.  He compares the mixture with pickling, calling it the
"pickling tank" and equating each compound to a pickling ingredient.  He also compares
the suit he must wear with a suit of armor.  He makes these comparisons to make the job
seem more human to himself.  By comparing the harsh job to a common process that has
a quaintness to it, talking about the secret recipe that was handed down, some of the harsh
reality is taken away from what he must do.  The title is ironic in that although the fear is
real in going into the tank, the fame he receives is limited to the other workers in the
factory knowing him as the guy who goes into the tank.  After exiting the tank he
mentions that no one welcomes him back as one would expect for the knight that he
compares himself to.  This goes to strengthen the irony of his "fame."  He then describes
himself putting his street clothes back on and in general returning to being a person who
has a nickname and a wedding ring.  The poem ends with more emphasis on the irony of
the recognition he does not receive for his work.
     "Then to arise and dress again in the costume
     of my trade for the second time that night, stiffened
     by the knowledge that to descend and rise up
     from the other world merely once in eight hours is half
     what it takes to be known among women and men."
As a whole, the poem seems like a criticism of the unequal recognition that a laborer
receives in comparison with the easy recognition an executive would get for the success
of a company that relies on the laborer doing his undesirable job.

     In addition to the theme of recognition, Fear and Fame starts revealing how
working class jobs can take away the humanity of the worker.  The first poem talks of the
other world that he enters when he goes into the tank.  When he speaks of gargling away
the bitterness, he is talking about the bitterness of the being without human essence while
inside the tank, as much as the actual bitter taste of the fumes.  The following poem is
titled Coming Close.  The title seems to be mean that it brings the reader close the worker,
closer than comfortable, close enough to see the pain of losing humanity to a job.  Levine
asks the reader to take "this quiet woman" as an example of a situation that reaches far
beyond this one plumbing factory.  He starts by mentioning something everyone can
relate to: lunch break.  He indicates the additional twenty minutes of labor required before
she can go on lunch break and asks "Is she a woman?"  He goes on to describe what the
job has done to her, changes against what she should be.  He points out the motion of her
wiping her brow as that of a child saying "No! No!"  He urges the reader to come closer,
leaving behind the executive world of his target readers for the factory environment.  He
says that one must experience the hard repetitive work.  Hypothesizing that the buffing
wheel stops, the question is asked of the reader, why?  If the woman asked, "you
wouldn't dare to speak" he claims, for fear of her laughter.  This dispels the quick reasons
that come to mind to justify the job, because the reader realizes that the justifications
would be lame if told directly to that worker.  The reasons that executives provide in their
own minds are shown for their real value when put into the situation of the actual job. 
The poem ends with the woman laughing as she leaves a mark on the readers white shirt. 
The last line speaks directly of the effect of the poem on the reader:  "To mark / you for
your own, now and forever."  If the poem has been understood then the reader has been
made to see and have empathy for his or her own people.  It that way, the woman has
marked the reader.  The poem is powerful in making the reader see because it includes
them in the action of the poem, forcing the reader to picture them self in the poem.

     By putting the reader in an industrial production position, it forces them to
participate to a certain extent.  Earlier in the poem it states that to see closer one must
experience the reality for themselves.  Just reading poetry about the labor of the working
class can open ones eyes to the inequality faced daily by the less privileged members or
our society.  But, in order to bring that knowledge from the brain to the heart the only
way is to actually experience a little manual labor or other undesired working condition.
Doing volunteer work is one way to get this experience and the satisfaction earned by
doing a job not because of what is paid, but because it is important that the job be done. 
This learning experience can be more important than just a blind cash donation that is
treated as a duty, treated as something that is expected, not from an honest understanding
that moves a heart to help.  When people see that sort of contribution, it is easier to hold
out hope that the lines of class drawn by money will not forever divide the lives of fellow
humans. 

     Only a small view of the mirrored reality shown in Levine's work has been
covered in this examination.  There is so much more that he has succeeded in uncovering
about the life of the working class in his additional work.  Also, the job of showing is not
finished in his work alone.  Some may not read Levine's poetry, but may listen to the
lyrics of a song, read a newspaper article, or see for themselves the experiences that
Levine has passionately written about.

     There are many forms that poetry can take on depending on the message that is
being conveyed and the audience being targeted.  Levine has chosen a good format to
reach those in the world that have the power to change the way labor is conducted.  The
higher economic classes that have the majority of control also tend to have the time and
inclination for poetry.  By choosing a simple format and vocabulary, Levine made his
message clear and at the same time accessible to those that would identify the most with
it.  Those people may not have the power to change their situation, but they may gain
comfort from knowing they are not alone in their suffering and that the message of their
plea has been released to all willing to read it.  In these ways Levine's work has answered
some fundamental questions about the power of poetry as well as conveying a necessary
message.


                          Works Cited

Levine, Philip "What Work Is" New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1991
The Academy of American Poets: Poetry Exhibits
     http://www.poets.org/lit/poet/plevifst.htm accessed April 21, 1999