Thomas and Beulah: Poems [Paperback]

 

 

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Rita Dove, Thomas and Beulah (1987, Carnegie Mellon)

Rita Dove won the 1987 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry with Thomas and Beulah, and it's pretty easy to see why. Dove's poetic biography of her ancestors is hyperkinetic, jazz-infused poetry rooted in the Depression, full of life, sass, and vinegar. Nothing is sacred, from motherhood ("She dreams the baby's so small she keeps/misplacing it") to death ("Later he'll say Death stepped right up/to shake his hand, then squeezed/until he sank to his knees."), and some contemporary jabs mixed in ("...Joanna saying/'Mother, we're Afro-Americans now!'/What did she know about Africa?"). Dove has been one of America's shining poetic voices for two decades now, and there's never not a right time to go back and revisit this stunning collection. Perhaps her strongest work. ****

The collected poems of Rita Dove in the book "Thomas and Beulah" are about the lives of 2 people. These poems also tell two sides of a story. Rita Dove is a 1987 winner of the Pulitzer Prize for poetry. This book of poems is refreshingly different and I strongly recommend it. This book tells a story with these poems. Everything is in sequence from the 1900's, which is when Thomas and Beulah were born, to the 1960's when Beulah passes on. This book tells the lives of a married black couple back in the day. And is separated by "Mandolin", which is Thomas' side, then "Canary in Bloom", which is Beulah's side of the story.
An example of what both people think about the same situation is in the poem "Courtship" on Thomas' side. This is when he wants to please her and so he "warps the yellow silk still warm from his throat around her shoulders (he mad good money; he could buy another.)" On the other side though of what Beulah is feeling in "Courtship, Diligence" is that all she sees is " a yellow scarf run[ing] though his fingers" she also says that "she'd much prefer a scent in a sky-colored flask" and "not that scarf, bright as butter." With that, you can clearly see how the two people are feeling. Thomas is thinking the yellow scarf is something expensive of his that he can give, and Beulah doesn't like it. You have two sides of a story and what each person is feeling and thinking. Through out the book it is the same from. From Thomas' death and how he was feeling then and what Beulah was thinking and feeling at that time too. This book is like a balance between two people. A balance needed for a marriage and it shows the complexity of two lives that see each other and the world in two different ways.
But there is also a closeness that the reader gets because this book draws them in from the realistic situations. In example, from the poem "Variation on Guilt", Beulah is having a baby and he really wants a baby boy. He's scared to find out what she will have and when the doctor comes out and sees a "smirk" on his face he knows it's a girl and "he doesn't feel a thing" but is "weak with rage." This book is really interesting because you can go into the lives of the married couple and know more about their feelings and emotions than what Thomas and Beulah know about each other. Their relationship and building a family is sometimes complex, simple, yet it is still only a shallow view of their lives. From beginning to end this book always keeps you interested. And with the description of how each person had passed away and their experiences brings the reader a little bit closer to them.

Rita Dove's Thomas and Beulah was a fantastic story of two people's journey through life together. It is broken up into two sections: Mandolin, and Canary in Bloom. The first section is written through the eyes of Thomas and the second is from Beulah's perspective. What is fantastic about the way this book is written and organized is that all the poems are connected in sequence and tell a story. Unlike many of the books of poetry that I have read, I did not have to bounce back and forth from this book to my dictionary. Dove's approach to writing poetry is very straight-forward and from the heart. The book reads as if it was a personal memoir from both Thomas and Beulah.

You can relate to the couple and really are drawn in by the imagery and metaphors that Dove uses. Pay attention to the use of wings, salt, fish, canary, feet, heart, music, yellow, flowers, and tears. All contribute in great deal to the depth of each poem. One of my favorite poems from this book is "Courtship, Diligence." In this poem, Beulah is listening to him play the same old mandolin that he has played for years. As she sits she imagines a life where she doesn't have to listen to the same old mandolin and see his same old yellow scarf. Thomas has no idea of her thoughts and is playing as well as he could to make her happy. This really made me think of past relationships and how one person could be very happy and try their best to please the one they love with what they are given. Yet, sometimes no matter how hard one person tries, the other is just simply unhappy. The use of mandolin in this poem is just one example of Dove's imagery. When she is using mandolin, it is representing some feeling or stage in Thomas' life. Whether young and recalling memories, anxious in new love, or old and recovering from a heart attack, the mandolin is an intricate imagery tool. Another fantastic poem is "Variation on Pain." This poem draws back memories of slavery when African Americans were forced to have their ears pierced. The mandolin is again used in this poem, and it draws forth these memories of "two greased strings for each pierced lobe." The third stanza, however, is the most powerful. "There was a needle in his head but nothing fit through it. Sound quivered like a rope stretched clear to land, tensed and brimming, a man gurgling air." This is one of the finest examples of the eloquent power that Rita Dove expresses in her writing.

All in all, this is one of the best written works of poetry that I have come across. It is an easy read and as far as books of poetry go, its progressing story makes Thomas and Beulah a real page turner. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is just getting in to reading poetry or even someone who is a poetry connoisseur.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book
Rita Dove's Thomas and Beulah is a fantastic story of two people's journey through life together. It is broken up into two sections: Mandolin, and Canary in Bloom. Read more

Published on April 27 2004 by Derek

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Read
I really enjoyed this book because of the unconventional way it was written. I really admire Rita Dove's use of a series of short poems to tell a story. Read more

Published on April 24 2004 by Melanie

5.0 out of 5 stars Review for Thomas And Beulah
I thought this book was superb! Rita Dove is a master at laying out the lives of Thomas and Beulah in an enchanting and thought provoking way. Read more

Published on April 20 2004 by Jamee

5.0 out of 5 stars Must Read
This is a major achievement by one of America's finest poets. It has been characterized as a story of an African-American family, but it is much more than that, it is the... Read more

Published on Jun 5 2003 by Charles J. Marr

5.0 out of 5 stars The poetic narrative of an African-American family
Rita Dove's book "Thomas and Beulah" won the 1987 Pulitzer Prize for poetry. I recently re-read the book (more than a decade after having first read it! Read more

Published on Dec 1 2001 by Michael J. Mazza

5.0 out of 5 stars What is Left Out
What I find particularly appealing in this collection of poetry is what moments, memories, or emotions get left out. Read more

Published on Oct 24 2000

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