Desertions: Poetry with a Critical Introduction

Abstract

The critical introduction of this work focuses on the poet's craft. It chiefly addresses his employment of imagery and omission, and illustrates how they are employed in creating visual, aural and metaphorical textures within the poems. The bulk of the creative thesis consists of original poetry that exhibits the theoretical and technical aspects discussed in the critical introduction. The poems exhibit a variety of moods and explore a variety of concerns, ranging from marriage to war, but all of them are tied together by a thematic emphasis on the difficulties of attaining, maintaining, or even breaking free from certain community and cultural expectations. Most of the poems question the tenability of many common behavior patterns and attitudes by closely studying the emotional and intellectual nuances contained within and perpetuated by such norms.