Research Paper On Jane Kenyon

The life of Jane Kenyon was one full of victories, hardships, and all around love for her creative and poignant poetry that she shared with the world. Throughout the terrible events that plagued her adulthood, Kenyon managed to persevere and do what she loved most, which was to keep writing and inspiring others. Many people who read her poetry are able to catch a glimpse into the underlying meaning that was intertwined into the verses. The purpose of Kenyon's writings was to show the world her best attempt at staying strong even through all the difficult events that occurred in her life. She was able to combine her personal life with her love for her work, just like most great poets do. However, as her life progressed, many of her poems took …show more content…
Shortly after the move to New Hampshire, the article “Jane Kenyon.” Authors explains how “Hall contracted colon cancer, which spread to his liver. The prognosis for his recovery was very poor.” Despite the odds, Donald Hall ended up beating cancer and Kenyon thought that the worst was over, until receiving terrible news (“Jane Kenyon.” Authors). A large bout of sadness hit Kenyon, and "Jane Kenyon.” Authors states “after standing by her husband throughout his illness and treatment, Kenyon herself was eventually diagnosed with leukemia.” These feelings of sorrow and confusion are portrayed in the touching poem “Sun and Moon” where Kenyon wrote about how she “lay back on the new bed, / and had a vision of souls / stacked up like pelts / under my soul, which was ill- / so heavy with grief / it kept the others from rising” (lines 17-22). Nonetheless, Kenyon’s husband was often away, usually leaving for two days at a time in order to go and read his poetry to others, leaving Kenyon alone without anybody close to share her suffering with (Hall). She turned this despair into new verse, as shown in “Having it Out With Melancholy” when Kenyon explains how “from that day on / everything under the sun and moon / made me sad” distinctly corresponding with how nothing could make her happy after everything she had been through (lines 6-8). However, …show more content…
Even though sickness and mental illness took a deep toll on her life, the impact that Kenyon left during her short time here was inestimable. Unlike most poets, the ailments that Kenyon experienced did not tear her love of writing down, instead, it built up, knowing that her words could empower others, as well as herself. Poetry was a sense of comfort that she used throughout the dark times and even the good times, believing that it was the one constant that would never fade. While Kenyon felt at times alone and isolated from the rest of the world, admirers of her work knew that there was a place for them here and how all that is wrong in the world can be stopped with just a little bit of hope. Most people believe that the depression and the suffering held Jane Kenyon back from reaching her full potential, but instead, these events helped her become the strongest writer she could be, turning her own dark reality into a beautiful work of art for numerous