“You do not always know what I am feeling.” The feeling of disappointment from being misunderstood, the opening line of “For Grace, After A Party” speaks not only to him and his own generation but also many generations to follow. Frank O’Hara was known for his works being “spontaneous acts, revised minimally or not at all, then scattered generously, half forgotten.” (Norton 506). O’Hara was a complicated and imaginative poet that became a focal point of mid 1900s literature due to his relatable topics and his lack of fear in exploring his personal life. His legacy is still as apparent today as it was during his lifetime.
Frank O’Hara was born to parents Russell J. and Katherine O'Hara, in July 27, 1926 in Baltimore Maryland. At a young age, he had to move Grafton, Massachusetts, where he found his love for music, more specifically the piano. All the way into his early 20s, he wanted to be a concert pianist, so much so that he went into intensive studies. So intense that at one point he wrote about it, saying
“It was a very funny life. I lived in Grafton, took a ride on a bus into Worcester every day to high school, and on Saturdays took a bus and a train to Boston to study piano. On Sundays, I stayed in my room and listened to the Sunday symphony …show more content…
After his time in the Navy, O’Hara enrolled in the prestigious Harvard University. At the time he enrolled, he wanted to major in music, however he ended up switching his major to English upon discovering he wanted to be a writer. All of O’Hara’s poems were based off his life, even the fiction works that he wrote had elements of his life within them. Majorie Perloff writes in her analysis “Poetry and life--O'Hara refused, at least consciously, to make a distinction between the two. He regarded both as part of the same vital
Frank O’Hara was born to parents Russell J. and Katherine O'Hara, in July 27, 1926 in Baltimore Maryland. At a young age, he had to move Grafton, Massachusetts, where he found his love for music, more specifically the piano. All the way into his early 20s, he wanted to be a concert pianist, so much so that he went into intensive studies. So intense that at one point he wrote about it, saying
“It was a very funny life. I lived in Grafton, took a ride on a bus into Worcester every day to high school, and on Saturdays took a bus and a train to Boston to study piano. On Sundays, I stayed in my room and listened to the Sunday symphony …show more content…
After his time in the Navy, O’Hara enrolled in the prestigious Harvard University. At the time he enrolled, he wanted to major in music, however he ended up switching his major to English upon discovering he wanted to be a writer. All of O’Hara’s poems were based off his life, even the fiction works that he wrote had elements of his life within them. Majorie Perloff writes in her analysis “Poetry and life--O'Hara refused, at least consciously, to make a distinction between the two. He regarded both as part of the same vital