Why Is Louisa May Alcott Important

Born 1832 in Germantown, Pennsylvania, Louisa May Alcott became a brilliant student and person early on. Her father, Amos Bronson, was a philosopher and educated his children himself. Louisa became leader in the family early on by stepping up and going to work as a school teacher and later as a nurse. When she became an adult, she wrote novels and short stories under the name Flora Fairfield. Later, she restarted her career again, but this time, under her real name. During the Civil War, Louisa was sent to Washington D.C. to aid the medical units as a nurse. She then returned to Pennsylvania and wrote her famous novel, Little Women. Her versatility in the world of employment was very beneficial to writing her novels and poems because she was able to express her experiences. Alcott believes that “Good books, like good friends, are few and chosen” (Louisa May Alcott) which is important because she wrote one of the most famous novels in the world and some still are not familiar with her work. She followed the novel with a few high quality poems that brought her into the poetry scene. Lousia’s poems are much influenced, again, by her life experiences, she …show more content…
Being an at large activist for women's rights, she believes that it is “very hard (she) finds the task of governing (her) feelings well” (Alcott.) This is a very powerful line in that her feelings may overpower her self control of keeping her feelings bottle up inside her body. She uses these same powerful feelings in her novels, but they are more direct and ‘to the point’ in her poetry. Being more direct, a poet can reach a certain audience in a more effective way. Alcott’s poetry formatting and organization also helps to emphasize the strong feelings she keeps, as she pounds the reader with emotion and an overwhelming power. Once again, Alcott’s poetry shines in the shadow of her writing