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Stephen Dobyns

Stephen Dobyns Biography

Poet

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“...yes, we were pretty good boys. After all, we were the future middle class. "...By then some of us had behaved badly. There were illegitimate children, petty theft, various forms of betrayal. But, even so, I think we would have called ourselves basically good. And if a few of us had gotten into trouble, we could point to complicated circumstances, weaknesses, errors of judgement; yet even with these lapses we would still have claimed a certain morality. We were decent, or hoped we were. But where does it change? ... It depends on what you want and how much you want it and how you place yourself in relation to the generally accepted system of morality. You know that old argument that some people have the right to set aside conventional morality because of their superiority or whatever? Clearly, there are people who do terrible things and are able to justify their misconduct by need or superiority or by saying they weren't responsible. But if these things continue and if you're unable to avoid self-deception, then you reach a point where you have to say, No, I am not a good person. I have behaved badly. That is the first admission. The second admission is that I will continue to behave badly.”

MoralityGood And EvilSelf Deception
Book:The Two Deaths of Senora Puccini
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“When a philosopher, scientist, or psychologist discusses the discrepancy between the actual and the ideal, he or she attempts to convince us with the tools of discursive thought ... An artist does it differently ... their primary approach is different, even though both groups, if you will, are investigating the actual, the ideal, and the discrepancy in between.”

IfsDoeDifferentPoetryArtistLiteratureGroupsApproachIdealsToolsScientistPhilosopherPrimariesConvincePsychologistInvestigatingDiscrepanciesConvince UsDiscrepancies Between
Author:Stephen Dobyns
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“Each thing I do, I rush through so I can do something else. In such a way do the days pass - -a blend of stock car racing and the never ending building of a gothic cathedral. Through the windows of my speeding car I see all that I love falling away: books unread, jokes untold, landscapes unvisited.”

WayI CanBookFallCan DoCarBuildingJokesWindowLandscapeRacingGothicNever EndingCathedralsCan Do SomethingSpeedingCar RacingSpeeding CarsStock Car Racing
Author:Stephen Dobyns
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“Let's say someone has experienced a violent trauma or betrayal: a child has been raped by a parent or has witnessed the destruction of someone he loves or has been so traumatized by the possibility of beatings and punishments that he's afraid to act. If the trauma is great enough, that person's life may become frozen, emotionally frozen even though he still gets up in the morning, is busy all day, and goes to bed at night. But there's this empty space that begins to fill with rage, rage toward everyone - the perpetrator, the people in the world who haven't suffered, even toward himself. (174)”

PeopleIfsWorldMayChildrenPersonsHas BeensStillsEnoughNightParentSpaceMorningHavensPossibilityBedEmptyDestructionBusyTraumaBetrayalRagePunishmentViolentGet UpFrozenEmpty SpacePerpetrators
Book:Boy in the Water: A Novel
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“There are many reasons for violence. This is just something that sometimes happens. We'd see it in treatment centers - the child who'd suffered something awful. Even in the best recovery there'd be a fear that everything would fall apart and they'd become victims again. And their final loyalty was to themselves. They couldn't be forced. They preferred to wreck everything, preferred self-destruction to surrender. (175)”

ChildrenSelfSometimesReasonHappensFallViolenceDestructionVictimFinalsLoyaltySurrenderRecoveryAwfulTreatmentFalling ApartWrecksSelf Destruction
Book:Boy in the Water: A Novel
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“For the past thirty years or so, much American poetry has been marked by an earnestness that rejects the comic. This has nothing to do with seriousness. The comic can be very serious. The trouble with the earnest is that it seeks to be commended. It seeks to be praised for its intention more than for what it is saying.”

YearsHas BeensPastTroubleSeriousIntentionComicThirtyRejectsEarnestSeriousnessThirty YearsEarnestnessAmerican Poetry
Book:Next Word, Better Word: The Craft of Writing Poetry
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