18 pages • 36 minutes read
Robert PinskyThe Street
Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 2017A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Further Reading & Resources
Related Poems
“To Television” by Robert Pinsky (1998)
Pinsky has said that he likes television and that it has enriched him and others. In this ode, the speaker explores what television has created for people in general and for their family specifically. They recount an anecdote about observing their father and sister watching television while their mother was not well.
This poem demonstrates Pinsky's affinity for common, popular culture, but as in “The Street,” he relates his modern experience with television back to Greek mythology and history, comparing the television to the Greek god Hermes, who has winged sandals.
“Samurai Song” by Robert Pinsky (2000)
This poem demonstrates Pinsky’s versatility as a poet. Unlike in “The Street” and many of Pinsky’s other pieces, this is a persona poem. It is written from the voice of a Samurai explaining how they survive harsh conditions, both physical and mental. It is one of Pinsky’s shorter poems, but like his longer ones it makes use of rhythm and sound devices to establish musicality.
“Street Music” by Robert Pinsky (2015)
In this filmed performance of Pinsky reading “Street Music,” viewers can understand Pinsky’s aesthetic, which relies on sound devices and musicality to create a poem that is pleasurable to listen to. The performance is set to music, enhancing its musical quality, but Pinsky’s words contain the essence of that music.
The poem uses assonance, consonance, and alliteration to create the mood of being on the street, presumably in Long Branch. The sound devices are more palpable here than in his poem “The Street,” and the poem offers more information about Pinsky’s hometown of Long Branch, New Jersey. It will enhance a reader’s understanding of the place that inspired many of Pinsky’s poems.
Further Literary Resources
“Robert Pinsky: Former Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky discusses the physicality of poetry, its impact on culture, and the intent behind his Favorite Poem Project” by Literary Arts (2001)
In this lecture, recorded in Portland, Pinsky discusses his aesthetic and political views on poetry. Raised in a working-class community of diverse ethnicities in New Jersey, Pinsky is aware that America is uniquely eclectic. He explains that poetry helps people of different backgrounds create a new cultural identity.
This lecture illuminates the philosophy of the speaker, discussing the connection between the people on Rockwell Avenue in “The Street.” It also explains his attention to sound and sound devices in his poems. As Pinsky says, poetry is one of the most “bodily of the arts.”
“Robert Pinsky: America’s Poet” by Lara Ehrlich (2017)
This article explains why Pinsky’s work is important to America. Lara Ehrlich notes he has become so popular that he was referenced on The Simpsons. The article references his book-length poem, “An Explanation of America.” It provides insight into Pinsky’s style and his ethos in poetry as a mode for both personal expression and democratic engagement.
What Pinsky does in “The Street” is emblematic of many of his other poems in that it focuses on combining both the personal and the political, the present-day and the historical.
“Robert Pinsky’s PoemJazz” by PBS (2013)
This video intersperses a recording of Pinsky reading his poem “Jazz” set to jazz music with films of Pinsky showing the recorders his hometown. The video, just under 10 minutes, serves as a valuable introduction to both Pinsky’s poetry and his background. The cuts between poetry and scenes from the interview make clear how Pinsky’s biographical background influences his writing.
