Edwin Markham
Edwin Markham: Poet and Social Reformer
Full Name and Common Aliases
Edwin Markham was born Charles Edward Anderson on April 23, 1852, in Oregon City, Oregon Territory. He is commonly known as Edwin Markham.
Birth and Death Dates
April 23, 1852 – March 7, 1940
Nationality and Profession(s)
American poet, educator, and social reformer
Early Life and Background
Edwin Markham was born to a family of modest means. His father, Edward Anderson, was a civil engineer who had migrated from Ireland to the United States in search of better opportunities. Markham's mother, Elizabeth (née Markham), came from a long line of English Quakers. The family moved frequently during Edwin's childhood, settling finally in Oregon City.
Markham's early life was marked by hardship and tragedy. His father died when he was just eight years old, forcing his mother to struggle to make ends meet. Despite these challenges, Markham developed a love for reading and writing, which would eventually become the foundation of his career as a poet.
Major Accomplishments
Markham's life was marked by numerous accomplishments that showcased his dedication to social justice and education. He was a passionate advocate for workers' rights and civil liberties, often using his poetry as a platform to express his views on these issues. Some of his notable achievements include:
Serving as the superintendent of schools in Ukiah, California
Founding the School of Education at Stanford University
Writing influential works such as "The Man with the Hoe" and "Lincoln"
Being awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1937
Notable Works or Actions
Markham's poetry is known for its powerful imagery, nuanced exploration of social issues, and commitment to justice. Some of his notable works include:
The Man with the Hoe (1908) - a poem that explores the struggles of laborers during the Industrial Revolution
Lincoln (1911) - a tribute to President Abraham Lincoln's leadership and vision for a more just society
* The Gate of the Giant (1920) - a collection of poems that reflect Markham's continued commitment to social justice
Impact and Legacy
Markham's impact on American literature and social reform cannot be overstated. His poetry has inspired generations of writers, activists, and educators. He was a pioneer in using art as a tool for social change and continues to influence artists and thinkers today.
Markham's legacy is also reflected in his tireless advocacy for workers' rights, civil liberties, and education. He worked tirelessly throughout his life to create a more just and equitable society, often facing opposition and criticism along the way.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
Edwin Markham is widely quoted and remembered because of his powerful poetry, commitment to social justice, and dedication to education. His words continue to inspire and challenge readers today, offering insights into some of the most pressing issues of our time.
Markham's legacy serves as a reminder that art can be a powerful force for change. His life and work offer a testament to the enduring power of poetry to inspire, educate, and transform individuals and society as a whole.
Quotes by Edwin Markham
Edwin Markham's insights on:
It is doubtless true that men are bad because they are unhappy. If anyone could give them real happiness, the happiness of brotherhood, they would all want to live the true and brotherly life.
In my boyhood, cattle-raising ran almost neck and neck with grain-raising. In my secluded little valley in the Suisun Hills, the rodeo was the most exhilarating spectacle in the round year.
Greed and Gain, grim guardians of the great god Mammon, continually cry in the ears of the poor, 'Give us your little ones!' And forever do the poor push out their little ones at the imperious ukase, feeding the children to a blind Hunger that is never filled.
Spain held the doctrine (and was right in holding it) that every human enterprise should stand on two pillars - the temporal and the spiritual. To depend upon one of these pillars alone is to call down final failure upon any undertaking.
Is it not a grotesque civilization which sends missionaries across the sea to save the souls of the heathen, and yet permits conditions at home that debauch the children at our very doors?
'Custom is the great deadener.' There is no doubt that we of the white race are going on obliviously supporting customs that would seem abhorrent and incredible to a higher and more brotherly civilization.
Every man on the planet should do some physical work: he should help in the bread-labor of mankind. He should also do some of the intellectual work: he should help in the thought-labor of mankind. In a word, every thinker should work, and every worker should think.
Use and beauty - these should be the ends of all human effort. But the competitive struggle swings us away from this high ground and plunges us into a quagmire fight for cheap goods and cheap labor.
Few cities have been more definitely impressed upon the imagination of the world than San Francisco, this gray-hilled city on the peninsula by the hospitable bay, where Saint Francis protects the ships as he protected the birds of Assisi.
Bierce radiates brilliancy, and perhaps no other man of letters ever had a more ready command of condensed expression. For him, each word has its unique place in the peerage of words, and he would not use a word out of place any sooner than he would thrust an ape into a captain's saddle.