The 20th Century harbored a considerable multitude of good poetry and exceptional artists. Individual conventions varied greatly in style and state of expression. As the general reality of the times became more caustic, poetry and expression grew more unbridled. Denoted by the universal term, "modern," all published creative output from the last 100 years was recognized as unadulterated and "free." Though all 20th Century literature is gathered into the "contemporary" genre, it ranges in style and subject matter more than any other literature from past eras of world history.
             Theodore Roethke was an American growing up in the 1900s. He was born into an uncommonly affluent family. His father owned the largest greenhouse operation in Michigan. He passed his years very close to nature and sorrow. In his adolescent years, his father passed away under the painstaking strain of cancer. He did very well in college thereafter, graduating from the University of Michigan as magna cum laude. He studied law for a semester, quitting later to get a degree in teaching. He was a fervent, brilliant professor at the University of Lafayette, Michigan State, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Washington. He constantly nurtured his love for writing, leading to his first published volume of poetry entitled Open House (1941). This anthology launched his career as a respected artist; he would go on to publish many books of verse, leaving his life with The Far Field (1964). He careened through his short life span on bouts of depreciating mental health and depression.
             The first object of poetry that will be analyzed herein is a short lyrical movement of the three-part poem called "The Storm." It was published in The Collected Poems of Theodore Roethke, released publicly after his death in 1966. The first obvious item of recognition within its flowing verse is its vivid imagery. Roethke puts th...