Archibald Macliesh

INTRODUCTION

• The life and work of Archibald Macliesh had many interesting characteristics. He grew up in Illinois with his mother and father. As a young adult, he married Ada Hitchcock. In his later years, he was appointed as librarian of congress and wrote many poems. Archibald also wrote a wonderful poem, The Eternity, but of course it has its downsides.

CHILDHOOD

• Archibald Macliesh was born May 7, 1892 in Glencoe, Illinois. He grew up on an estate bordering Lake Michigan. "His dad, Andrew Macliesh, worked as a dry goods merchant."(http://en.wike) His mom, Martha Hillard, was a college professor and served as the President of Rockford College. His father never spent much time with Archibald, and when he did, he didn’t particularly enjoy it. He spent most of his childhood outside and alone. He attended Hotchkiss School from 1907 to 1911 before enrolling in Yale University. There he excelled in English. He then was selected for Phi Beta Kappa, and elected for the Skull and Bones society. He then entered Harvard Law School and became editor of the Harvard Law Review.

EARLY ADULT YEARS

• Archibald Macliesh became and American poet, dramatist, and critic. Though he felt an obligation to society, he thought that he could pay his debt simply by creating poetry. In 1916 he married Ada Hitchcock. He joined the United States Army in 1917. In WWI, he served as an ambulance driver. He then served France as a field artillery officer. During the summer of 1918, he took part in the second battle of Marne. Upon his return to the U.S., he resumed his studies at Harvard Law School. He graduated Law school in 1919. In 1923, Macliesh gave up his career and decided to tour Europe. During this period he published several books of poetry including The Happy Marriage (1924); The Pot Of Earth (1925); Streets in the Moon (1926); The Hamlet of A. Macliesh (1928); and New Found Land (1930). In 1928, he returned to America. From 1930 to 1938 he worked as a writer and editor for Fortune Magazine. While writing for this magazine, he became increasingly politically active, especially with anti-fascist causes.

LATER ADULT YEARS

• Macliesh joined the league for independent political action in 1935. The group gave alternatives to a capitalist system they thought to be cruel. On August 22, 1936 Macliesh wrote an article for New Masses in which he begged the U.S, government to support the republicans in the Spanish Civil War. He took an interest in World Affairs and Fall of the City (1937), a radio play about the growth of Fascism in Europe. "In 1939, President Roosevelt decided to appoint Macliesh as librarian of congress."(http://spart) During WWII, Macliesh wrote for the New Republic. He was also head of the office of facts and figures. This is how he got into conflict with J. Edgar Hoover, who tried to stop him employing left wing people like Malcolm Cowley. Hoover knew Cowley was associated with many liberal and communist groups. Macliesh was unaware that he was under investigation by Hoover and the F.B.I. The agency was intrigued by his involvement with The League of American Writers and other anti-Fascist groups in the U.S. and his pro-Russian stance after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. His F.B.I. file became just shy of 600 pages, longer than any other writer in the U.S. In January 1942, Macliesh replied that the F.B.I. agents needed a course in history. He said “Don’t you think it would be a good thing if all investigators could be made to understand that liberalism is not only a crime, but actually the attitude of the president of the U.S. and the greater part of his administration?” In November 1944 President Roosevelt appointed Macliesh as his Assistant Secretary of State and public affairs. Right wing members of the senate complained about the appointment of Macliesh. His main task was to support the idea of United Nations to the American people. However, the job did not last long as Harvey Truman decided not to reappoint him after the death of Roosevelt in 1945. Despite coming under increasing pressure, Macliesh defended his left wing friends during the McCarthyism era. In 1949, Macliesh was appointed as Professor of Rhetoric and Oratory at Harvard University. Later books by Macliesh include “Poetry and Journalism” (1948), “Poetry and Experience (1961), “The Collected Poetry of A. Macliesh” (1963), “The Dialogues of A. Macliesh and Mark V. Doren” (1964), “The Wild Old Wicked Man and Other Poems” (1968), “The Human Season” (1972), and “Raiders On Earth” (1978). During this time period he said "A man who lives, not by what he loves but what he hates, is a sick man"(http://www.brain) He died in Boston

on April 20, 1982, aged 89.

POEM COMMENTARY ON “THE ETERNITY”

• There is no dusk to be, There is no dawn to come(Great. A wonderful and catchy opening sentence. I like his use of words

and punctuation) Only now, and now,And the wind in the grass(Why 2 nows? These lines don’t make much sense.)Days

I remember of Now in my heart, are now;(this was a hard concept to grasp, but once I did it made perfect sense.)Days

that I dream will bloom White the peach bough(I kind of get this, but they are confusing lines)Dying shall never be Now in the

windy grass;(this is an understandable and simple sentence, yet very positively affecting.)Now under the shaken leaves Death never was(Death never was? at the time, he wasn’t dead yet,

and nor were his readers. This makes no sense and in now way

concludes the poem.)

CONCLUSION

• Archibald Macliesh in many ways was a great man. As a child he was neglected by his father and spent most of his time alone. During his early adult years he married Ada Hitchcock and served in the military. During his later adult years, he was appointed as Librarian of Congress and came under investigation by Hoover and the F.B.I. He wrote an amazing poem called the Eternity, but there is still some room for criticism.

AUTHORS PAGE

• I like TV shows of all sorts. My favorite TV shows that are not cartoons are Zack and Cody; The Suite Life on Deck, Saturday Night Live, and ICARLY. Some of my favorite cartoons include Chowder, Sponge Bob, Flapjack, and Beyblade Metal Fusion. I also like video games. I play them on my friends XBOX 360. I like playing video games because they are fun and entertaining. They are good for relaxing. I usually play them as a reward for doing my homework. I also like skateboarding. It is a fun and entertaining sport that began in the 1930′s and 1940s. Kids attached roller skates to a wooden plank, but at this stage they really could not be called skateboards. I also have a Youtube account. I have 39 videos and 6 subscribers. My username is

sage333445oad and my password is *********.

WORKS CITED

• 1.http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAmacleish.htm• 2.http://en.wikipedia,org/wiki/Archibald_MacLeish• 3.http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/a/

archibald_macleish.html

MY OWN POEM

• Charity The BeachSince my beloved chambered me

8I love the beach and sandy shore

To beat within her breast6

Sun shining down to earth

And took my soul to light a shrine8

I love the ocean with the birds

Her soul had decked and dressed6 There shrieks are all around

And caught my songs about her throat 8I love the salty waters spray

Dissected, known, and confessed7

It licks my face, cools my day

I dwell within her charity8

I love the cool air and warm sun

A half-unwelcome guest6

It warms my heart and soul

TranslationThe earth, still heavy and warm with afternoon,Dazed by the moon:

The earth, tormented with the moon’s light,Wandering in the night:

La, La, The moon is a lovely thing to see—The moon is an agony.

Full moon, moon rise, the old old painOf brightness in dilated eyes,

The ache of stillElbows leaning on the narrow sill,

Of motionless cold hands upon the wetMarble of the parapet,

Of open eyelids of a child behindThe crooked glimmer of the windown blind,

Of sliding faint remindful squaresAcross the lamplight on the rocking-chairs:

Why do we stand so lateStiff fingers on the moonlit gate?

Why do we standTo watch so long the fall of moonlight on the sand?

What is it we cannot recall?

Tormented by the moon’s lightThe earth turns maundering through the night.

The ground, still wet and warm from noonThe ground, still wet and warm from noonCovered in moonlightCovered in moonlight

The ground, covered in the moons lightThe ground, covered in the moons lightLost in the nightLost in the night

La, la, the moon is fun to watchLa, la, the moon is fun to watchThe moon is a distractionThe moon is a distraction

Full moon, moon rise, the old sightFull moon, moon rise, the old sightOf light in open eyesOf light in open eyes

The awkward silenceThe awkward silenceElbows on the window edgeElbows on the window edge

Of still cold hands upon the wetOf still cold hands upon the wetMarble of the window ledgeMarble of the window ledge

Of open eyes of a kid behindOf open eyes of a kid behindThe light coming through the blindThe light coming through the blind

Of sliding faint, remindful tilesOf sliding faint, remindful tilesAcross the desk light on the chairAcross the desk light on the chair

Why do we stay up so late?Why do we stay up so late?Cold fingers opening the moonlit gateCold fingers opening the moonlit gate

Why do we stay upWhy do we stay upTo watch the moonlight on the shoreTo watch the moonlight on the shore

What is it we cannot remember?What is it we cannot remember?

Glazed in the moon lightGlazed in the moon lightThe ground turns running through the nightThe ground turns running through the night