31 pages • 1 hour read
Frank O'HaraAve Maria
Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1964A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Introduction
“Ave Maria”
- Originally Published: 1964
- Form/Meter: Free verse
- Literary Devices: Enjambment, repetition, dropped line breaks, anaphora, consonance, assonance, colloquialism
- Central Concern: The speaker implores “Mothers of America” to allow their children the pleasure of going to the movies; metaphorically, the poem promotes the benefits of departure from a sheltering homelife for the “darker joys” and lessons of real-world experiences.
- Potential Sensitivity Issues: Christian religious imagery and language; sexual content
Frank O’Hara, Poet
- Bio: 1926-1966; a leader of the New York School of poets; grew up in Grafton, MA intending to be a concert pianist; served in WWII; attended Harvard University where he roomed with writer/artist Edward Gorey and chose writing over music; co-founded Cambridge Poets Theatre; worked for the Museum of Modern Art in New York City; gained recognition and critical acclaim after death
- Other Works: “Ann Arbor Variations” (1951); “Poem [‘Lana Turner has collapsed!’]” (1964); Lunch Poems (1964)
- Awards: National Book Award for Poetry (1972) for The Collected Poems of Frank O’Hara
THEMES
- Family Dynamics
- Freedom Versus Constraint
- Sexuality and Self-Discovery
