Adrienne Rich and the Function of Poetry

For our first week, we're reading Adrienne Rich's early work, her essay "When We Dead Awaken," plus T.S. Eliot's "Tradition and Individual Talent," and an essay by Joseph Harrington with the provocative title "Why American Poetry is not American Literature." Drawing from these readings, we'll comment on Rich's poems and what we feel is the function of poetry: what is poetry for, how does it serve a public (or not serve a public), and how do Rich's poems succeed or fail in this respect? Contributors will please post their responses by Sunday at noon, each creating a new post with a new headline.