The idea of an age before history leads readers to question what history is and who creates it. The speaker identifies the hardships and realities for those trapped in the bottom echelons of a capitalist economic system Acorn begins the poem by stating that they live in a “dark age before history” (1). Milton Acorn’s “Knowing I Live in a Dark Age” is a call to arms in order to create a future that benefits all human life, and not just those with economic and social privilege. Published in Jawbreakers. Contact Press, 1963. Lest he believe in something better than himself: Hesitating to believe his own delicate poems Pale bayonets of grass waving thin on dunes I live like a trapeze artist with a headache, To break the rods and blunt the axes of Rome Keeping their meat alive and fresh.theseĪre marks of foresight, beginnings of wit: Wolves eating a hamstrung calf hind end first, The crows mobbing the blinking, sun-stupid owl Than by the newsie with his dirty pink chapped faceĬalling a shabby poet back for his change. Knowing I live in a dark age before history,Īm less struck by gunfights in the avenues In his hometown of Charlottetown on August 20, 1986, Milton Acorn died of a heart condition. Using strong diction and imagery that stirs the reader’s emotions, Acorn inspires activism. Milton Acorn’s poetry frequently focuses on social injustices, motivating the readership to stand up and fight against inequality. In 1977, Acorn received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Prince Edward Island.
Acorn later won the Governor General’s Award in 1976 for his collection The Island Means Minago. In response to his being overlooked, Acorn was honoured by his peers as the recipient of the Canadian Poet’s Award in 1970, which lead to his title as the “People’s Poet”. In 1969, his collection I’ve Tasted My Blood was published, and though this work was widely acclaimed within the Canadian poetry community, it was overlooked for the 1970 Governor General’s Award. From then on Acorn produced an array of poetry in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal and Charlottetown at different points in his life.
In 1956, while in Montreal, Milton Acorn published his first collection, In Love and Anger. In 1950, Acorn turned his attention solely to poetry he sold his carpentry tools and moved to Montreal in 1951. After his discharge, Acorn found employment in different areas, briefly doing clerical work in Moncton, and also working as a carpenter on PEI. However, his service was short-lived he was discharged for an injury that inflicted inner ear damage and hearing loss as a result of a blast onboard the troopship carrying him to Europe. At the age of 18, Acorn enlisted in the army. James Milton Rhodes Acorn, born on March 30, 1923, in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, was an award winning poet and social justice activist.
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