Poetry for Students

Volume 19 101

a Hollywood actor, Reagan’s charisma and strong

will had helped him win the California governor’s

race twice. Anybody who doubted his ability to

compete with big-name politicians for the presi-

dential bid was soon proved wrong, after a memo-

rable debate during the Republican primaries, when

the moderator attempted to shut off Reagan’s mi-

crophone. Reagan’s forceful reply and public dis-

play of strength helped him win over the public.

He ultimately won the presidency against Democ-

ratic incumbent Carter, who tried to blast Reagan

during his campaign by depicting Reagan as a war-

monger. Reagan’s focus on massive amounts of de-

fense funding soon proved that he was, in fact,

interested in arming the United States for potential

war with the Soviet Union. With the help of tough

international allies, like British Prime Minister

Margaret Thatcher, Reagan faced off with the So-

viet Union, placing America on what appeared to

be the path to World War III. Besides talking tough,

Reagan’s image also made him seem to be power-

ful when it came to negotiating with hostile terror-

ists. After his inaugural ceremony in 1981, it was

announced that Iran had agreed to release its Amer-

ican hostages.

Critical Overview

Although there is little criticism on “His Speed and

Strength,” several scholars have outlined charac-

teristic themes and issues in Ostriker’s poetry.

Moreover, Ostriker has written critical books about

poetry, which help illuminate her work. Critic Janet

Ruth Heller in her essay, “Exploring the Depths of

His Speed and Strength

Compare

&

Contrast

• Late 1970s/Early 1980s:Following the Civil
  Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s,
  African Americans and other minorities move
  into positions of political and economic power
  in America.
  Today:While African Americans and other mi-
  norities have made several gains on the path to
  equality, race relations remains a tense issue.
  Following attacks by Middle Eastern terrorists
  on American soil in 2001, hate crimes against
  Americans of Middle Eastern heritage increase.


• Late 1970s/Early 1980s:Following the second
  wave of feminism in the 1960s and 1970s,
  women in some parts of the world have more
  choices on how to live their lives, and many
  try to balance work and family roles. High-
  profile women are recognized in both tradition-
  ally feminine and masculine roles. Mother
  Theresa of Calcutta receives the 1979 Nobel
  Prize for Peace. The same year, Margaret
  Thatcher becomes Europe’s first woman prime
  minister. She is noted for her combative politi-
  cal style.

Today:The current state of the achievements of

feminism is debated. Although women occupy

many power roles traditionally held by men,

such as CEO positions in major companies, oth-

ers choose to become housewives. New studies

indicate that women may experience infertility

problems after their late twenties, prompting

some people to speculate that women may once

again have to choose between career and fam-

ily. During the last half of the Clinton presi-

dency, Madeleine Albright, a female politician

noted for her aggressive political style, becomes

the first American woman to hold the position

of secretary of state.

• Late 1970s/Early 1980s:British Prime Minis-
  ter Margaret Thatcher and American President
  Ronald Reagan join forces in the Cold War
  struggle against communism in general and the
  Soviet Union in particular.
  Today:British Prime Minister Tony Blair and
  American President George W. Bush join forces
  in the struggle against terrorism in general and
  Iraq in particular.

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