Traumatic Experiences in Selected Contemporary Poems by Patricia Smith

                The thesis depicts the traumatic experiences in selected poems by the American contemporary poet Patricia Smith. It investigates the psychological impacts that affect Smith’s poetry. It examines how the language used in Smith’s poems reflects the traumatic experiences that she has been through. The thesis follows Judith Herman's encounter with trauma. According to Herman, after passing a traumatic experience, the traumatized person suffers from posttraumatic stress disorder or PTSD. PTSD folds in three main symptoms hyperarousal, intrusion, and constriction. According to Herman, the survivor starts his recovery journey after a struggling time with traumatic disorders. The recovery process consists of three main stages; establishment of safety, remembrance and mourning, and reconnection. The study demonstrates how the hyperarousal’s symptoms are noticeably mirrored in the language of Smith’s poems. Furthermore, it traces the disturbing intruders that overwhelm Smith’s mind during waking and sleeping time. The thesis determines the state of constriction that controls Smith’s soul as a result of the many racial and traumatic experiences that she passes through. The second part of the study investigates Smith’s journey in getting over her pains and restoring power over herself. The study concludes that Patricia Smith suffers from many traumatic symptoms in most of her poems. She takes deep steps in her recovery journey, but she is still surrounded by the foreshadows of the previous experiences. The study affirms the rule of literature in healing traumatic pain. Therefore, Smith uses her literary tools for retelling her traumatic experiences.