poetry #1

1.) Charles Bukowski's "The Laughing Heart"

2.) Corporations are almost universally seen as oppressors that do things that the poem condemns, like club people into submission. Advertisements themselves are even submissive in nature.

3.) I don't think the poem and it's context reflect the author's reputation. Bukowski was somewhat of a cynical and harsh writer, not the inspirational leader that the poem depicts in the context of the commercial.

4.) In order to find out the author of the poem, I used Google. I've been reading Charles Bukowski for years and I'm familiar with his reputation and other works, so I didn't need much research.