Philip Levine, an American poet, was born in 1928 in Detroit, Michigan. Growing up, his parents told him he was Spanish; "Why my parents, both born in a little shtetl in western Russia, would tell me this, I have no idea. But it may have had something to do with the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492." As a youth, Levine faced the anti-Semitism embodied by a local celebrity, the pro-Hitler radio priest Father Coughlin. He was educated at Wayne University, now Wayne State University, and held a series of industrial jobs before he left Detroit. He was an anarchist who claimed that "property is theft" until he bought his first house. He eventually settled in Fresno, California to teach and write. A poet is some one who writes poetry. ... 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Motto: Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus (We Hope For Better Things; It Shall Rise From the Ashes - this motto was adopted after the disastrous 1805 fire that devastated the city) Nickname: The Motor City and Motown Location in Wayne County, Michigan Founded Incorporated July 24, 1701 1815  County Wayne County Mayor... Official language(s) None (English, de-facto) Capital Lansing Largest city Detroit Area  Ranked 11th  - Total 97,990 sq mi (253,793 km²)  - Width 239 miles (385 km)  - Length 491 miles (790 km)  - % water 41. ... 1492 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Hitler redirects here. ... Father Charles Edward Coughlin (October 25, 1891 - October 27, 1979) was a Roman Catholic priest from Royal Oak, Michigan, a priest from Shrine Catholic Church, and one of the first evangelists to preach to a widespread listening audience over the medium of radio during the Great Depression. ... // Introduction and overview Wayne State University, located in Detroit, Michigan, in the citys Cultural Center, part of the larger Midtown area. ... Anarchism is a generic term describing various political philosophies and social movements that advocate the elimination of hierarchy and imposed authority. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ...

Levine's poetry frequently features animals, the factory workers of Detroit and the revolutionaries of the Spanish Civil War. In 1995 he won a Pulitzer Prize for his poetry, one of his many awards. Combatants Second Spanish Republic Foreign volunteers Nationalist Spain Fascist Italy Nazi Germany Commanders Manuel Azaña Francisco Largo Caballero Juan Negrín Francisco Franco The Spanish Civil War, which lasted from July 18, 1936 to April 1, 1939, was a conflict in which the incumbent Second Spanish Republic and political... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The gold medal awarded for Public Service in Journalism The Pulitzer Prize is an American award regarded as the highest honor in print journalism, literary achievements, and musical compositions. ...

Levine's best known poem is probably "They Feed They Lion" (1972). "They" may refer to the rich men who parasitically prey on the honest-working lower class and cynically claim to be helping the downtrodden. On the other hand, "they" may refer to workers who are getting "fed up" and are "lying in wait" for their opportunity to strike back.

Another one of his popular poems is "Animals Are Passing from Our Lives" (1968). Written from the point of view of an unperturbed pig facing slaughter, it mixes human and animal behavior to comical effect. In the swine's opinion, a human about to be butchered would lack his iron control, and would instead "squeal and shit like a new housewife discovering television." The pig may be a symbol for the exploited worker who is unafraid to die since he has nothing else to lose...or it may represent the false machismo espoused by the same worker who is too afraid to rebel.

Some of Levine's other poems include "Belle Isle, 1949," "The Horse," "Rain Downriver," "Saturday Sweeping," "Sweet Will," "What Work Is" and "You Can Have It."

Citations

• Modern American Poetry

External links

• Biography of Philip Levine - looking in detail at his politics and his anarchism