Moral Cosmopolitanism In American Smooth

The Poet Laurent Rita Dove is one of the most important contemporary African American poets who has published nine poem collections so far. In her latest volume American Smooth, with a combination of dancing elements and description of black people’s experience in The First World War, Dove shows her concern on black people’s living conditions, conflicts and fusion of different cultures as an African American poet as well as a cosmopolitan poet. The thesis analyzes moral cosmopolitanism in American Smooth from the perspective of cultural diversity, cultural mutualism and the moral principles and inquiry embodies in it. It also gives an expression to the different attitudes, behaviors and values result from conflicts and fusion of different culture, which leads to a conclusion that illustrates Dove’s cosmopolitan thought and universal morality in the volume.The thesis is divided into the following five chapters. The first chapter is a brief introduction to the poet Rita Dove, the collection of poems American Smooth, the studies that have done abroad and at home and the structure of this thesis.The second part analyzes cultural diversity of cosmopolitanism in American Smooth, including the common value basis of human beings, discrepancy between different cultures and attitudes, relationship between values and cultures. It is the construction of a world where everyone has equal status and their identities are accepted.The third chapter dwells on the interaction between different cultures. On one hand, it talks about the reflecting function of culture, one can introspect and develop better through another culture, on the other hand, one can absorb from and blend with another culture. It focuses on the relationship and communication between different cultures, the way they get along with each other and the call for universal ethics.The fourth chapter is a summary based on the second and the third chapter, concluding moral cosmopolitanism in American Smooth. It illustrates from two aspects, putting Rita Dove in the whole context of African American literature, the first section sums up her cosmopolitan identity and thought. The other section mainly focuses on universal moral principles and shining virtues of human beings.The conclusion gives a summary of the thesis. As an African American poet, Dove’s moral cosmopolitan thought lay emphasis on not only African American culture, but also the whole American culture, western culture around the world as well as interaction and communication between each other. Comments on different attitudes and values manifested by different cultures are conducive to people’s acknowledgements of American culture and history. Furthermore, it can promote different cultures to harmonize with each other and develop together.