Beginning of Essay
In his poem, "The Day Lady Died", Frank O'Hara refrains from using all the conventional patterns of elegiac poetry. Instead of the common reflection of grief, utilizing tragic laments and a recount of greatness now gone, O'Hara's seemingly ordinary poem very subt ....

Middle of Essay
.... event of the day. He does not even mention the deceased until the 25th line, and he never states her name (except for the clever reversal of her nickname in the title). Billie Holiday, or Lady Day as she was called, is one of those luminous characters in history whose name alone evokes greatness. She is the embodiment of the bittersweet American success story. Rising to stardom after an impoverished Southern childhood, she was plagued by both drug addiction and the slow loss of her famed voice. She was prohibited from singing in bars after she being arrested for heroin use. Holiday affected O'Hara, with his keen fascination with all things ....