He was a pacifist, however his intention was never to defeat popular opinion, but simply to include his (Intro. Down in My Heart). This was years before the Vietnam war when American youths took to the streets as peace-makers. This was a time in which much more was to be gained through eloquence.
The experience of these times were difficult to say the least, the work camps deplorable, yet the war was popular, and conscientious objectors were not. C.O.'s were sequestered together in camps across the country working on "alternative service of national importance," which consisted of rural projects, primarily bridges and roads, in the back country (Down in My Heart). These men would create a place where free thinking was developed, practiced, and debated. They would seek alternatives to violence and fight for the right to witness for peace. For Stafford, this was fundamentally a fight for freedom of speech, which in 1941, had a very long road to travel (Poetry Foundation).
In 1948, he would document this experience as part of his MA thesis and began teaching at Lewis & Clark College, where he remained until retirement (Poetry Foundation). He is best known as an important contemporary poet, which is where his true love fell (Intro. Down in My Heart). This essay was published in the spring of 1970, in FIELD No 2, a journal of contemporary poetry and poetics (16). The writing style of Stafford is reminiscent of what his poetry would be known for, simple and affable with a yearning for the surface to be scratched (Poetry Foundation). In this piece, Stafford begins by describing how he has "felt this richness" (17) since he began to write and he would come to live by this great wealth his entire life. When he writes, it is personal, still, calm, peaceful and often dark, like fishing and waiting for a nibble. He demands of himself a freedom, and matters of high standards are forcibly disregarded.
