Tuesday 23 May 2017

World Famous Poets Of Resistance

By Steven Wood


People have been oppressed in different societies throughout history in situations where they had no outlet for their cry. When they feel ignored and restricted in other forms, they turn to poetry to pass a passionate yet concealed message. A good number of poets of resistance have grabbed the mantle and given a voice to the troubles of their society. Here are some of them and their famous verses.

Langston Hughes is a famous social activist and columnist who hailed from Joplin in Missouri. He is famous for leading the Harlem Renaissance from New York City. He has a list of over 15 poetry collections to his name. Among the most famous poems is I Look at the World where he regards the world of the blacks as fenced and thus rallies them to rise up and build the world they envision.

Among the most famous female resistance poets is Maya Angelou. This lady from St. Louis in Missouri is also credited with authoring numerous books and being a memoirist. Because of her contribution and participation in social justice transformation, she has more than 50 honorary degrees. Caged Bird is on of her iconic verses that point at a cry for freedom among the oppressed. She uses the analogy of two birds, one that flies and another that is caged.

The war in Vietnam troubles Denise Levertov that she raises her sole voice against the British government and its engagement there. In her opinion, this is an atrocious act against masses who do not deserve the suffering. She is credited for building powerful images through news casts, conversations and diary entries. The format she adopts in her artistic works is dialogue or engagement between individuals and oppressors, who in this case is the government. She calls upon the world to stop and ponder on what peace means, clearing stating that it is not the absence of war. This message is in the poem Making Peace.

In 1889, Claude McKay, a Harlem Renaissance poet, was born in Jamaica. In his work and life, he gravitated towards communist ideas. He stands our as an accomplished fiction, poetry and non-fiction writer. If We Must Die ranks top among his famous works. It urges people to die nobly through resisting. He describes it as shameful to allow tormentors to celebrate their brutal death.

Margret Walker made entry into the world when she was born in Alabama Birmingham in 1915. She was a member of the African American literature movement that was based in Chicago. Her most famous and award wining verse is For My People where she castigates them for comfort amidst oppression and urges a new generation to rise and fight in order to change the situation.

If there is a clear and simplistic protest poet, it is Hirshfield Jane. The poet and essayist was a pioneer graduate from Princeton University where she was part of the first class that had female students. Among her famous works is Let Them Not Say, a verse warning evil doers that they are being watched and their acts are known to the public.

The beautiful pieces were not meant to drastically change humanity but to awaken the consciousness of masses. It jolted people to action and warned disports that the oppressed subjects were watching. There are more poets who resisted different scenarios and sort to awaken social consciousness through their verses.




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