281 - Final Project - a.a.

Poetry's Cultural Effect

Since the political discomfort following the Presidential election of 2016,  there has been a rise in the use of poetry to promote social justice. With the accessibility of technology and social media, it is easy to share short poems and spread them across the internet, especially during times when people are longing to identify with feelings of defeat, disappointment, and frustration. In an article from The Atlantic, journalist Megan Garber interviews Poetry magazine's editor, about "the role poems have been playing for people across the political spectrum... and of the role poems might continue to play for us as we move forward" (2). The editor, Don Share, provides deep and uplifting answers, expressing the significant power poetry has during times like these.

Garber asks why poetry is speaking to people now more than it has recently; Share replies that "it's always been speaking to people about the kinds of things they're talking about now, because one of the things poetry is really good at is anticipating things that need discussion" (2). He states that people who write poetry are aware of what is going on in the world around them, and take personal experiences to provide a lens to connect those to the culture. Poets are noble observers. 

The interview does not directly address poetry's discourse of sexual assault or rape culture, but these topics are implied through Garber and Share's discussion of political and social issues. Share says, "...poets are participating in what makes a difference in the world. If you perceive that politics is a way of making a difference, and you engage in it, then you can get something done. And the same can be said of poetry" (5). This statement connects the political context of social issues with poetic discourse. Writing poetry that utilizes themes of social justice and that speaks of sensitive, but crucial, topics can be a deep political statement; politics and literature can be interwoven. After all, language creates culture, and culture creates language.  

Another article from the same time (November 2016), "Verse goes viral: how young feminist writers are reclaiming poetry for the digital age", reflects on the relationship between contemporary poetry and feminist ideals and actions. This movement reigns internationally, as well, from the U.S. to Britain and Australia. Rebecca Slater writes in the article, "They [poets] have looked around at a fractured world - at the issues facing women, queer communities, people of colour or socioeconomic disadvantage - and found new ways to project these concerns through poetry, into the spaces in which they will be noticed and shared" (2). Now, with all awareness deriving from the sexual assault allegations and #MeToo, much of this poetry incorporates themes of sexual abuse, misogyny, and feminism. 

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