Introduction
"A poet's work is to name the unnamable, to point at frauds, to take sides, start arguments, shape the world, and stop it from going to sleep." -Salman Rushdie
This quote, written by Salman Rushdie, sums up my belief surrounding the purpose of socially critical poetry. As an educator who grew up as an artist in the poverty stricken neighborhoods of Long Beach, California, listening to the calls to action by many of the underground punk rock groups of the late 1980's and early 1990's, I can easily relate to the notion that poetry, and other forms of literature, can be used as vehicles for self expression and social progress. I remember hearing Greg Graffin— front-man in the punk rock band Bad Religion, and frequent guest lecturer in the University of California system— singing lines such as "You are the government, you are jurisprudence, you are the volition, you are jurisdiction, and I make a difference, too (Religion 1988)" and feeling like I could someday change the world, or a world, just as music had changed mine.
By the time I finished High School I really began understanding the power of song, and by extension, poetry. I realized that poetry had the power to inspire thought, to evoke feeling and to and encourage action. Furthermore, music and poetry gave me a common platform with my colleagues and friends. This common platform became a strong foundation for social and political dialogue; many of my colleagues had similar— but often differing— views about the world in which we live. Nevertheless, there was always room to grow and ask questions about why society is constructed as it is, and just as importantly, why my own frame of reference is constructed the way it is.
This progression towards self-reflection eventually led to my own attempts at composition. I soon picked up a guitar and began my life-long ascent into songwriting. Initially I sang about superficial topics, but as I matured and exposed myself to authors and musicians with more substance, I soon found myself writing music with the intention of exposing conflict and increasing awareness around social issues.
It could be argued that my journey into teaching followed the same logic. As a child, I was enamored with the wealth of knowledge and the command of a classroom my teachers had. They were a symbol of authority, advocates who had the ability to present seemingly colorless information as rich and vibrant. Similarly to my own relationship with music and poetry, they showed me how to use the English language as a tool to evoke emotion in my own writing.
Years later, as a 9 th and 10 th grade English and Social Studies teacher who continues to compose music and strives to broaden my own understanding of the world around me, I have learned to appreciate poetry as a means of self-expression. However, before students can appreciate poetry in this regard, they must first understand the significance of poetry as a mode of expression, the notion of activist poetry, and finally its utility.
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