Background on Activist Poetry
Poetry allows one to express ideas and experiences through rhythmic language in an artistic fashion, often relying on the experiences of the reader for its interpretation. Poetry offers a form of expression that is not confined to the linear process of exposition, but rather, has, at least at first glance, an allowed freedom of organization. Laurence Perrine, author of "The Nature of Proof in the Interpretation of Poetry," states, "Words in poetry […] have richer meanings than in prose—they may exhibit purposeful ambiguities—but the meanings are still confined to a certain area. (Perrine 1962)" That is not to say that poetry does not require the logic and consistency of intention that a persuasive or expository essay has. Aside from form and function, poetry also taps into the essence of human existence: emotion and experience. T.S. Eliot, a famed author and critic, defines effective poetry as "not a turning loose of emotion, but an escape from emotion; it is not the expression of personality, but an escape from personality (Eliot 1921, 16)." Eliot's interpretation of poetry as a means to free oneself from the confines of one's own inner reality may conflict with other views of what poetry aims to accomplish, but it nonetheless illustrates the power of language over the psyche. This power is derived in part from literary devices and mechanisms such as hyperbole, imagery and alliteration, which are used more sparingly in exposition. It is through these literary devices that, combined with an author's intention, meaningful reactions are shaped.
The reactions stimulated by effective poetry are largely determined by the previous experiences of the reader and the framework in which that reader understands the world. Audre Lorde, an African American poet and writer, states that before the process of reading poetry begins, "We must first examine our feelings for questions, because all the rest has been programmed. We have been taught how to understand, and in terms that will insure not creativity, but the status quo. If we are looking for something which is new and something which is vital, we must look first into the chaos within ourselves (Hammond 1980, 20)." Lorde's claim that examining our own understandings and assertions, while paying special attention to the reason for which we believe the things we do, demonstrates how considering a reader's own background and experience is required if the reader wishes to find personal meaning within a poem. Similarly, June Jordan, an acclaimed poet and social activist, states that the primary function of poetry is to learn to tell your truth by examining what you know and how you feel. Lastly, Laurence Perrine states, "the poem is like an ink blot in a Rorschach personality test. There are no correct or incorrect readings: there are only readings which differ more or less widely from a statistical norm (Perrine 1962)." These three statements illustrate the importance of personal examination when attempting to arrive at a meaningful interpretation of a poem. And thus, through meaningful interpretation, effective poetry has the ability to encourage critical thinking, generate questions, change perception and evoke feeling or action. It is when this feeling or action is intentionally invoked that a poem, which is socially or politically critical in nature, can be considered "Activist Poetry."
Activist Poetry is a term that is used often by socially and politically conscious authors but falls short of having a concrete definition. For the sake of this unit, Activist Poetry will be defined as 'Poetry that brings attention to social or political injustices and aims to encourage action against these social or political injustices through traditional activist methods.' Hence, the essence of Activist Poetry is the hope to create meaningful, positive change in society through inspiration. Audre Lorde states, "Poetry is not only dream and vision; it is the skeleton architecture of our lives. It lays the foundations for a future of change, a bridge across our fears of what has never been before (Lorde 1984, 36)." Also noteworthy is Audre Lorde's paraphrasing of a statement made by June Jordan, which reads: "My function as a poet was to make revolution irresistible (Hammond 1980)." Lorde continues by commenting, "That is the function of us all, as creative artists, to make the truth, as we see it irresistible. That's what I want to do with all of my writing (Hammond 1980)." Activist poetry aims to encourage individuals to take control of their future. Its critique of the varying degrees of social and political injustice that take place in our world helps people of all backgrounds gain insight into circumstances that may have gone unnoticed beforehand. But if 'change through action' is the purpose of Activist Poetry, what makes it an effective vehicle for change, especially in discussion with high school students?
Activist Poetry is an effective vehicle for social and political change because it is an accessible foundation for artistic vision. Before any change is likely to occur, a problem must be identified, one that is perceived to be substantially effective. One way Activist Poetry is useful in that it allows poets to use artistic language to convey an idea in an artistic fashion, communicating a social or political problem in a manner that is attractive. During an Interview with MSNBC's Giacinta Pace, Erica Jong, a poet and activist, argues that poetry and activism essentially compliment one another. She states, "They are a good fit because poetry makes you aware of our human context (Pace 2010)." She continues by stating, "And the more you are made aware of your environment and the issues there, the more you can choose which issues you want to focus on (Pace 2010)."
Secondly, Social Activist poetry forces contemporary issues to the forefront of people's consciousness and, in effect, encourages discussion. June Jordan surmises in an interview with Julie Quiroz-Martinez from Colorlines.com, that "poetry becomes a means for useful dialogue between people who are not only unknown, but mute to each other. It produces a dialogue among people that guards all of us against manipulation by our so-called leaders (Quiroz-Martines 1998)." By prompting dialogue, activist poetry becomes an instrument for the early steps of social change, establishing and spreading a vision, or a solution to a perceived problem. Activist poetry allows the solution of a problem to be presented artistically, and therefore helps a social problem to be seen as less complex and more appealing, consequently compelling its readers to not only become advocates themselves but eventually activists in their own right.
However, encapsulating the beauty and intention of activist poetry, in a manner that sufficiently highlights a social problem in a way that is effective for urban high school students, is a difficult undertaking.
An effective way to teach students about the beauty and intention of activist poetry is through the examination of mood and tone. Mood is defined in poetry as the feelings or emotions that are evoked in the reader by the poem. Conversely, tone expresses the attitude the author has towards the subject or topic of the poem. Tone and mood, being similar in nature, are often mistaken for one another by high school students; both concern the feelings that are evoked through a poem— but one is held by the reader while the other is held by the author. Nevertheless, it is crucial to understand these two elements of poetry as they hold a close relationship with one another.
Understanding and teaching tone is central in poetry interpretation, especially when considering poetry as an expression of social activism. In Laurence Perrine's Introduction to Poetry, Sound and Sense, Perrine states, "tone is the emotional coloring, or the emotional meaning, of the work, and is an extremely important part of the full meaning (Laurence Perrine 1991, 123)." He continues by adding, "We have not really understood a poem unless we have accurately sensed […] its author's attitude (Laurence Perrine 1991, 123)." However, understanding the author's attitude is no easy task. How does a reader really determine how an author feels, without the author present? Perrine says, "The correct determination of tone in literature is a much more delicate matter than it is with spoken language, for we do not have the speaker's voice to guide us." Furthermore, "In text we do not have that luxury and thus, must recognize tone by other means." Perrine correctly asserts that as readers, we must develop a tool or approach in determining the tone of a poem if we are to effectively identify the author's intention. Understanding the author's intention is a vital step in the interpretation of a poem and is most effectively ascertained, aside from source material on the author, through the identification and consideration of a poem's tone.
This unit will attempt to give educators effective strategies, activities and methodology in teaching tone, mood and intention to high school students. This unit entails special consideration of low-skilled readers and writers and ELL students.
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