Poetry is the Lifeblood of Rebellion, Revolution and Raising of Consciousness

“Poetry is the lifeblood of rebellion, revolution, and raising of consciousness” through these words, Alice Walker highlights the key idea of revolution, rebellions, and awareness occurring through the art of poetry. Throughout history, many protests and rallies have been embodied through poems due to the unwavering meaningfulness and power of them. Protest poetry has become a popular way in which people can express their thoughts, beliefs, and ideas. But the question I want to raise is why? Why has protest poetry become so popular in society?

Protest poetry has been seen through things such as the #BlackLivesMatter campaign, women's liberation movements, civil rights movements, protests in the middle east, and even 2 centuries ago during the romantic era. Protest poems expose ugly truths, raise awareness and build united fronts. They call out and talk back to inhumane forces that threaten from above. They are cries against wrongs that need to be set right.

During the end of the 18th century, the era of romanticism began. Romanticism, a response against industrialism and its tendency towards sameness and urbanization, saw romantic poets expressing their ideology through protest poems. The romantics felt that the industrial revolution was ruining nature and was inhumane in the sense that it drove countless people to poverty and led to children working in dangerous, and sometimes life-threatening situations. They believed that the industrialization and modernization of the world were unnatural and hoped to stop it. One of the most prominent romantic poets at the time was William Wordsworth. William Wordsworth is often thought to be the first Romantic poet or ‘the father of the Romantics’. Through his estimated 387 poems, he raised many controversial issues present at the time, some of which include the benefits and wonders of nature, the power of the human mind and its individuality, and the innocence of childhood. In one of his most renowned poems, The World is Too Much With Us, William refers to the increasing society saw in selfishness and immorality as they became more distanced from nature. The connection between mankind and nature was slowly withering away and through this poem, William blames industrialization for replacing such an important connection with materialism.

More recently in the early 1900s, a poem of a Tunisian poet sparked a revolution in his home country which then spread to Egypt and even inspired protests all across the middle east. Abu Al-Qasim Al-Shabi, the poet, wrote “will to live” while Tunisia struggled due to french colonization. He captured the emotions of the Tunisian people and their cries for democracy. “If, one day, the people will to live

Then fate must obey

Darkness must dissipate

And the chain must give way” This is only a snippet of his poem translated to English but these few lines from his powerful poem were memorized by countless people in the Arab world. These lines were heard and seen everywhere, through the protesters chanting on the streets, on shirts and banners being sold and a Lebanese news outlet even used these lines to sign off a broadcast which announced the expulsion of the Tunisian president. This display of the influence poetry can have on countries caught in conflict is what makes it such an important factor in many people's everyday lives.

Our society needs protest poetry. It opens up unseen pathways to a better future, expands the horizons of those who lose hope, and is the ultimate turning point when faced with conflict. It is the lifeblood of rebellion. Revolution. And the raising of consciousness.