Social Commentary in Poetry
You might be surprised to find that the movie Avatar, the novel Animal Farm, and the song “Born in the USA” all have something in common. Each of these works is an example of art used to make social commentary. But what is social commentary?
As the term suggests, it is a comment on society, and not just a comment, but often a criticism. The criticism can be in the form of a comment on societal behavior or human nature, or can refer to a specific situation or trend in an area of the world at a particular point in time. Social commentary is the act of using rhetorical means to provide commentary on issues in a society.
For example, the anti-war songs of many American folk singers in the 1960's were social commentaries. These songs were written to express and communicate the views of the American public about various facets of the Vietnam War, including the US’s participation in the war and the treatment of veterans upon their return home (the latter sentiment is expressed in the lyrics of the Bruce Springsteen song mentioned above).
Exigence In rhetoric, exigence is an issue, problem, or situation that causes or prompts someone to write or speak. The term exigence comes from the Latin word for "demand." It was popularized in rhetorical studies by Lloyd Bitzer in "The Rhetorical Situation" ("Philosophy and Rhetoric," 1968). "In every rhetorical situation," said Bitzer, "there will be at least one controlling exigence which functions as the organizing principle: it specifies the audience to be addressed and the change to be affected."
Here are some of the issues and skills addressed in this unit: understand that people experience injustices understand why and how people take action to address injustice recognize how experiences are shaped by membership in groups defined by race, gender, socioeconomic status, culture, ethnicity, ability recognize how the historical moment and the social context shape experience develop empathy for people whose experiences differ from their own.
An Example of Social Commentary The painting above is an example of social commentary. With this painting, Greuze sought to make a comment on patriotism during wartime. He explores how serving one’s country in battle, a seemingly honorable decision, is not always the right one. This dramatic scene depicts a father who is angry with his son because he has just enlisted in the army, and will leave a family of women and children to struggle with only an elderly, infirm man left to support the household. This painting is a criticism of the social pressure to choose national loyalty over familial responsibilities.
The picture shows a drawing created by the street artist Banksy called "Game Changer" as an appreciation for the NHS and is on display at Southampton General Hospital, in Southampton, Britain.
Types of Social Commentary Social commentary can be direct and literal, or conveyed in a figurative means through symbol, image, and story, leaving the interpretation of the message up to the reader or viewer. A direct form of social commentary can be seen in sermons or political campaign speeches written to appeal to the listener’s sense of morals and justice about a given situation in society. Comedian George Carlin uses a direct method of social commentary, employing humor as a vehicle for his criticisms of religion, government, racial issues and gender politics.
The piece by Chris Jordan is called "Return of the Dinosaurs, 2011." It is six feet tall and based on a painting by John Sibbick. Up close, you can see that Jordan’s version of the image is made up of 240,000 plastic bags, “equal to the estimated number of plastic bags consumed around the world every ten seconds.” The significance of the dinosaur motif then becomes apparent, as it helps Jordan make a comment on global social behavior--un-checked consumption of single-use plastic bags--that is working to the detriment of our environment and could result in our ultimate extinction.
Social commentary can be found in a variety of places, including the music and movies students crave. When we listen to a song or watch a movie, the message being conveyed can be received, understood, and appreciated in ways that go beyond literal comprehension of a story, revealing to them the deliberate “conversation” being made between the artist, and them, the audience.
Social Commentary in Poetry Although the words on the page are silent, you can hear the voice of the poet when you read a poem because of the poetic devices that heighten your consciousness of words and their sounds.
Pithy and powerful, poetry is a popular art form at protests and rallies. From the civil rights and women’s liberation movements to Black Lives Matter, poetry is commanding enough to gather crowds in a city square and compact enough to demand attention on social media. Speaking truth to power remains a crucial role of the poet in the face of political and media rhetoric designed to obscure, manipulate, or worse.
Poems expose grim truths, raise consciousness, and build united fronts. Some insist, as Langston Hughes writes, “That all these walls oppression builds / Will have to go!” Others seek ways to actively “make peace,” as Denise Levertov implores, suggesting that “each act of living” might cultivate collective resistance. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/collections/101581/poems-of-protest-resistance-and-empowerment
Think about ... What can you tell about how the poet feels about the issue he or she addresses? What makes you say that? What do you notice about the language the poet uses to convey his or her message about the social issue? What poetic devices has the poet used? Discuss why the device may have been chosen in each case. Does it help to convey the meaning? Help set the tone? Enhance the emotion of the poem? Or something else?
Voice is the person behind the words that speak out to the audience. Voice is imagery, tone, patterns of sound, rhyme, rhythm, and diction. Voice is the powerful words on a page that form a relationship with you and the writer. Voice is personality and resonance flowing in print. Voice is the writer's lively, powerful words on the page, speaking to the reader to form a relationship.
The voice in the poem can be the voice of the poet, voice of an imaginary person, voice of a personified object, or voice of an abstraction. The voice of the speaker can be lively, inspiring, engaging, emotional, and interesting.
There is no single way to do a close reading of a poem. Sometimes an impression is a way in; sometimes the “voice” in the poem stands out; sometimes it is a matter of knowing the genre of the poem; sometimes groupings of key words, phrases, or images seem to be its most striking elements; and sometimes it takes a while to get any impression whatsoever. The goal, however, is constant: you want to come to a deeper, “closer” understanding of the poem. There are, nonetheless, steps you can take toward this goal—the first being, obviously, to read the poem very carefully—as well as specific elements you can look for and questions you can ask.
Keep in mind that whenever you interpret a poem, it has to be backed up by reference to the poem itself. Remember, too, that no one close reading of a poem has ever “solved” or mastered that poem, and that rereading a poem or passage is often like doing a new reading, inasmuch as more is usually seen with subsequent readings.
Analyzing Poetry TP-CAASSSTT Title Paraphrase Clever Language Attitude Audience Speaker Structure Shifts Title Theme
If thou must love me (Sonnet 14 - 1850) If thou must love me, let it be for nought Except for love's sake only. Do not say I love her for her smile ... her look ... her way Of speaking gently, ... for a trick of thought That falls in well with mine, and certes brought A sense of pleasant ease on such a day'— For these things in themselves, Belovèd, may Be changed, or change for thee,—and love, so wrought, May be unwrought so. Neither love me for Thine own dear pity's wiping my cheeks dry,— A creature might forget to weep, who bore Thy comfort long, and lose thy love thereby! But love me for love's sake, that evermore Thou may'st love on, through love's eternity. By Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Barbie Doll This girlchild was born as usual and presented dolls that did pee-pee and miniature GE stoves and irons and wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy. Then in the magic of puberty, a classmate said: You have a great big nose and fat legs. She was healthy, tested intelligent, possessed strong arms and back, abundant sexual drive and manual dexterity. She went to and fro apologizing. Everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs. She was advised to play coy, exhorted to come on hearty, exercise, diet, smile and wheedle. Her good nature wore out like a fan belt. So she cut off her nose and her legs and offered them up. In the casket displayed on satin she lay with the undertaker's cosmetics painted on, a turned-up putty nose, dressed in a pink and white nightie. Doesn't she look pretty? everyone said. Consummation at last. To every woman a happy ending. By Marge Piercy (1971)
SLAM POETRY: PERFORMANCE POETRY Slam poetry, a form of performance poetry that combines the elements of performance, writing, competition, and audience participation. It is performed at events called poetry slams, or simply slams. The name slam came from how the audience has the power to praise or, sometimes, destroy a poem and from the high-energy performance style of the poets.
The concept of slam poetry originated in the 1980's in Chicago Illinois, when a local poet and construction worker,Marc Kelly Smith, feeling that poetry readings and poetry in general had lost their true passion, had an idea to bring poetry back to the people. He created a weekly poetry event—the poetry slam—where anyone could participate. Poets would perform their work and then be judged by five random audience members on a scale of 0 to 10. Out of the five, the highest and lowest scores were dropped and the three remaining scores were added to give the poet an overall score. Whoever had the highest score at the end of the competition was deemed the winner.
TORONTO POETRY SLAM is a twice-monthly spoken word competition, where the judges vote on each poem presented. Our slam is all ages, meaning anyone of any age can attend or compete/perform on our stage. Our home venue is the Drake Hotel Underground, 1150 Queen St. W. Our next shows are listed at our Showspage on this site. TPS is all about ideas, with one in particular: people sharing poetry for everyone to enjoy. You'll hear pure honesty poured onto the stage, wrapped in an entertaining performance style you won't see anywhere else. Best of all, anyone can slam! http://www.torontopoetryslam.ca/
A one-hour independent documentary that explores how poetry and performance help local spoken word poets express themselves (Ottawa, ON). In Their Words: The Power of Poetry is a documentary by filmmaker Randy Kelly which features local spoken-word artists and their stories. Originally broadcast on CBC Ottawa TV in the Summer of 2017, the film is now streaming on CBC’s online platform. Follow the powerful stories as the poets share their hopes, fears, struggles and dreams for the future by clicking on the link below and scroll down to documentary: https://kingkimbit.ca/videos