The Voice of Poetry

Ever since the invention of the written language, words have been used to convey thoughts and emotions to others, often in unique ways. One of the unique ways that is commonly used is poetry. Poets have used rhyme to protest social injustices, to speak of hardships common to all humanity, and many other such things. One prevalent theme is that of violence, either in war or at home.  In America today, violence in all its forms is still present and a huge issue today.

                In his essay, Hammil speaks about how he believes that poetry is a window and in a sense, a cure, to violence in America. He believes that violence is fueled by three different types of people: victims, beaters, and the silent. These three people are all interwoven with each other. The victims are beaten by the beaters, who often used to be victims. The beaters are allowed to perpetuate the violence by the silence of the victim and by those who do not speak up about the matter and just let it be.  However, poetry can be used to speak up about this. To make his point, Hammil speaks about a woman who took his class and when her husband learned that she was learning to express herself through poetry, he killed her “fearing that she would tell the truth.”  This makes a strong point as to what writing can revel about the situation in the world and how it can be eye opening.

                To this end, there is a genre of poems called “poetry of witness.” Most poems of this nature are spoken from the first person about an event. The poet is trying to convey a scene that they have either witnessed (thus the name) or have personally experienced. One such poem is called “The Woman Hanging from the Thirteenth Floor Window.” This poem speaks about a woman who lives near Lake Michigan. It expresses the woman’s despair about how her life turned out, how she feels lonely despite having kids and parents. She is thinking about jumping from the window to her death, and it also speaks of those watching, how some can relate to what she is going through. The poem is an expression of pain and the way things can be in life.  These poems are a way into the soul of others and should be read more closely. If that is done then perhaps the violence that so invades the world can be a little more easily understood and perhaps even absolved.