Annie An
Linda Janakos
English 2
6th May 2020
The Fall and Rise of Humanity
Introduction
The three related sets of poems on civil rights and civil unrest that moved me the most are “On the Pulse of Morning” by Maya Angelou, “The Revolution will not be Televised” by Gill Scott Heron and the song and poem “Masters of War” as written by Bob Dylan. What is imperative is that the three poems capture the representation of social change. Maya Angelou’s poem “On the Pulse of Morning” because it brought to the fore strong feelings on the historical struggles and inequality that various Americans faced. Further, it moved me the most because it is, on the face of it, bearing a message of hope, courage, diversity, and change that most societies boast of and the resilience of the human spirit to adversity. “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” is a poem and song by Gil Scott-Heron. The song arouses feelings of dilemma about the potential effects of technology, in this case, the television as a conduit of entertainment and its effectiveness in holding power to account exacerbated by the elusive nature of politics and complacency of masses being fed information yet they cannot interrogate it. In as much as the media wielded so much power, it was blind to the inequalities blacks experienced. The song captures the elusive nature of the culture of politics and the failure of the mainstream media to capture the pertinent issues affecting the society truly. “Masters of War” captures the effect of war on people being used by ‘masters of war.” It is important to note that all these poems incorporate literary elements to highlight societal issues and proclaim social change.
First, on the resilience of the human spirit, Angelou incorporates symbolism and personification to capture the human spirit to courageously move forward, filled with hope, and learning lessons from the past. Further, the integration of personification and symbolism of the Rock, Tree, and River, reinforced in me the belief of the symbiotic kind of relationship between human beings and nature in totality. There is a strong linkage to the dark past and the need to forge ahead with better lessons from the past. Angelou writes, “History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, and if faced with courage, Need not be lived again” (Angelou 73). The poem asserts the theme of change that human beings can change for the better across all races despite or differences. There is no distinction as we are all human beings. The poem asserts that in cooperation with nature, “A Rock, A River, and A Tree” (Angelou 1) can lead to the achievement of great things for persons. The Rock is symbolically used and personified, given a voice in the present in interaction with human beings. It challenges persons to have a voice, speak and be heard, and avoid lurking in the shadows “Back and face your distant reality, But seek no haven in my shadow” (Angelou 11). The poem is a good read for others to read it because of its value in inspiring courage and posing a challenge against lurking in the shadows. Further, it makes use of symbolism and personification of things from nature and our surroundings to communicate its themes.
“The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” moved me because it captures the influence of technological innovation on socio-cultural, political, and economic issues. A majority of the metaphors, similes, and the use of symbolism to depict culture illustrated to me the hopelessness and dilemma that society may face as a result of over-reliance on technology leading to them being fed pre-packaged and sanitized information. Media is often described in terms of its being the fourth estate by acting as a platform for holding states accountable by publicizing the public through the scrutiny of wide-ranging social, economic, and political issues bedeviling society. Media shapes public opinion (McMann). Human beings are a complex set of species, and one thing that makes them stand out is their ability to think independently. However, “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” (Scott-Heron) paints a grim picture of a society that may be unresponsive to the societal ills and wrongs surrounding them as they are unlikely to receive the same kind of media attention as the there is too much preoccupation with entertainment. To support this, the quotes to the effect that “The Revolution will not give your mouth sex appeal, The Revolution will not get rid of the nubs, The Revolution will not make you look five pounds” (Scott-Heron 16-17). Summarily, it suggests that the Revolution will not be anything like what the mainstream media streams a majority of the time. For instance, strive towards thinness or strive towards sexual appeal as a popular culture among Americans. Persons must be aware of being fed information hindering independent of thought.
“Masters of War” moved me because it shows how leaders may selfishly use power to harm people that they are ironically supposed to protect. Most of the language used in the text is plain, which indicated to me the hostility of war to the masses while the ‘masters of war’ sat back comfortably. “You put a gun in my hand, you hide from my eyes, and you turn and run farther when the bullets fly” (Dylan 13-14). “You fasten the triggers for the others to fire, then you set back and watch, when the death count gets higher” (Dyan 24-18). The poem conveys deep-seated feelings of anger that are potentially representative of the majority of the population whose “young people’s blood flows out of their bodies and is buried in the mud” (Dylan 30). The anger towards the leaders and masters of war is depicted by the wishful thinking of the poet who wishes to be dead. And to the extent that the author will follow them down to their graveside to ensure that they are gone and buried.
Conclusion
The foregoing poems give a view of civil rights and civil unrest movement and their effects on humanity. From the three, the main themes captured revolve around societal issues like humanity, independence, and the effects of war on people. The common ground is that they all touch on modern-day humanity and the issues affecting them. The poet and the musicians integrate different literary elements to pass the point across. The human race can only move forward if they came together and synergized their efforts. The use of literary terms strengthens the message, and the audience can connect with the theme. Heron captures how the media races down important issues like equality. Important issues are hardly televised. He calls for people to come together and stand up against inequality and corruption. Dylan highlights the prevalence of violence propagated by leaders for their advantage. When internalized, the messages being passed across appreciates the issues affecting humanity and calls for change.
Works cited
Angelou, Maya. On the pulse of morning. Random House Incorporated, 1993.
Dylan, Bob, and Corky Laing. Masters of war. Big Rack Records, 2007.
McCann, Mac. “The Revolution Will Be Analyzed: Breaking Down Gil Scott-Heron’s “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.”
Scott-Heron, Gil. “Revolution Will Not Be Televised.” Блесок-литература и други уметности 36 (2004).