The Poetic Cannon; Addressing Social Injustice Poetically: A Comparative Study of Six Poems

Abstract

This paper presents a comparative study of six poems drawn from across Africa and beyond. One of the poems is drawn from the USA and it is meant to provide a comparative element between the predicament of the people of African origin living in Africa and the Negroes in America. The paper seeks to examine the quality of life that the Africans live under the oppressive post-colonial regimes. Indeed the research establishes the irony of African masses who lead lives of abject poverty while the political leaders live in opulence. The particular poems selected include: “Naturally” by Austin Bukenya; “Peasants” by Syl Cheney-Coker; “I am the People, The Mob” by Carl Sandburg “A Song for Ajegunle” by Niyi Osundare; A. J Seymour’s “Tomorrow Belongs to the people” and Micere Githae Mugo’s “Up Here, Down There”. The selection of these poems was based on the comparable element in their subject matter where it was established that the poems sought to address the oppression of the poor masses in society. The ultimate solution that each of these poems proposed is the awakening of the masses through revolutions to redeem themselves from the endemic shackles of oppression. The research thereby proposes that the bane of Africa is not necessary the autocratic leaders but the egocentric, corrupt, inept proletariat class that perpetrates acts of oppression to the masses. It is only in getting rid of these repressive social classes that the African masses can liberate themselves.