Does Poetry Persuade? And How!

	The ancient Greek philosopher Plato hated the poets because he saw their potential to cause trouble for society. When we really get down to it though, don't philosophers and poets use the same language of expression to share ideas? What makes the rational reasoning of logic any different or more important than imaginative, passionate and creative ideas? In fact, one might even see some of Plato's own works such as “Allegory of the Cave” as pretty poetic in their own right! So, if the question “does poetry persuade?” were asked, certainly one would hear it answered with a resounding “yes!”. Perhaps a more interesting question, is how does it do it?
	As an olive branch to the great Plato, perhaps poetry is more prone to spreading ignorance than other forms of communication. It runs off passionate emotions, and can come naturally and easily to anyone. Howard Zinn gives a good counter argument in his paper “Optimism of Uncertainty” stating “If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember [when] people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act”. Often times all sorts of admirable qualities get overlooked when one can't see past a few bad ones. A single bad apple doesn't always spoil the bunch, and a few off-tune or off-kilter poets pales in comparison to what all poetry generates. Perhaps Plato felt that ancient Greece's problems at the time needed well-thought philosophy and rationale, but if he could look back with us now he'd see all the influence the poets of that age had on history. Poetics, both in writing and real life, is like science in the sense that one must keep working and advancing their understanding in order to apply it. The good examples skillful poets have set for society should act as indicators to look passed failures and work towards a collective improvement. Ultimately humanity needs poets because rational and logical ideas only see their full potential when developed alongside imaginative and emotional ones. Would society really progress if we collectively censored poets, and by extension the ability to speak our minds? What would “society” even represent at that point? What would progress?
	Plato's feared poetic ignorance has been around as long as poetry has, but all ideas start somewhere. Denise Levertov touches on the subtly scientific process of growing emotionally and reconciling past mistakes in her poem “Beginners”. The beginning of her poem reads “We have only begun / To love the Earth”(1-2), showing how even the strongest emotional bonds and expressions have humble beginnings. Levertov goes on to speak about “imagining the fullness of life”(4) and “the hurt we have done to each other that cannot yet be forgiven”(23-24). People aren't always perfect, they make mistakes, and even though some can envision a better world, not everyone can start living in it. Plato is likely in ironic agreement with these ideas as “Allegory of the Cave” outlines similar themes of finding truth and how one must go about sharing it. Maybe some people aren't as well-practiced at communicating and expressing as others, maybe they hurt others in the process too, but we all have a common goal towards happiness. Levertov ends her poem saying “So much is unfolding that must / complete its gesture / so much is in bud.”(28-30), again describing the momentous and natural process of evolution. However, it is a physical gesture that people must follow through with. Plato's “Allegory of the Cave”, in its concluding section, alludes to how the things one says corroborates how they appear to others and vice versa. Angry and ignorant poets are not a danger to snuff out, they are a sign of things being out of harmony and misunderstood. We all should act as examples and help teach others to communicate responsibly, but also cleverly.
	Just as the scientific method, growing and developing emotionally starts with asking the important questions. Poetry is an important tool when it comes to expression and using language to speak our minds and “The Unknown Citizen” by W.H. Auden depicts these ideas in a compelling fashion. In the poem, Auden outlines an archetypal model citizen, emphasizing how the societal systems around this person such as their occupation and insurance policies appear well constructed and in perfect order. However, the poem's end notes that to ask whether the citizen was happy is an absurd question, as they would have spoken up if they were not. Auden would likely agree that making sure people are okay and not alone is just as important as scientific hypotheses and breakthroughs in efficiency. Overall “The Unknown Citizen” relays how individuals can feel unfulfilled if too much energy becomes invested in advancing and adhering to societal systems rather than tending to the needs of the citizens themselves. Generally, a collective's understanding and enjoyment of life has significantly influences how successfully society and civilization advances. Auden's poem ultimately supports the balancing of poetics and logic. The ability to express ourselves or even have others do it for us, is not only therapeutic and stress relieving but an abstract beauty in itself worth keeping in touch with. As “The Unknown Citizen” is a poem after all, it likely agrees with the power poetry holds in allowing people to speak their minds and feel heard. The story's unknown citizen never spoke up, and so their satisfaction or unsatisfactory was never shared. Society is more than systems and order, its members should also thrive happily and poetics works as a perfect counterbalance.
	Now it is true that emotions are transitory and give some people an impulsive nature. While many great songs and melodies belong to prideful and boastful authors, other older sentiments say 'a haughty spirit comes before a fall'. It is true that poetry can cause ignorance to catch on like wildfire, thanks to powerful imagery or a snappy rhythm, but it is a small price to pay for how much emotional depth poetry really gives us. Howard Zinn's paper “Optimism of Uncertainty” actually speaks to the positive effects of how the collective can make a big difference little by little, even if there are failures along the way. Zinn says “Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world. Even when we don’t “win,” there is fun and fulfillment in the fact that we have been involved, with other good people, in something worthwhile. We need hope”. Maybe Plato feared this ability but with how Zinn expanded on hope, surely he'd see how censoring all poets is like closing Pandara's Box too early. Ignorance and bloody disputes are unfortunately a necessary evil that comes with passionate expression as society needs to learn collectively for it to truly improve. How would we work out any intensely brewing conflicts between us if we never spoke our minds and only focused on rational, logical thinking? How would we tell each other how good of a time we're having if we weren't facing any conflicts?
	All these ideas and concepts and poetics are not just that however, and Rich King's 2005 film “Voices in Wartime” is a perfect crystallization of all these ideas coming together in reality, making a huge progressive change. The film covers many events during the American-Vietnam War, one specifically where veteran poets were invited to the White House to support the war. Like “The Unknown Citizen”, the government was out of touch with its citizens as the war poets were actually writing in opposition to the war. As Plato might have done, the White House canceled their invitation to have the poets speak, fearing what consequences it might have on their plans. An opposite mirror image of why poetry is a necessary evil then appears in the form of a passionate and pro-active “Poets Against the War” organization that sprung up from the questionable situation. These ordinary citizens with a love for poetry were given a huge platform to speak their minds and express their feelings about a war they saw as unjust. The idea that Zinn expanded on in his paper about small acts having an avalanche effect was quickly displayed as hundreds of poems and unheard voices from unknown citizens contributed to the movement. It was clear to see that Americans were not in favor of the war or the White Houses' actions and the Poets Against the War movement played an important role in beginning the end of the Vietnam war.
	Poetry's holds great power as a tool, and maybe Plato was a wise man to fear it, but one might see him as even wiser to respect it. Maybe we are “hastening into the sea of non-being”(15-16) as Levertov's poem “Beginners” shares, but the one thing all these poetic works call to the spotlight, is the need for balance. To focus on one side of an issue over another, to feel afraid or unworthy of speaking up, to disregard one's own or anyone's personal needs and problems, is a detrimental imbalance not only to an individual, but to society as whole. Poetry persuades by expressing the personal passions and emotions we all share, it lets us know we aren't alone, that our struggles are valid. It is the glue that holds the people of society together, giving them the power to act collectively for a happier existence. Deep down, as much as he relished the poets, surely Plato saw the glimmer of magnificence that Zinn mentioned at least once. In all his work towards teaching wisdom and bettering society, surely he saw the parallels between poetry and philosophy. Perhaps Plato knew all of this already though, and simply saw it poetic to play the villain!

Work Cited
Plato., Lee, H. and Lane, M. The Republic. London: Penguin, 2007.
Levertov, Denise. Candles in Babylon. New Directions, 1982.
Auden, W. H., and Brian Grimwood. Collected shorter poems, 1927-1957. Folio Society, 2006.
Zinn, Howard. The Optimism Of Uncertainty. Agitate, 2004. https://www.countercurrents.org/us-zinn100904.htm

King, Rick, director. Voices in Wartime. Two Careys Productions LLC, 2005.