An Analysis of Chronicling the Life of Destruction, A Major Theme in 20th Century American Literature
Literature, in many ways, acts as a chronicle of human society at a specific place, at a specific point in time. More than being a mode of human expression, literature also acts as a "mirror" to the kind of society and culture that existed in a particular period in history. Take, as an example, the emergence of the Harlem Renaissance culture in the 1960s, a literary genre that emerged out of the prevalent issue of civil rights movement. This genre was characterized by illustrations of oppression, protest against discrimination of black Americans, and glorification of the black Americans' unique African-American heritage. Through this example, it becomes evident that literature is effective in reflecting the "mood" and "feelings" of specific society and culture at a specific point in time (e.g., the black American community and culture during the 1960s).In this paper, an analysis of examples of American literature in the late-20th century is conducted. Looking into the works of Denise Levertov, Rita Dove, and Adrienne Rich, one of the common and major themes depicted in their works is the illustration of the destroyed life-caused by war and social injustice, among others. The paper posits that late 20th century American lit
erature demonstrated suffering and disorder in human society, primarily because war (in any forms) and social injustice continued to prevail and haunt society, even as it progressed economically and socially in the modern period. Thus, 20th century American literature is characterized as a period of restlessness and uncertainty, as each author contemplated what is right and just, and what is wrong and unjust, in the modern human society wherein new ideas, thoughts, and ideologies are rampant and prevalent. The theme of life destruction, or the destruction of humanity's progress, is demonstrated in the following lines: "...we are the half-destroyed instruments/ that once held to a course/the water-eaten log/the fouled compass..." In this imagery, symbols are used to represent humanity and its loss of direction as a result of war and social injustice. "Half-destroyed instruments" and "fouled compass" were used to illustrate how dead or destroyed cultures and societies were once vital elements to humanity that helped it direct towards progress, but with their destruction through war or social injustice, progress of humanity came to a halt. In the poem, Rich's use of imagery and symbolism, pertaining to the shipwreck, effectively highlighted the theme of destruction of life. However, more than anything else, the poem evoked an important meaning implicit in the theme of destruction of life: that, due to life destruction, the destruction of a society or culture led to the 'destruction' of humanity, primarily through the loss of a society/culture that could have contributed to humanity's progress through time. Lastly, looking into Rita Dove's poem, "Daystar," the theme of social injustice is more pronounced
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Approximate Word count = 1159
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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