Writing and Social Change

I am a firm believer that writing definately has the power to enact social change. You may not realize it on a day to day basis, but some of the most famous pieces of writings in history have dramatically changed the course of our world. Political writings such as the Declaration of Independence have shaped nations and affected each and every person living in them. Religious writings such as the Bible and the Koran became the foundations of cultures around the world. They have created feelings of peace among people, but have also started many wars.

June Jordan's "The Bombing of Baghdad" is an excellent example of writing for social change. She speaks out against a war that she firmly believes is wrong. The poem is full of emotions and Jordan creates vivid images of the chaos of battle and the people being affected by it. She makes the reader feel the pain and the loss that war causes. She makes the reader see that there was no reason for so many lives to be so violently ended. I think that we need to pay more attention to writings like this. Some people may think that writers like Jordan are just "hippies" or that poems like "The Bombing of Baghdad" are just a waste of time, but people can greatly benefit from reading these things. We need to pay attention to writers because, for better or for worse, their words have the power to cause great changes.