"Words as Bullets", Poetry as a Veritable Tool for Social Criticism and Reformation: A Study of Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo's Heart Songs and Waiting for Dawn

Abstract

Poetry is one of the genres of literature and has over the years found its bestapplication and usage as a weapon, a tool for criticism with which poets mock and satirize societal actions, values and attitudes in the hopes of correcting and instilling in the people the right and ethical moral values which in no small measure will institute a more harmonious, idyllic and tension free society as well as engineer a more appreciable peaceful coexistence among individuals in society. This in turn will lead to a high degree of productivity and growth in all spheres of human endeavor. Typical of every society is the presence of all forms of vices, problems and evil peculiar to the society which militate against her growth. Writers have continued to use the gains of literature to decry all forms of evil and dehumanizing practices as a way of fulfilling their calling and duty to society as writers. This paper examined how poetry, a peculiar genre of literature, serves as a weapon for social criticism and reformation in the quest to free and purge the society of certain forms of vices and evils which militate against her peace and highly expected progress. The study selected the two collections of poetry by Akachi Adimora Ezeigbo Heart Songs and Waiting for Dawn respectively. How the poet blended and weaved her lines of poetry; harnessed her fountain of poetic ingenuity to criticize, satirize and mock with the hope of reforming her society and her visions of a new future as a prophetic poet is the crux of the study.