Neruda Poetry Analysis
Pablo Neruda’s Viente Poemas de Amor y una Cancion Desperada is an emotional collection of poems that explores infatuation, passion and final separation that comes with love. Additionally, as a political activist in a time of rapid social change, Neruda was influenced by his context and his passion for social justice and equality. The metaphor of life represented by Neruda’s constructed mythical landscape serves to convey his understanding of existence but also his relation to nature and to his childhood.
Neruda as a political activist was determined to channel his passions for social justice into his poetic collections. In his early years Neruda was influenced heavily by the socio-political context of Chile and more broadly, the situation in Latin America. The 1920s was a period defined by political upheaval and social reforms. Divisions between social classes, regionalism, the role of the Catholicism and the pertaining Spanish and British colonial influence all were significant issues that caused conflict and unrest. It was a time when political activism and ideology was strong; Neruda was one such political activist. As result of this era, his poetry incorporates many lyrical, personal and political dimensions. He understood the necessity of writing poetry to be accessible, particularly to the lower class, and it is for this reason he wrote in the language of everyday life. Neruda’s voice is the voice of the working class, the voice of peasants and factory workers, of ordinary people whose perspectives were often ignored. This expression and use of language was highly influential in spreading his views on social justice and equality. It is even evident that elements of Neruda’s socialistic ideologies have permeated into today’s collective consciousness. However, he was also aware of the need to break past linguistic habits. Neruda argued that that it was traditional conventions in writing that could be used to incite domination by external powers, as
Neruda as a political activist was determined to channel his passions for social justice into his poetic collections. In his early years Neruda was influenced heavily by the socio-political context of Chile and more broadly, the situation in Latin America. The 1920s was a period defined by political upheaval and social reforms. Divisions between social classes, regionalism, the role of the Catholicism and the pertaining Spanish and British colonial influence all were significant issues that caused conflict and unrest. It was a time when political activism and ideology was strong; Neruda was one such political activist. As result of this era, his poetry incorporates many lyrical, personal and political dimensions. He understood the necessity of writing poetry to be accessible, particularly to the lower class, and it is for this reason he wrote in the language of everyday life. Neruda’s voice is the voice of the working class, the voice of peasants and factory workers, of ordinary people whose perspectives were often ignored. This expression and use of language was highly influential in spreading his views on social justice and equality. It is even evident that elements of Neruda’s socialistic ideologies have permeated into today’s collective consciousness. However, he was also aware of the need to break past linguistic habits. Neruda argued that that it was traditional conventions in writing that could be used to incite domination by external powers, as