Passive Conformity and Rebellion Expressed Through Political Art

This essay delves into the intricate relationship between art and politics, focusing on how passive rebellion and conformity are expressed through various art forms, particularly literature and poetry. It examines works such as Sophocles' Antigone, Langston Hughes' I, Too, Phillis Wheatley's On Being Brought from Africa to America, and W.H. Auden's The Unknown Citizen, among others, to illustrate how artists use their creations to comment on and influence socio-political landscapes. The analysis highlights the use of literary devices like imagery, symbolism, and satire in these pieces, showcasing how they either reinforce societal norms or subtly challenge the status quo. Ultimately, the essay argues that art serves as a powerful tool for political discourse, reflecting and shaping public opinion through nuanced expressions of conformity and rebellion inspired by the artists' surrounding sociopolitical environment.

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Passive Conformity and Rebellion through Art
Introduction
Politics and arts share a rich, yet startling history. One can confidently validate the
preceding sentiment through an in-depth exploration of various forms of arts since the medieval
time to the present: emphasis on literature and poetry. Most of the pieces written often
demonstrate passive reactions to the sociopolitical environment (the status quo) (Beasley 60).
Ngara (25) affirms such a perspective when he claims that art is a form of political expression.
According to him, any activity that stresses freedom is radically political. This argument is
grounded on the fact that art is inherently political due to its free form and its pursuance of
freedom. The ancient Greek philosopher Plato offers a different opinion regarding the political
nature of art. He claimed that poets could not be part of his Republic since they had the potential
to depict lies as truth (Woodman 34). From both arguments, it is apparent that art and politics go
hand-in-hand. In light of this argument, the present paper explores the way Antiogne, Learning to
Love America, A Supermarket in California, I, Too, One Song, America and Before I Go
represent passive rebellion and conformity are expressed through political art pieces.
For now, it suffices to claim that politics offers a social avenue through which an
individual, a group, or an organization expresses his/her/its position on matters of public
concern. Such a definition decouples politics from the concept of public governance. This broad
perspective is quite relevant considering the fact that politics occurs in almost all levels of the

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society (Woodman, West, and West 2). On the other hand, conformity and rebellion represent the
society’s reaction to the expressed position. For the sake of this argument, the reader is urged to
reflect on the Black Movement prior to the Emancipation period. One can note that the African
Americans were expressing their disdain of the political environment addressing it as ‘the
peculiar institution’.
Various artists (mainly playwrights and poets) including Sophocles, Walt Whitman,
Shakespeare, Emma Lazarus, and Phillis Wheatley have incorporated politics in their works in
pursuit of public discourse. The main theme in all of their works indicates class struggle.
Shakespeare’s plays represented the struggle of the lower casts such as in Othello; Walt
Whitman’s majority of works was on slavery and depicted his abolitionist views. On the other
hand, many politicians Lazarus’ works have quoted and interpreted in defense and in opposition
of racism and anti-slavery. One of the most recent examples could that of James Comey, former
director of FBI, who used one of Lazarus’ poem lines to justify Donald Trump’s comment of
African countries (Hunter). When viewed from this point, art is an effective tool for passive
conformity or rebellion. Why call it passive? The pretentious, elitist, and dynamic use of
language in such pieces often separate them from other tools of political discourse (Micale,
Mark, and Porter 48). Phillis Wheatley’s On Being Brought from Africa to America is quite
illustrious at this point. In a rather spiritual tone, the poet seems to be advocating for the
abduction of Africans for slavery (Wheatley 435). The poem might confuse some people owing
to its support for slavery of Africans but a closer look would prove otherwise. The poet found it
fortunate to be taken to America from her “pagan land” because in that way, the Africans had the
opportunity to voice their opinion. As evident from the last lines of the poem, “Remember,
Christians, Negroes, black as Cain, May be refin’d, and join th’ angelic train”, the poet tried to

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convey the equal ability of the Blacks to be educated and spiritual as are the Christians. A similar
view is expressed by Langston Hughes’ I, Too. He expresses an optimistic view of his future
despite his present predicament as a slave in America. He demonstrates positivity in face of
adversity when he says that he laughs and eats well even when he is asked to eat in the kitchen.
He demonstrates optimism stating that one day he will also “be at the table when company
comes”. Elements of rebellion are evident when he claims that even though he is forced to eat in
the kitchen, he does so with gladness because he knows that the situation would change (Hughes
3). Note that their sociopolitical environment inspired both poets during the creation of the
pieces.
The role of art in politics goes beyond the promotion of conformity. Sophocles’ Antigone
is exemplary. First, it should be understood that this play was written during the ancient Greek
period. Dictatorship was the status quo during this era: the king’s demands always prevailed.
Sophocles’ main protagonist ‘Antigone’ disregards Creon’s order regarding the burial of her
brother Polynices: he is not to be buried due to treason (Sophocles and Woodruff 4). Sophocles
utilizes Antigone’s rebellious act to initiate a passive rebellion on the status quo. Antigone
challenges the government on many occasions as evident from her refusal to bury her brother on
King’s order. Her rebellious attitude stuns the people in the kingdom because their society could
not even think of going against the government during that time. It would be justified to assert
that Sophocles’ intention is to engage his audience in a discussion regarding the need for
rebellion in the absence of justice. The idea to have a female hero who rebels against the
government is in itself rebellious because in that era, even men did not dare oppose the
government. Wystan Hugh Auden’s The Unknown Citizen is an equally radical piece that utilizes
satire and vivid imagery to challenge his audience into action. From his poem, it is evident that

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he has little or no regard of the average life. According to him, it is a life based on social
conformity: he describes an unknown citizen who fails to experience true freedom and happiness
by living in accordance with the social rules (Auden 38). It appears wise to add that this piece
was written in the post-war period: during the emergence of the widely publicized “American
Dream”. This explains why the unknown citizen works tirelessly to attain the acceptable social
status at the expense of his will and happiness. Like Sophocles’ piece, The Unknown Citizen
demonstrates passive rebellion. The piece satirically rebels against the American system where
humans are reduced to some alphanumeric symbols as the sub-title of the poem suggests – “To
JS/07/M/378/, This Marble Monument Is Erected By The State” (Auden).
Conclusion
Art is a free space through which creative individuals express their views on matters of
personal and public concern. This factor has augmented the roles of various forms of arts –
including poetry and literature – in the realm of politics. Playwrights, poets, and other artists
since the beginning of time have utilized their art to influence their audiences’ opinions on
certain political matters. Perhaps, this fact explains why even a great thinker like Plato would be
weary of the influence poetry has on its audience. These pieces use sophisticated styles such as
imagery, symbolism, tone, and abstraction to sway their readers/listeners. The fact that art
possesses this kind of power affirms the idea that it can be used to foster passive conformity
and/or rebellion. On Being Brought to America and I, Too are among the various political poems
that have been written to persuade the audience to accept the reality as it is. Meanwhile, The
Unknown Citizen and Antigone are sophisticated pieces that advocate for rebellion against the
status quo. Regardless of the position the artists assume, it is apparent that art and politics go

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hand-in-hand. After all, most if, not all political pieces are inspired by the artists’ sociopolitical
environment.

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Works Cited:
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Candida-Smith, Richard. Utopia and dissent: Art, poetry, and politics in California. California,
USA: University of California Press, 1996.
Hughes, Langston. The collected poems of Langston Hughes. New York, USA: Vintage, 2010.
Hunter, Walt. "The Story Behind The Poem On The Statue Of Liberty". The Atlantic, 2018,
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statue-of-liberty/550553/. Accessed 14 Dec 2018.
Micale, Mark S., and Roy Porter. Approaching hysteria: Disease and its interpretations.
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Wheatley, Phillis. "On being brought from Africa to America."The Open Anthology of Earlier
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