Pablo Neruda: The Power of Words from a Figure of Poetic Political Potential
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Authors
Olsen, Megan
Date of Issue
2024
Type
Presentation
Language
en_US
Subject Keywords
Other Titles
Abstract
Pablo Neruda is an internationally recognized poet, accredited especially for his political poetry. His use of poetry to remark on the political environments of Latin America has made his work popular amongst many, in both good and bad ways. This is illustrated in the movie, Neruda, directed by Pablo Larraín, which depicts the story of this controversial poet leadingpoet leading to his desired arrest. Much of this conflict is reflected in his book of poems, canto general. Within this are two poems which specifically demonstrate his strong political stance: los dictadores and La United Fruit Co. This theme of using his artistic status to communicate his political ideas invokes the conversation of political potential in art. Ana María Pérez Rubio explains the rise of the influence of political themes in art, and the power and effect that the use of art can have in political communication. So, I propose the question: what can we learn about the power of words within the works of Neruda? Neruda uses his poetry to present political commentary and critiques of Chilean politics, as demonstrated in his poems, los dictadores and La United Fruit Co, and the power of his works are confirmed in the fear he invokes in the Chilean government, as demonstrated in the Neruda the movie.