Beauty Quote by Seamus Heaney
“In a war situation or where violence and injustice are prevalent, poetry is called upon to be something more than a thing of beauty.”
About This Quote
In times of conflict, poetry must serve a purpose beyond aesthetic beauty, addressing social issues.
In simple terms: Poetry must act in war and injustice.
Key Takeaway
Use art to confront injustice.
Themes
art
politics
social justice
Mood
thoughtful
urgent
Type
political
inspirational
When to use this quote
- protests
- education
- media campaigns
Key Concepts
literature
ethics
activism
Questions to Reflect On
- How can poetry stay authentic in conflict?
- What role should artists play in social change?
A Different Perspective
Poetry may be co-opted for propaganda.
![“One of the very first poems I wrote was Docker That fist would drop a hammer on a Catholic and one of the sturdiest was Requiem for the Croppies, written 50 years after 1916 [the year of the Easter Rising]. Being responsible and what it means, what it demands, have indeed preoccupied me maybe too…” quote by Seamus Heaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/5fb/seamus-heaney-1711_being-responsible_one-of-the-very-first-poems-i-wrote-was_181491.jpg)
![“Anything Can Happen is also, incidentally, a poem that arose from teaching. I'd talked about the Horace Ode (I, 34) [on which the poem is based] in a lecture I gave at Harvard in the fall of 2000 entitled Bright Boltsand remembered it after the Twin Towers attack.” quote by Seamus Heaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/2e6/seamus-heaney-1711_anything-can-happen_anything-can-happen-is-also-incidentally_181651.jpg)
