Author type: Poet
Abstract idea: Depression
Exiled to Solitude
Anguish
is a concept few can fathom,
internal
wounds concealed from the eye.
Jolts
of pain may trigger a spasm,
yet
none will ever question why.
Disregarded
as a phase of sorrow,
the
warnings seldom draw attention.
They
say the ache is gone tomorrow;
a
theory produced by incomprehension.
The
worst of threats need not be rare,
underestimation
is commonly applied.
The
pysche is split in two by despair,
like
the case of Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde.
Woes
are hidden behind illusions,
a
missleading smile and pretended joy.
Many
are deceived by such delusions,
the
grief will no one else annoy.
Clinical
depression is a serious matter,
a
parasitic menace embedded in the brain.
Mental
resilience will break and shatter,
for
it to feed on the prey till nothing remain.
The
menace does not yield to force of will,
a
host is not mired in negativity by choice.
Subjected
to a void that nothing can fill,
repressed
by a condescending inner voice.
Look
in the mirror, the image is distorted,
morphed
to reveal a hideous creature.
This
is he who will never be courted,
devoid
of any attractive feature.
Sleepless
nights and no motivation,
no
hope, no joy, no self-esteem.
Drained
from years of deprivation,
this
is he who no salvation can redeem.
Reflection: This poem is engineered to invoke a sense of empathy among the readers, exploiting the subjective voice to provide insight in correspondence with the anguish suffered by victims of Depression and attempting to augment the level of comprehension. If the concept of Depression was processed with the author function of a prophet, there would have been a stronger focus on societal adversities which harbor the potential to induce the mental ailment, enabling the assessment of whether or not it will become a more common phenomenon to encounter in the future. Statistics may or may not be incorporated to increase the level of credibility and render the text more capable to persuade the readers.
The poem is effective in evoking the empathy you list as a desired reader-influence or persuasion. Esp. the last stanza with the mirror-imagery is evocative.
ReplyDeleteThe reflection is a little odd, if indeed you only wanted to compare the poet and the prophet function. I've never really heard of a prophet using statistics! But if you are just comparing persuasion techniques, the argument is valid. Persuasion can be achieved in many different ways. Classical rhetoric talks about ethos, pathos and logos as the three main ways. Your poem uses mainly pathos. A prophet would perhaps mix ethos and pathos. Statistics would fall under logos.
Truth be told, I did harbor a lack of confidence in the comparison of the poet and the prophet, as I was not entirely certain what features a prophet from contemporary times would have acquired. With that said, I suspect that I got some of the terms a little mixed up in the process. You are quite correct, however, and not least in the fact that we have a great deal of pathos embedded in this poem. It is indeed engineered to wake a sense of insight and empathy for people such as these who suffer in silence.
ReplyDeleteA prophet using statistics... the more I think about it, the more hilarious it sounds. One can always depend on me to come up with the most controversial and contradictory perceptions.