Introduction
Literature is an important tool in people’s lives because it plays a central role in connecting individuals with larger truths and societal ideologies. It allows people to document their experiences and thoughts, which are then shared with other individuals, and passed from one generation to another; hence, it is a rich source of learning. World literature transcends national borders to become an important part of the global citizens of the world. Such kind of writing stirs and shapes thinking in the international arena. In most cases, writers are inspired by occurrences in their countries, and thus they seek to address the same within the confines of such borders. However, human experiences are interconnected and people in various parts of the world could be undergoing similar circumstances. Therefore, what starts as a national discourse could become a universal subject, hence the concept of world literature. This paper analyzes five poems – Identity Card by Mahamoud Darwish, Jerusalem by Yehuda Amichai, About Your Hands and Their Lies by Nazim Hikmet, The United Fruit Company by Pablo Neruda, and My Country and My People by Tzu Pheng Lee to discuss the concepts of nationalism and universalism.
Identity Card
Identity Card is a controversial yet chef-d’oeuvre poem by Mahmoud Darwish. This piece of literature embodies the ideals of nationalism with the author decrying the inhumane treatment of Palestinians by the Israeli government. In the late 1940s after the end of World War II, the state of Israel was born, but its birthing process was characterized by the invasion and occupation of Palestinian land. In the opening lines of the poem, the phrases “Write it down!” and “I’m an Arab” are repeated five times to emphasize the poet’s indignation with being treated inhumanely as if he does not deserve basic human dignity. Identity card in this context refers to the Palestinian identification card, which was given by the Israeli authorities as a way of controlling and ostracizing Palestinians. The bearers of the card were not allowed to ride in Israeli cars, walk on Israeli streets, or reside in Israeli cities. The poet underscores nationalistic inclinations when he says, “My roots/Were entrenched before the birth of time/And before the opening of the eras (Darwish, 1964, 22-25). He rightly accuses Israelis of stealing his ancestor’s orchards in this overtly nationalistic diatribe.
Jerusalem
In Jerusalem, the poet, Yehuda Amichai, laments the physical and sociological division of the city of Jerusalem. He says, “We have put up many flags/they have put up many flags./To make us think that they’re happy/To make them think that we’re happy” (Amichai, 1987, 12-15). At the same time, the city is physically divided, it is also full of enmity: “On a roof in the Old City/ laundry hanging in the late afternoon sunlight/ the white sheet of a woman who is my enemy/ the towel of a man who is my enemy” (Amichai, 1987, 1-4). Jerusalem has been a contested city since the Israeli army recaptured the Eastern half of it from Jordan in 1967 following the Six-Day War. Since then, tension characterizes the city of Jerusalem, especially under the Israeli-Palestine long-standing conflict. In this poem, unlike Darwish, Amichai does not insinuate any form of nationalism, but he is concerned that the old city of Jerusalem does not experience the needed peace for people to co-exist and live together as human beings.
About Your Hands and Their Lies
In About Your Hands and Their Lies, Nazim Hikmet, the author, brings out universalism by talking about the suffering of the poor and marginalized masses in Turkey, his homeland, and around the world. He uses alliteration and repeats the phrase “your hands” eleven times throughout the poem to stress the pain that the poor have to go through at the hands of capital owners. Hikmet believed in Marxist ideologies of social justice, and thus he resorted to poetry to express his concerns about capitalism and state power, which have been the driving forces of social injustices in many places around the globe. To emphasize the said suffering, he says, “This world does not rest on oxen’s horns/ this world is carried by your hands/ And men, Oh my men!/ they feed you on lies/ while you are starving/ while what you need is meat and bread” (Hikmet, n.d., 9-14). While capitalism insists on maximizing profits for shareholders, Marxism is concerned with social justice and these universal ideologies stand out clearly in this poem. Instead of rewarding the hardworking poor with food and a good lifestyle, capitalists resort to exploitation tendencies.
United Fruit Company
In the United Fruit Company, Pablo Neruda highlights both themes of nationalism and universalism. Bucheli (2006) argues that the poem “has been considered the quintessential representative of American imperialism in Central America” (p. 1). The United Fruit company enjoyed unbridled privileges in Central America under the protection of authoritarian governments in the region. The poet sarcastically posits, “When the trumpet sounded, it was/ all prepared on the earth/…The Fruit Company, Inc. reserved for itself the most succulent, the central coast of my land, the delicate waist of America” (Neruda, n.d., 1-9). In a nationalistic diatribe, Neruda accuses the company of christening Central American territories ‘banana republics’ and abolishing the independencies, which had been gained by great heroes of the land, and ushered dictatorship. The poem is also universal as the story of the United Fruit Company in Central America is reminiscent of similar occurrences where multinationals continue to exploit natural resources and cheap labor in developing and underdeveloped countries.
My Country and My People
My Country and My People by Tzu Pheng Lee is a 1967 poem about the undefined nationalism of Singaporeans. Imperialism and occupation by different world powers coupled with the short-lived merger with Malaysia left many Singaporeans struggling with the idea of nationalism. The author says, “My country and my people/ are neither here nor there, nor/ in the comfort of my preferences/ if I could even choose” (Tzu Pheng, 1967, 1-4). The collection of different cultures, religions, and societies had watered down the concept of nationalism in Singapore. However, as the poem progresses, the author highlights the indispensable role of nationalism in reclaiming the country’s independence by “cutting down those foreign ‘devils’” (Tzu Pheng, 1967, 14-15). The author uses metaphors, tone, imagery, and personification to underscore her pride in Singapore, which is a sense of nationalism.
Conclusion
World literature goes beyond a country’s boundaries to address transnational issues affecting people in various parts of the world. Some of the poems analyzed in this paper have nationalistic connotations while others embody universalism principles. On the one hand, My Country and My People and Identity Card talk about nationalism. On the other hand, United Fruit Company, About Your Hands and Their Lies, and Jerusalem have elements of universalism based on the different times when and places where each poem was written.
References
Amichai, Y. (1987). Jerusalem. Web.
Bucheli, M. (2006). Good dictator, bad dictator: United Fruit Company and economic nationalism in Central America in the twentieth century. Web.
Darwish, M. (1964). Identity Card. Web.
Hikmet, N. (N.d.). Your Hands and Their Lies. Web.
Neruda, P. (N.d.). The United Fruit Company. Web.
Tzu Pheng, L. (1967). My Country and My People. Web.