Poets are the not most dangerous citizens of the society.

Poets are the not most dangerous citizens of the society. Throughout the ancient times till the modern period, the poets have been the most influential citizens in a society. The work done by poets, poetry, is a form of art, which can have a potent effect on its readers. It has the ability to manipulate the minds of the people through its magic. This art is so appealing to the ardent readers and listeners, that it can mold their hearts in any particular direction. The poet, with his/her beautiful words and phrases, is able to convince his/her listeners; such is the sweet influence that melody and the rhythm have. Poets arouse our emotions and often provide us with entertainment. While sometimes they can even be the source of moral guidance. Poetry has, in many instances, given hope to people in their tough times. Poets portray the stories of our heroes in such a manner that they become inspiration for generations to come. Poetry is a language of emotions but in no sense is devoid of rationality. There are different types of areas that poets cover in their poetry ranging from love, romance, revolution, ideologies, history, and biographies. There is no limit to the subject of poetry, whatever our human heart and mind can contemplate, is an area of poetry. Some poets as William Shakespeare revive the pictures of a lover in readers mind through amazing metaphors and analogies, at the same time other poets as Wilfred Owen think that the pain and joy of battlefields and wars make a great field of interest. So, looking at the contributions of poets to this world, I insist that, contrary to Plato’s belief, poets are not dangerous citizens of the society because of awakening people for the upbringing of civilization, reducing the complexity of most complex environments to something that is understandable, and giving people hope in their tough times. Poets awake people through their revolutionary poetry and command them to ask for their basic rights and overthrow any illegitimate powers over them. Many such poets have been there transforming power through literature. Many tyrant monarchies have been overthrown because of those poets and their masterpiece work of words. According to the Percy Bysse Shelly, the poetry is utilitarian as it brings civilizations by “awakening and enlarging the mind itself by rendering it receptacle of a thousand unapprehend combinations of thought.”(Shelley). Ayatullah Rouhullah Khumeni, the architect of Iranian revolution, was also a poet apart from being a religious and political figure. He urged the masses to break free from the tyranny of emperor, Muhammad Reza Shah Pahlavi. Similarly, Allama Muhammad Iqbal, the dreamer of Pakistan, also wrote the most influential poems of era. Due to Iqbal’s contributions in the creation of Pakistan; he is called “Spiritual Father of Pakistan’. He is considered one of the most important figure in literature of both Persian and Urdu. He incited the passion among his followers to get rid of external domination. He awakened the Muslims through his poetry and gave them courage to break free from shackles of slavery. He wrote several Poems, among them the most influential are Shikwa Jawab-e-Shikwa and Zarbe Kaleem. He inspired Muslims of subcontinent and gave them direction, ultimately leading them to the creation of Pakistan. Thus Civilizations advance and thrive with the help of poetry (Shelley).Poets through their words, have the ability to change the world for better and to bring about political, social, and spiritual change. Considering the contributions of poets to the society, they render important services to the society and can be useful citizens of state. Poets simplify the complexity of the complicated situations into some lines that are exciting and even understandable, is further explained by a Harvard Business review article showing poetry as a very beneficial skill for the professionals at office and the poets to be very good for business environment. They reason Coleman gives is that businesses often present difficult to comprehend situations for managers and that managers often feel them daunting. Poets have a habit of conceptualizing the environment around them and communicating it. This habit in managers can help them in communication within a business environment. Harman Industries founder Sidney Harman once said “I used to tell my senior staff to get me poets as managers. Poets are our original systems thinkers. They look at our most complex environments and they reduce the complexity to something they begin to understand.”(Coleman). This saying by a successful business founder shows how much he feels is the benefit of poets to the business culture as well. Such managers, who have poetic way of expressing things around them, turn out to be amazing communicators in business presentations and seminars. Apart from better communications skills, reading and writing poetry also gives professionals a creative ability. A business professional Dana expresses the advantage poetry gave her with her interview. Dana says, “As I rose in business … I felt I had an enormous advantage over my colleagues because I had a background in imagination, in language and in literature.”(Coleman). She further explains that businesses not only need people who are good at quantitative side of things, but who can also imagine and look at matters in a different manner; what poets do. Thus, as poets add value to the business environment, their advantage to society is clear in this aspect too. Poetry enlarges the circumference of imagination by replenishing it with thoughts of ever new delight. Poetry strengthens the faculty; the organ of moral nature of man. According to Shelly vies poets are near-divine savior, comparable to Prometheus, who stole divine fire and gave it humans in Greek mythology, and to Christ (Shelley). The stories created by poets give aspiration to detached people. They can relate these stories with themselves thus making them forget their pain in comparison with sufferings of their heroes. Throughout the history, poets remained sources of hope. They align the thoughts of community and raise the voices against the injustice prevailing in the society. The Poets like Maulana Zaffar Ali Khan and several other inspired people of their generation to work by portraying the stories of their great ancestors. Poets because of their visionary power are isolated from other men. They are misunderstood by critics and persecuted by tyrannical governments because of their revolutionary ideas. For example, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, who was a Pakistani intellectual, revolutionary poet, and one of the most celebrated writer of Urdu. He raised voice against social injustice of doctorial government. Due to his revolutionary poetry, he was put in prison. In the end, however, the poet triumphed because of his immortal work, outlasting the tyranny of government, society, religion and continuing to inspire new generations. In any civilization the role of poets can be pivotal. They can take out people from the depth of darkness to glitter of light. There are people who say that poets have very negative effects on the citizens with their skills. They say that poets corrupt the minds of youth and make them go astray. Moreover that, poets are the reasons towards rising of rebellions in the established governments and monarchies. Socrates termed poets as unethical people. Socrates states, "The ones Hesiod and Homer told us, and the other poets too. They surely composed false tales for human beings and used to tell them and still do tell them" (Myths, Stories & Reality). These arguments against poets are to some extent true. What I would reply to these people is that, looking at the small bad aspects of unethically creating tales and stories, they ignore the better implications of poetry and of poets. The advantages of poets that I have mentioned in my arguments clearly outweigh any of their negative aspects. The awakening of people against tyrants, addition of communication and creativity in business professionals, giving hope to people in hard times, what else we can ask of poets. In conclusion, I must say that world has seen very good poets who have contributed in various ways to the sustainability. The poets are not the dangerous people, but are very fruitful, because of their awakening of people against tyrants, addition of skills like creativity and communication in business environment, and giving hope to people in their hard times. Work Citied Shelley, Percy Bysshe "A Defence of Poetry. 1909-14. English Essays: Sidney to Macaulay. The Harvard Classics." A Defence of Poetry. Percy Bysshe Shelley. 1909-14. English Essays: Sidney to Macaulay. The Harvard Classics. Bartleby.com, n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2017. Coleman, John. "The Benefits of Poetry for Professionals." Harvard Business Review. Harvard Business, 07 Aug. 2014. Web. 17 Mar. 2017. ""Myths, Stories & Reality"." "Myths, Stories & Reality". N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2017.