Literature

What is Social Protest Literature?

Newspapers | Magazines | Novels

Literature can have a profound influence on human thought. In particular, by challenging old ideas and inspiring new ones, literature has the power to change people’s opinions on important social issues and act as the catalyst for reform. (Netzley, 1999)

Two categories of writing are social writing and political writing. In social writing the author is trying to evoke powerful emotions from the reader by putting them into the characters shoes, where as political writing uses arguments that encourage the reader to think logically (Netzley). There is an immense volume of work under the social protest literature genre. Newspapers, magazines, and novels are all mediums that have been used by authors to fight for changes in society. The fight for social change begins when protest literature stirs up powerful emotions. These powerful emotions lead to both sympathy for the oppressed group or individual and a desire to help improve that person or individual’s lot in life.

For although writers in North and South America, Africa, Europe, Asia, and other parts of the world, from ancient times to the present, have had different visions of how to solve social problems, they have all wanted the same basic things for humanity: freedom, justice, equality, dignity, and a social system that supports them. (Netzley, 1999)

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