How Did Amiri Baraka Influenced America

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Men such as Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X stand out as men who greatly influenced America’s history by fighting for equality and civil rights; however, Amiri Baraka, a man who was notorious for influencing people is seldom mentioned. His works created unity within the African-American community--especially that in the Manhattan area. Baraka was largely influenced by Charles Olson, O’Hara, Ginsberg, and Malcolm X, allowing Baraka to write freely about his stance on the current civil rights situation. Baraka took control of his future by fighting the lack of justice with words. Just like Malcolm X, he believed in the heavy use of propaganda, conversely, Baraka used no violence as he believed that his words were his weapons. In addition to the civil-rights activist he had influenced over the years with his poetry, he also gave light to a new form of poetry using a free-verse…show more content…
With this he influenced the writing of August Wilson and numerous other poets using this style to express their feelings and opinions. In addition to the style of poetry, Wilson admired Baraka’s political activism in his poems, along with Malcolm X and several other civil-rights activists. As Scoller describes his journey of poetry, he notes, “In his early poetry, there was an engaging voice, one outside convention, and awareness of forms. These things have been lost in the haste and rigidity of Baraka’s political journey.”. However, his later poems are well criticized as demonstrated by Kessler, saying, “his poetry becomes more overtly propagandistic”. Amiri Baraka’s works, compelling, graphic, and often comical, served as propaganda during the Civil Rights movement in the United States of America during
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