Voice for the Oppressed: A Comparative Study of the Poetry of Kazi Nazrul Islam and Faiz Ahmed Faiz

Abstract

Subalterns, the palpable fuel of society’s power structure, are always marginalized by the tormentors from the corridors of power. The oppressors use their life force to make them oppressed. One of the main tasks of literature is to reveal the truth of society. Kazi Nazrul Islam and Faiz Ahmed Faiz, two prominent revolutionary poets in the Indian subcontinent, spoke on behalf of the masses but in two different languages (Bengali and Urdu). Their poems still carry considerable importance in the context of contemporaneity. The exploitation of the power-centric society and resistance of the subaltern have come alive through their poetry. The poets undertaken for the present research consistently speak out against ethnic violence and political exploitation in their verses. The words for the wretched are always uttered in their voice. They have portrayed the misery of the marginalized people and suggested the way of achieving true freedom. Their poems transcend their time because of the universality of their contents and themes. Their poems intrinsically support subaltern studies worldwide. This study aims to compare Kazi Nazrul Islam and Faiz Ahmed Faiz on the grounds of their concerns for the subaltern and their resistance infusing with three theoretical concepts, subaltern, power, theory of resistance. The study will further focus on how the two poets with their similarities have depicted the marginalized voice of the subalterns.