War Poetry: A Comparative Study of Selected Poems in Saadi Youssef's and Brian Turner’s Poetry
Abstract
This study aims to conduct a comparative analysis of war poetry in the works of Saadi Youssef and Brian Turner, exploring how their poetry reflects the profound impacts of war on Iraq and its people. The research adopts a qualitative content analysis method, examining four selected poems to uncover the poets' literary traditions and their portrayal of war. Specifically, Youssef's poems "A Tourist Advertisement for Hajj Omran" and "America America" are analyzed alongside Turner's "Here Bullet" and "Soldier's Arabic." The results highlight how Youssef intertwines history with autobiographical details to depict the harsh realities of war in Iraq, while Turner, drawing from his experiences as a soldier, offers a profound critique of war's dehumanizing effects. Both poets utilize their work to challenge simplistic narratives of conflict and emphasize the enduring human cost of warfare.
References
Ahmed Burhan, D. (2020). The interplay of the technique of cinematography in contemporary Iraqi poetry: Saadi Yusuf as a case study (An analytical study in selected models). Dirasat: Human and Social Sciences, 47(3), 16–26.
Al-Dahiyat, B. (2023). Building communities in the works of Joy Harjo and Saadi Youssef. Arab Studies Quarterly, 45(2), 134–153. https://doi.org/10.13169/arabstudquar.45.2.0134
Al-Muqdadi, D. A. B. (2022). The employment of the technique of cinematography in modern poetry: (The Three Rivers) (Saadi Yusuf case study). Dirasat: Human and Social Sciences, 49(5), 252–262. https://doi.org/10.35516/HUM.V49I5.2754
Al-Naseer, Y. (2002, May 31). Iraqi artists: Poet Saadi Youssef. Alhiwar Almutamadin. https://www.ahewar.org/debat/show.art.asp?aid=1513
AlRawashdeh, O. A. S. (2022). Nature as a private symbol: A reading in the poetry of Sa'adi Yousef. Dirasat: Human and Social Sciences, 49(5), 398–418. https://doi.org/10.35516/HUM.V49I5.2744
Bussey, J. (2009). Critical essay on “America, America”. In Poetry for Students (Vol. 29). Gale, Cengage Learning.
Gale Engage Learner. (2009). Poetry for students: Presenting analysis, context, and criticism on commonly studied poetry (Vol. 29). Gale, Cengage Learning.
Ghazoul, F. J. (2003). Spiral of Iraqi memory. Al-Ahram Weekly On-line, (634).
Hamdi, T. (2019). The Arab intellectual and the present moment. Arab Studies Quarterly, 41(1), 59–77. https://doi.org/10.13169/arabstudquar.41.1.0059
McGuire, T. G. (2015). Among the lightning trees: A conversation with Brian Turner. War, Literature & the Arts: An International Journal of the Humanities, 27.
Nasrallah, M. R. (1997). Saadi Youssef’s interview with Mohamed Reda Nasrallah on the “This Is It” program [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZMeqd0V4GE&t=2626s
Simawe, S. A. (1997). The politics and poetics of Sa’di Yusef: The use of the vernacular. Arab Studies Quarterly, 19(4), 10.
Turner, B. (2014). Here, Bullet. Alice James Books.
يوسف، س. (2014). الأعمال الشعرية (Collection of Poetic Works) الجزء الثاني (Vol. 2). دار الجمل.
يوسف، س. (2014). الأعمال الشعرية (Collection of Poetic Works) الجزء الرابع (Vol. 4). دار الجمل.
