The Speech of the Speechless in Harrison`s Selected Poems

Abstract

The research tackles the power of language in creating racial conflict. The research tries to prove the importance of self-expression regardless of the means. Everyman should be granted opportunities to express themselves by using any language .There is no main language or minor one. Tony Harrison grants his articulate voice to his tongueless people to convey their suffering. He wants to explain their dilemma for the responsible. He uses dialect in his poetry to reveal the beauty and activity of this language. The research traces Harrison's ` steps in granting his voice to his people to depict their experiences. He wants to make the dumb majority speak through his poems. His voice is granted to the exploited oppressed people of the lower class. He grants them his articulate voice to explain to the prestigious class their untold suffering and marginalization because of nothing, save their modest origin. He mirrors the dilemma of his northern England where he was born. The voice and 'proper English ' turn to be an obsession in Harrison`s poetry.