I started under my master, Etienne Decroux, who taught me a new grammar for mime he called statuary mime. This grammar brings style creations. Without it, no art survives.
Marcel MarceauRead
I am often asked why I started to write poetry. The answer is that my motivation sprang from a visceral need to creatively articulate the experiences of the black youth of my generation, coming of age in a racist society.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects the author's deep-seated desire to express and articulate the experiences of black youth in a racist society through poetry.
Linton Kwesi Johnson explains that his inspiration to write poetry comes from a profound need to voice the struggles and realities faced by black youth during his formative years. He emphasizes that his artistic expression is not merely a creative choice, but a necessary response to the societal challenges imposed by racism, highlighting the intersection of art and social consciousness.
Themes
PoetryRacismBlack YouthArtistic ExpressionIdentity
In practice
Example use cases
During a poetry reading at a local community center, you can use this quote to emphasize the importance of art in addressing societal issues.
Similar quotes
Oh, I'm impressed with Lorraine Hansberry. She was a genius at whose feet I could sit.
Ruby DeeRead
It is only by drawing often, drawing everything, drawing incessantly, that one fine day you discover to your surprise that you have rendered something in its true character.
Camille PissarroRead
The very essence of the creative is its novelty, and hence we have no standard by which to judge it.
Carl RogersRead
I have always kept one end in view, namely ... to conduct a well-regulated church music to the honour of God.
Johann Sebastian BachRead
The poet never asks for admiration; he wants to be believed.
Jean CocteauRead