ماڵی کتێبی کوردی
An Analysis of Sherko Bekas’s Poem ‘Freedom’ with a Focus on Content Analysis
Jafar Ghahramany
Abstract
Critical poetry is a type of poetry in which the poet analyzes the social, political, and cultural conditions of a specific period and uses poetic language to express the problems existing in society. The poem Freedom is an example of this kind of poetry, in which Sherko employs various symbols and imagery to criticize the political situation of his time. This study examines Sherko’s poem “Freedom” through a content analysis approach. In this poem, freedom is introduced as an unattainable ideal that is ignored by the Baath regime. The homeland is depicted as a place of death, turned into a morgue and a coffin. These images reflect the crisis of national and cultural identity in Kurdistan, which has been emptied of its true meaning due to war, social corruption, repression, and betrayal by internal opponents. It becomes clear that the poet’s homeland, instead of being a place of life, progress, and pride, is a site of death and burial. These images portray a negative space of Kurdistan’s political situation, evoking mental and emotional conflict in the reader. The emphasis on the concepts of “freedom and homeland” not only highlights the distortion and depth of the freedom crisis in Kurdistan but also painfully reminds the reader that conditions remain unchanged and freedom continues to be under constant pressure. Therefore, this poem is significant in two respects: first, as a critique of the political situation and the lack of freedom, and second, as an effort to raise awareness and awaken society. This reading concludes that the poet expresses his despair regarding the conditions of “freedom and homeland” through rhetorical questions. These interrogative statements are not aimed at finding answers but rather at revealing a bitter truth and creating hopelessness about the current situation of “freedom and homeland”. In this poem, everything revolves around death, violence, and oppression.
Keywords: Sherko Bekas; Content Analysis; Symbolism; Freedom.
