Al-Jawahiri, political poetry, influence and persuasion, poetic struggle

Abstract

The argumentative dimension in the political discourse of Muhammad Mahdi Al-Jawahiri constitutes one of the core foundations that distinguish his poetic experience. His poetry transcends aesthetic expression to fulfill a persuasive function, aiming to influence the audience and guide collective consciousness toward the concerns and crises of the nation.

Al-Jawahiri's political discourse emerges from a critical vision of the socio-political reality. Through this vision, he employs argumentative mechanisms as tools to present issues, refute opposing stances, and construct intellectual and ideological legitimacy in opposition to tyranny, repression, and corruption. Argumentation in his poetry is manifested through various rhetorical strategies such as antithesis, repetition, rhetorical interrogation, and the invocation of historical and religious symbols—techniques that confer an epistemic depth to his discourse and enhance its credibility in the eyes of the audience.

The political discourse in Al-Jawahiri's poetry is characterized by multiple functional features, most notably: inciting awareness and resistance, exposing the contradictions between official rhetoric and political practice, and advocating for the values of freedom, justice, and human dignity. His argumentative strategy relies on three fundamental components: the establishment of ethos through his position as a committed poet and organic intellectual; the stimulation of pathos via emotive language and rhetorical imagery; and the appeal to logos through the citation of historical events and factual evidence.

Thus, the argumentative discourse in Al-Jawahiri’s poetry is not merely an expression of protest, but rather a poetic and intellectual project that seeks to interrogate reality and deconstruct authoritarian structures. This renders his poetry a literary document imbued with political consciousness and a critique of power articulated from the position of the resistant intellectual.