There are instances in the history of the world where the wishes of the people seem ignored and can only be expressed through art. The leaders of resistance movements choose poetry because of its appeal and its ability to conceal the message to avoid attracting the wrath of oppressors. Certain poets of resistance have risen to the occasion and provided the perfect verses to pass the message.

Langston Hughes was born in Joplin, Missouri and is famous for being a columnist and a social activist. He is a notable figure in the Harlem Renaissance when he was based in New York City. He has over 15 poetry anthologies to his name. His famous poem is I Look at the World. In the poem, he depicts the life of blacks as restricted and fenced. He uses the poem to rally them to rise and create the life and world they have always dreamt about.

Among the most famous female resistance poets is Maya Angelou. This lady from St. Louis in Missouri is also credited with authoring numerous books and being a memoirist. Because of her contribution and participation in social justice transformation, she has more than 50 honorary degrees. Caged Bird is on of her iconic verses that point at a cry for freedom among the oppressed. She uses the analogy of two birds, one that flies and another that is caged.

The war in Vietnam troubles Denise Levertov that she raises her sole voice against the British government and its engagement there. In her opinion, this is an atrocious act against masses who do not deserve the suffering. She is credited for building powerful images through news casts, conversations and diary entries. The format she adopts in her artistic works is dialogue or engagement between individuals and oppressors, who in this case is the government. She calls upon the world to stop and ponder on what peace means, clearing stating that it is not the absence of war. This message is in the poem Making Peace.

In 1889, Claude McKay, a Harlem Renaissance poet, was born in Jamaica. In his work and life, he gravitated towards communist ideas. He stands our as an accomplished fiction, poetry and non-fiction writer. If We Must Die ranks top among his famous works. It urges people to die nobly through resisting. He describes it as shameful to allow tormentors to celebrate their brutal death.

Margret Walker made entry into the world when she was born in Alabama Birmingham in 1915. She was a member of the African American literature movement that was based in Chicago. Her most famous and award wining verse is For My People where she castigates them for comfort amidst oppression and urges a new generation to rise and fight in order to change the situation.

Jane Hirshfield is recognized for her clarity. She is an American essayist and poet born in 1953 and graduated in the pioneer class that included first women from Princeton University. She is recognized for many verses, among them Let Them Not Say. In the poem, she warns evil doers against claiming innocence because their actions are already known.

Protest poems were not designed to cause drastic change in social order. They set to awaken the conscious of oppressed masses into taking action against their wayward behaviors. They sent a message to oppressors that their time was nigh.