Document Type : Original Article

Author

• Yasaman Ghodsi

unit 7, no.10/12, 25th st, Mansouri st, Shahrara

Abstract

The present article investigates the complex process of witnessing as reflected in the works of contemporary poets who have responded creatively and critically to catastrophic experiences. The poets under consideration—Bob Holman, Cynthia Anderson, and Joanna Carman—together with a number of non-poets who collaborated with Holman in his larger cultural projects, have either directly or indirectly endured the traumatic aftermath of the Cold War in America. Their writings register a shared urgency to articulate suffering, memory, and resilience through poetic expression. The theoretical framework of this study is primarily informed by Dominick LaCapra’s concepts of structural and historical trauma, complemented by Dori Laub’s notion of witnessing, which is treated here as a central determinant in shaping interpretation. Special attention is devoted to LaCapra’s phases of “acting out” and “working through,” which illuminate the poets’ differing strategies of negotiating trauma. By examining a selection of poems within a psychoanalytic context, the article demonstrates how these writers sustain an empathetic bond with their readers, fostering identification with the predicaments of the represented characters and communities.

Keywords

• Acting out, Working through
• War Poetry
• Historical Trauma
• Structural Trauma