Alienation in the poetry of Lamia Abbas Amara

Abstract

This research examines a significant literary phenomenon: alienation and the manifestations of homeland and longing for it in the poetry of Lamia Abbas Amara. It considers this alienation as one of her profound psychological and emotional poetic experiences, deeply intertwined with the political and social transformations surrounding her environment. The research seeks to uncover the relationship between the poet's environment and alienation, as well as the reflection of this relationship in her poetic structure and artistic imagery. Alienation appears as a feeling of detachment from self, environment, and homeland. This detachment is a product of wars, forced displacement, and emigration.

The research focuses on one particular form of alienation in Amara's work: alienation from one's homeland. It traces its various manifestations, including images of father, mother, and son; the city of Baghdad; and the home of her childhood. The homeland becomes an emotional space embodying all the meanings of longing, yearning, security, and belonging. The research also highlighted the presence of the Iraqi environment with its diverse natural and cultural elements, such as rivers, alleyways, the local dialect, and palm trees. Through these elements, Amara reclaimed her beautiful past to confront harshness and alienation.

The research further clarified Amara's poetic imagery, revealing that it was not merely artistic embellishment but rather a tool for expressing her psychological anxieties and spiritual brokenness. She blended feelings of sadness and longing, invoking memories, family figures, and places that resonated deeply with her, to form an emotional equivalent to the loss of her homeland and identity. The research concluded that Amara's poetic experience in employing the theme of alienation contributed to deepening her humanistic vision. She made her homeland a symbol of her self and existence, and longing a means of resistance, reflecting her sense of loneliness in exile.