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Wicked Problems
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More Poetry with Jenny Mitchell
In this course Jenny Mitchell looks at poems exploring “wicked problems”. In the first module, we introduce the concept of wicked problems, and how poetry can be a tool to reflect upon complex global issues. In the second module, we look at Derek Walcott’s poem ‘The Sea is History’. In the third module, we analyse Danez Smith’s poem, ‘alternate names for black boys’. In the fourth module, we examine Michael Rosen’s poem ‘These Are the Hands’ written to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the NHS.
Wicked Problems
In this module, we explore the role of poetry in addressing "wicked problems," focusing on: (i) defining "wicked problems" as complex, ongoing global issues like climate change, poverty, and violence; (ii) using poetry to foster dialogue around well-being, resilience, and community through partnerships with educational and cultural institutions; (iii) challenging perceptions of poetry as elitist and exploring its potential to bridge social divisions; (iv) examining the legacy of British transatlantic enslavement as a root cause of systemic racism and inequality; (v) utilising poetry as a tool for processing and reflecting on complex contemporary issues.
Hello.
00:00:06My name is Jenny Mitchell,
00:00:06and I'm a poet and creative writing facilitator.
00:00:08I'll be talking today about how we can use poetry to create
00:00:11conversations that help us understand
00:00:15difficult contemporary issues,
00:00:18sometimes called wicked problems.
00:00:20These are defined as human made global issues for which there
00:00:22is believed to be no ultimate solution,
00:00:26only mitigating circumstances.
00:00:29In other words, they are problems that humanity will always have to deal with
00:00:31in one form or another.
00:00:35The main wicked problems in the world are considered to be
00:00:38climate crisis, terrorism and global warfare, poverty,
00:00:42homelessness, lack of food and energy supply,
00:00:46healthcare challenges, aging populations,
00:00:50and the need to reform educational systems globally.
00:00:53I would also add violence against women and girls within
00:00:57the home and public spheres.
00:01:00Crime survey for England and Wales reports that almost two
00:01:03million women were subjected to violence in their own homes in
00:01:06twenty twenty two.
00:01:10There are probably many more issues other people would
00:01:11prioritise depending on where they live in
00:01:14the world and how these issues impact them and their communities.
00:01:16I'm really interested in using poetry to look at these issues,
00:01:20especially in partnership with schools, libraries,
00:01:24museums and universities.
00:01:27In doing this, I hope to create positive ways for us to think about
00:01:29well-being, resilience, identity and community.
00:01:33This seems like an urgent matter in a world that appears
00:01:37to be increasingly chaotic.
00:01:40Creativity also feels like the only way for me to have a real
00:01:42sense of agency and empowerment.
00:01:46I'm also interested in how a creative art form like poetry,
00:01:49one that many people consider to be elitist, pretentious,
00:01:53or difficult to understand,
00:01:57can be used to help us relate to each other on a positive
00:01:59level despite all the apparently insurmountable
00:02:01problems facing humanity?
00:02:04Also, can poetry help us heal divisions that are made to
00:02:07exist when it comes to people who are perceived to have
00:02:10different racial identities, religions, or backgrounds.
00:02:13The truth is I don't claim to have any answers,
00:02:17but there are a few questions I'd like to ask.
00:02:20Can poetry help us thrive on an individual level in a world
00:02:23where individuals can feel very isolated?
00:02:27Does poetry have anything enlightening to say about the
00:02:30lives we live now in an age of social media and fast news?
00:02:33And can creative writing help communities across the globe
00:02:38find new directions away from negative paths so that all of
00:02:42us feel more alive and more secure.
00:02:46This may seem a lot to ask from poetry and creative writing,
00:02:49but it's the only tool I have to think about trying to make
00:02:53the world a better place in some small way.
00:02:56In this introduction and the three accompanying modules,
00:03:00I'm going to talk about poetry that aims to examine
00:03:03challenging contemporary issues in what I think is an
00:03:06illuminating and inspiring way.
00:03:10The poets I'll be discussing are Derek Walcott,
00:03:13Danez Smith and Michael Rosen.
00:03:16First of all, it might be helpful to say that as a poet,
00:03:19I'm particularly interested in legacies of British
00:03:23transatlantic enslavement.
00:03:25It's a challenging and emotive history that I believe impacts
00:03:28all levels of contemporary life, especially in Britain,
00:03:32from education to housing, employment,
00:03:35the criminal justice system,
00:03:38finance and intimate relationships.
00:03:40For a more detailed study of enslavement,
00:03:43I'd recommend the work of Doctor Hilary Beckles and James Walven,
00:03:46although there are many other people doing work on this subject.
00:03:51For this talk, I'll say that my research not only informs my writing,
00:03:56but how I see the world.
00:04:00In particular, I believe that most wicked problems are rooted in legacies
00:04:02of economic exploitation,
00:04:06which leads to enormous poverty and abjection.
00:04:08I also personally believe that the legacies of enslavement
00:04:12constitute an unacknowledged wicked problem,
00:04:15one that impacts so many of the clearly recognized problems
00:04:18like poverty, health care and education.
00:04:22To give an example,
00:04:25the COVID pandemic was known to disproportionately impact black
00:04:26people in Britain.
00:04:31This was seen to be due in part to the fact that people of
00:04:32colour are concentrated in low status service industry jobs,
00:04:36where they are forced to have more contact with the general
00:04:41public and are therefore more likely to be at risk.
00:04:43The concentration in service industry jobs is a direct
00:04:47consequence of British transatlantic enslavement,
00:04:51at the abolition of which, in eighteen thirty eight,
00:04:54white enslavers were offered financial compensation
00:04:58believed to have been worth over three hundred billion
00:05:01pounds in today's currency,
00:05:04whilst enslaved people were left penniless and homeless.
00:05:07This then impacted the whole of the Caribbean as the
00:05:10impoverished majority black populations under British
00:05:13domination could not grow into affluent societies.
00:05:17There was, some would argue,
00:05:21a deliberate attempt by the British authorities to
00:05:22impoverish black people at the abolition of enslavement so
00:05:25that we would always be the serving class even when
00:05:29apparently emancipated.
00:05:32This led to an economic situation in the twentieth
00:05:35century and after the second world war in particular,
00:05:38when countless young black people in the Caribbean had no
00:05:41jobs or future prospects.
00:05:44Ambition and loyalty to Britain drummed into these young people
00:05:47by an educational system controlled by white authorities
00:05:51led them to look towards the so called mother country for jobs.
00:05:55They were offered the chance to work and promised a welcome
00:05:59that did not prove entirely forthcoming,
00:06:02as suggested by the Rivers of Blood speech made by Enoch
00:06:05Powell in nineteen sixty eight.
00:06:09He not only predicted a race war,
00:06:11but called for voluntary repatriation of black people to the Caribbean.
00:06:14The racism black people experienced,
00:06:18and continue to experience, in housing,
00:06:21education and the criminal justice system had already led
00:06:23to the creation of the Race Relations Act in nineteen sixty five.
00:06:27But it could be argued that the damage had already been done in
00:06:31terms of trauma and the impact of enforced impoverishment.
00:06:36It's a huge subject,
00:06:40as are all of the wicked problems I've mentioned,
00:06:42and one that brings up great emotional challenges.
00:06:45As such, my only way of being able to process any of it is
00:06:49by using poetry.
00:06:53I'll try to do this in the next module with a poem I think is
00:06:55astonishing and in many ways beyond my limited understanding.
00:06:58
Cite this Lecture
APA style
Mitchell, J. (2024, October 15). More Poetry with Jenny Mitchell - Wicked Problems [Video]. MASSOLIT. https://massolit.io/courses/wicked-problems-with-jenny-mitchell
MLA style
Mitchell, J. "More Poetry with Jenny Mitchell – Wicked Problems." MASSOLIT, uploaded by MASSOLIT, 15 Oct 2024, https://massolit.io/courses/wicked-problems-with-jenny-mitchell