The Power of Art
by John F. Kennedy
[Listen to Audio!]
Strength takes many forms, and the most obvious forms are not always the most significant. The men who create power make an indispensable contribution to the Nation’s greatness, but the men who question power make a contribution just as indispensable, especially when that questioning is disinterested, for they determine whether we use power or power uses us. […]
Robert Frost coupled poetry and power, for he saw poetry as the means of saving power from itself. When power leads men towards arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations. When power narrows the areas of man’s concern, poetry reminds him of the richness and diversity of his existence. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses. For art establishes the basic human truth which must serve as the touchstone of our judgment.
The artist, however faithful to his personal vision of reality, becomes the last champion of the individual mind and sensibility against an intrusive society and an officious state… In pursuing his perceptions of reality, he must often sail against the currents of his time. This is not a popular role.
If sometimes our great artist have been the most critical of our society, it is because their sensitivity and their concern for justice, which must motivate any true artist, makes him aware that our Nation falls short of its highest potential. I see little of more importance to the future of our country and our civilization than full recognition of the place of the artist.
If art is to nourish the roots of our culture, society must set the artist free to follow his vision wherever it takes him. We must never forget that art is not a form of propaganda; it is a form of truth… In free society art is not a weapon and it does not belong to the spheres of polemic and ideology. Artists are not engineers of the soul. It may be different elsewhere. But democratic society — in it, the highest duty of the writer, the composer, the artist is to remain true to himself and to let the chips fall where they may. In serving his vision of the truth, the artist best serves his nation. And the nation which disdains the mission of art invites the fate of Robert Frost’s hired man, the fate of having "nothing to look backward to with pride, and nothing to look forward to with hope."
About the Author: US President John F. Kennedy’s remarks at Amherst College.
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The Power of Art
How do you relate to the author’s notion that the highest duty of an artist is to remain true to oneself and let the chips fall where they may? Can you share a personal story of a time you were true to yourself through your art? What helps you recognize your own artistic potential and honor it? |
| Kristin Pedemonti wrote: wow, the timing is perfect as I fly out to Burning Man today! ❤ The highest duty of an artist is to remain true to oneself means to me to have the courage and integrity to speak, paint, dan… |
| Jagdish P Dave wrote: The Sanskrit word for the poet is arshadrushta- one who has a clear sight and has a clear vision of the future. It is like seeing through the “third eye”. She lives in the present, knows the do… |
| david doane wrote: I don’t know if it’s true or not, but I once heard it credited to activist Dan Berrigan that he said when tyrants took over a country, the first thing they did was cut off the fingers of the poets.&n… |
| Sara wrote: Poetry as a refuge for inner reflection. The reflections arising from this reading are related to a dimension of power only accessible through the indulgence of poetry. Envisioning the reality … |
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