The Importance of Historical Context on Literature

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There is a possibility to understand certain pieces of literature outside its historical context; however, it is more beneficial to the reader if they have background knowledge. Taha Muhammad Ali was a Palestinian poet that was born in 1931. He grew up in Saffuriya, Galilee that is located in the Middle East. Ali was self-taught through his readings of classical Arabic literature, American fiction, and English poetry. Ali then proceeded to begin writing poems in the 1970s. He wrote a poem entitled “Meeting at an Airport” that was based of his personal experiences and without knowing his background information and history the reader was unclear of what exactly was meant by this poem. In the poem, “Meeting at an Airport” written by Taha Muhammad Ali, historical context is needed to understand this piece because it emphasizes the theme, the purpose of the poem, and establishes credibility (“Poetry Foundation”).
When a reader grasps a theme throughout any piece of literature they never clearly understand the intent without knowing where the theme came from. The theme that is portrayed ...

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