A Comparative Study of Poetic Themes in Nazok Malaekah and John Keats

Nazok Malaekah, a prominent Iraqi poet and pioneer of Arabic modern poetry in orient, has produced works influenced by Western thought and literature. Thus, besides interpreting and analyzing Nazok's works, it seems necessary to recognize sources for her inspiration and, further, to examine the degree to and the ways by which she was influenced by them. The Iraqi poet herself once maintained that Shakespeare, Byron, Shelley, Eliot, and Keats had inspired her. This remark has been confirmed by Arab critics as well. Having the French School of comparative literature in view, and adopting a descriptive-analytical approach, this research seeks to examine Nazok's poetry. Further, this study will shed light on her views regarding death and the extent to which John Keats’s poetry shaped them. Keats's and Nazok's beliefs about life and death surpass the emotional level and gain a rational aura, earning both poets professional maturity. The two poets envision death in their poetry, and in this way, they assist their audiences to face this formidable notion. Put differently, both Keats and Nazok exquisitely challenge the traditional significance of death and defamiliarize it through their poetic medium so that they provide more room for discussion and examination in this regard.