A Comparative Study of Prominent Contemporary Western and Arabic Critics on Poet and Poetry

In some critical and literary associations, it is believed that a poet's poetic taste necessarily reveals his wide knowledge and deep understanding of the world around him. Such judgment of the poet prevents critical views on his poetries. However, if the poet has great ambitions and imaginations, this does not mean that he possesses higher perception and understandings than others in exploring the truth and its interpretations; or he has associations with the unseen world. Since the poet holds a different perspective towards the phenomena of his surroundings, he expresses his internal understandings in the form of new and stimulating words and phrases. Meanwhile, if the poet has a broader treasure of science and religion within him and has reached higher thoughts, higher concepts and themes can be traced in his poetry. Thus, the talent of processing poetry, catharsis of the spirit and the development of his personality provide the grounds to reach the truth. The deep and stable effect of the poet's system of thoughts on language and culture should not be taken as a compulsive effect on his thoughts and place in the society. When the poet's thoughts and approach taken from his theological and social ideas, becomes richer, and wider, the greater effect it will have on the mental development of literary and popular culture; this is followed by the growth of the public cultural awareness. According to the results of this comparative - analytical approach, it can be understood that Western literary Schools advocate mainly advocate the neutrality of the poems and focus on its artistic structure. This leads to depletion of poetry of human and religious concepts. However, in the Arab literary society, despite the impression of these Schools, we can see the spirit of sublime concepts which is the result of the poet's deep relation with the Universe; this can be seen while maintaining the identity and thought-provoking aspects of their poems.