A Comparative Analysis of Resistance Literature Motifs in Palestinian and Iranian Poetry (A Case Study of Harun Hashim Rashid & Hossain Esrafili)

Resistance literature, which makes up a portion of contemporary literature, is considered among the most important cultural strongholds of committed poets. This approach in the Arab world was introduced gradually when Arabs became aware of the movements formed in Europe in the late nineteenth century. Meanwhile, the Palestinian territories, due to continuous invasions and numerous humanitarian disasters, has always been the focus of many poets and writers. Among these poets, Harun Hashim Rashid can be pointed out, the Palestinian committed and revolutionary poet who has never kept silence in the encounter of problems in his homeland. Also, his writings are placed within resistance poetry. On the other hand, along with Arabic countries, this approach has become increasingly popular among Iranian poets. Hossain Esrafili is among those Iranian poets clearly influenced by the resistance literature. The present study, using the comparative review approach and after briefly reviewing these poets’ lives, has introduced some of the motifs in the resistance literature used in these poets’ works. The obtained results indicate that patriotism, honoring martyrs and their status, call for fighting and resistance against oppressors, etc., are among the motifs used in their poetry, and Rashid’s style, in this regard, is simple and close to public understanding, while that of Esrafili is symbolic and vague.