Intro
Props to Canada for giving us Margaret Atwood, whose twisted imagination brought us The Handmaid's Tale, along with all sorts of poems about how the USA should get its nose out of Canada's business. But, good news: it isn't just Uncle Sam who's up in her grill; Atwood has some words for countries overseas, too.
So what's going on in "Notes Towards a Poem that Can Never Be Written"? Isn't it a little ironic that Atwood's using a poem to imagine an "unwritten" poem? Let's jump in and see what she's up to.
Quote
In this country you can say what you like
because no one will listen to you anyway,
it's safe enough, in this country you can try to write
the poem that can never be written,
the poem that invents
nothing and excuses nothing,
because you invent and excuse yourself each day.
Elsewhere, this poem is not invention.
Elsewhere, this poem takes courage.
Elsewhere, this poem must be written
because the poets are already dead.
Analysis
First, let's break this down geographically. The country that Atwood's referring to in her opening lines is Canada. It's no Land of the Free, but it's pretty okay: after all, Atwood isn't too worried that anyone might hurt her or throw her in jail just for writing some poem. In fact, she seems pretty sure that no one's going to pay any attention to it at all. So, wait: maybe Canada isn't so great? Atwood is trying to say some serious stuff here; why isn't anyone listening?
In literary terms, we could say that Atwood is taking on the old-timey role of the poet-prophet here. Cute, huh? Basically, the speaker of this poem wants to say her piece against injustice, but it's clear that she doesn't think she'll be heard. What's interesting is that she recognizes that being ignored also means being safe—something that outspoken women in other parts of the world don't necessarily get to feel.
On the surface, this seems like a great feminist poem. Atwood talks about violence against women, and other forms of oppression too. On top of that, it's clear that her speaker wants to do something to help. But let's take a step back for a second and think about this poem through the lens of postcolonial feminist theory. If we do, we'll notice a big problem.
Remember how in "Under Western Eyes," Chandra Talpade Mohanty warns Western feminists about speaking for women overseas? Let's take a look at what Atwood's doing here. Not only is she using a poem to imagine a "poem that can never be written," she's also implying that the poem can't be written "elsewhere" because there (wherever "there" is), the violence and oppression is just too...well, violent and oppressive!
That's a sad thought for sure, but it's also Really Convenient for Atwood. Now she gets to write the poem that she says couldn't be written somewhere else! So on the one hand: speaking out against injustice. Bully for her. On the other: make sure you don't speak in a way that takes other folks' voices away from them!