The Oppressive Narrative

An Ekphrastic Sonnet

By D. J. ReddallPublished 2 years ago • Updated 2 years ago • 1 min read

René Magritte, "The Submissive Reader," 1928

Many fear the oppressive narrative

The tale as tyrant, irresistible;

Full of directives bold, imperative

Molding minds with its hand, invisible

How meek and malleable are our minds?

Have you imbibed as gospel all you've read?

Narratives appear in myriad kinds

Ought any to elicit squealing dread?

Reading is not mere passive absorption

It always entails interpretation

Our intellects and imaginations

Embrace some things, and many others shun

Stories cannot oppress without our aid

By readers sense or nonsense must be made

I write because my time is limited and my imagination is not.

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