A Philosophical and Comparative Critical Study

By Alexis Mantas

Alexis Mantas writes on contemporary literature, philosophy, and poetry. Their work explores themes of freedom, identity, and existential thought.

Memory, beauty, and the silent voice of poetry. 

Abstract

This article offers an in-depth critical analysis of a poem by Vasiliki V. Pappa included in the anthology On the Princess' Shores (Akakia Publications, London, 2021), co-authored with Tasos Byzantios. The study examines the poem as an existential manifesto that interrogates social conformity, imposed identity, and the illusion of freedom. Through close textual reading and philosophical interpretation, the paper explores the poem's construction of freedom as an ontological demand rather than a political abstraction. Furthermore, the article situates Pappa's work within a broader poetic genealogy, identifying significant affinities with modern Greek and international poets such as Tasos Livaditis, Nikos Karouzos, Manolis Anagnostakis, Allen Ginsberg, Rainer Maria Rilke, and Paul Éluard. The analysis argues that Pappa's poetry belongs to the tradition of prophetic and insurgent writing, where language functions as an instrument of existential awakening and ethical rupture.

Poem by Vasiliki Pappas

Non - Freedom

Non Freedom Behind the mask of priggishness

your lack of freedom is hidden 

Confined in a life of limits 

That others have imposed on you 

Considering yourself a judge of everything... 

Look for a while and search! 

Destroy everything and build your own world. 

Your own true world... 

And not the one imposed on you... 

Until when will you live in a lie? 

Life is in humility,

in beauty, in freedom. 

Until when will you hide 

in a world of illusion and non-freedom? 

Search and destroy... 

Only them will you know what freedom means. 

Love is freedom..

Humility is freedom...

Beauty is freedom..

Don't be afraid to become crazy 

Don't be afraid to become a poet. 

Don't be afraid to join the club of the few.. 

Translation in English: Aliki Naka

1. Introduction

The poem under examination, authored by Vasiliki V. Pappa and published in On the Princess' Shores (London: Akakia Publications, 2021), emerges as a striking example of contemporary philosophical poetry. Rather than adopting a purely lyrical or aesthetic orientation, Pappa's work engages directly with fundamental questions of freedom, identity, and authenticity. The poem confronts the reader with an uncompromising critique of social conformity and psychological self-deception, urging a radical reconfiguration of the self.

This study approaches the poem not merely as an isolated literary artifact but as part of a broader existential and ethical discourse. It argues that Pappa's poetic voice operates in the lineage of writers who perceive poetry as an intervention into life, rather than a representation of it. The poem functions as a call to awakening, challenging inherited structures of meaning and demanding personal responsibility for the construction of one's own world.

2. Theoretical Framework: Freedom, Authenticity, and Existential Responsibility

The conceptual framework of this analysis draws primarily from existential philosophy, critical social theory, and humanistic ethics. In existential thought, particularly in the works of Jean-Paul Sartre and Søren Kierkegaard, freedom is not a privilege but a burden—a condition that demands choice and accountability. Authenticity, in this context, involves the rejection of "bad faith," the denial of one's own freedom through conformity and self-deception.

Simultaneously, the poem can be read through the lens of critical theory, especially the notion that social norms are internalized forms of control. Michel Foucault's understanding of power as diffuse and productive, rather than merely repressive, is particularly relevant. The subject is not simply oppressed but shaped, disciplined, and normalized.

Finally, the poem's ethical dimension aligns with humanistic traditions that link freedom to love, humility, and beauty. This ethical humanism resists nihilism and affirms the intrinsic dignity of the human being, even in the act of rebellion.

3. Textual Analysis: Masks, Illusion, and the Architecture of Non-Freedom

The poem opens with a powerful image:

"Behind the mask of priggishnee
your lack of freedom is hidden."

This establishes a fundamental dichotomy between appearance and essence. The "mask of propriety" symbolizes social performance, moral respectability, and cultural compliance. It is not merely an external façade but an internalized structure. The individual is not only constrained by society but participates in their own confinement.

The subsequent lines reinforce this:

"Confined in a life of limits
That others have imposed on you."

Here, the source of limitation is both external and anonymous. The poem does not identify a specific oppressor; instead, it gestures toward a diffuse network of expectations, traditions, and unexamined norms. This ambiguity is significant, as it mirrors the reality of social power: rarely singular, often invisible, and deeply internalized.

The question:

"Until when will you live in a lie?"

functions as an ethical provocation. It is not merely rhetorical but accusatory. The reader is confronted with their own complicity in maintaining illusion. The poem thus refuses the comfort of victimhood. Freedom, in Pappa's vision, begins with self-recognition.

4. The Rhetoric of Rupture: Imperative Voice and Existential Command

One of the most distinctive features of the poem is its sustained use of the imperative:

"Look for a while and search!"
"Destroy everything and build your own world."

This rhetorical strategy transforms the poem into a performative act. The speaker does not describe freedom; she commands it. This aligns the poem with the tradition of prophetic and revolutionary discourse, where language is intended to provoke action rather than contemplation.

The call to "destroy everything" is not nihilistic but strategic. It targets the structures of illusion, not existence itself. What must be destroyed are false identities, inherited narratives, and internalized limits. Only then can an authentic world be built.

Philosophically, this reflects a Nietzschean impulse toward self-creation. Meaning is not discovered; it is forged. The individual is called to become an artist of their own existence.

5. Freedom Reimagined: Love, Humility, and Beauty

A crucial conceptual shift occurs in the lines:

"Love is freedom…
Humility is freedom…
Beauty is freedom…"

Here, freedom is redefined in ethical and aesthetic terms. This is not the freedom of domination or isolation, but of connection, openness, and vulnerability. The poem thus resists the reduction of freedom to mere autonomy. Instead, it presents freedom as relational and humanistic.

This move is significant. It prevents the poem from collapsing into pure anarchism. Destruction is not the final aim; ethical reconstruction is. Love, humility, and beauty become the foundations of the new world the poem urges the reader to build.

6. Madness, Poetry, and the Figure of the Outsider

The concluding lines are particularly revealing:

"Don't be afraid to become crazy
Don't be afraid to become a poet.
Don't be afraid to join the club of the few."

Here, madness and poetry are aligned as forms of resistance. The poet is positioned as an outsider, someone who refuses normalization. This reflects a long literary tradition in which the poet is a visionary, a heretic, or a madman.

The "club of the few" suggests that authenticity is rare. It is not a mass condition but an existential choice that carries social cost. The poem thus acknowledges the loneliness of freedom. To be free is to be exposed.

7. Poetic Affiliations and Elective Affinities

7.1. Modern Greek Poetry

Vasiliki V. Pappa's work shows strong affinities with the late Tasos Livaditis, particularly in its exposure of illusion and its metaphysical urgency. Like Livaditis, Pappa treats poetry as a site of revelation rather than consolation.

She also aligns with Nikos Karouzos in her radical rejection of normalization. Karouzos' ontological rebellion finds a clear echo in Pappa's call to destroy the given world. Both poets view the existing order as incompatible with truth.

Manolis Anagnostakis' existential severity is likewise present. Pappa shares his refusal to flatter the reader and his commitment to ethical honesty. There is no sentimentality in her critique.

7.2. International Poets

The Beat Generation, particularly Allen Ginsberg, provides a clear parallel in the reclamation of madness and the poet as dissident. The exhortation to embrace madness and poetry resonates strongly with Beat ideology.

Rainer Maria Rilke's influence is evident in the emphasis on solitude and the courage to live authentically. The idea that few are willing to undertake this path is deeply Rilkean.

Paul Éluard's humanistic surrealism is reflected in the equation of freedom with love and beauty. Pappa's revolution is grounded in compassion, not violence.

Even Charles Bukowski, despite stylistic differences, shares with Pappa a contempt for social hypocrisy and the "respectable" life. However, Pappa retains a metaphysical horizon that distinguishes her from Bukowski's cynicism.

Philosophically, Friedrich Nietzsche stands as a crucial parallel. The call for self-creation, the rejection of herd morality, and the demand for value-creation are all profoundly Nietzschean.

8. Synthesis: Pappa's Position in Contemporary Poetry

From this analysis, it becomes clear that Vasiliki V. Pappa belongs to the lineage of poets who treat poetry as an existential act. She is not concerned with ornamentation or aesthetic play. Her natural territory is the domain of prophetic, philosophical, and insurgent writing.

Her work operates at the intersection of:

- existential philosophy,

- ethical humanism, and

- social critique.

She writes not to decorate reality but to disturb it. Her poem does not seek to be admired but to be obeyed.

9. Conclusion

The poem from On the Princess' Shores stands as a powerful statement of existential rebellion. It challenges social conformity, exposes illusion, and demands the radical reconstruction of the self. Through its imperative rhetoric, ethical vision, and philosophical depth, it positions freedom not as a right but as a task.

By situating Pappa's work within the traditions of Livaditis, Karouzos, Ginsberg, Rilke, and Éluard, we recognize her as part of a serious and demanding lineage. Her poetry participates in a long struggle within literature itself: the struggle between comfort and truth, conformity and authenticity, illusion and freedom.

In an era saturated with performance and surface identity, Pappa's voice insists on depth, risk, and courage. Her poem is not merely a literary text; it is an existential challenge.

References / Bibliography

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Bukowski, C. (2003). The Last Night of the Earth Poems. New York: Ecco.

Éluard, P. (1978). Selected Poems. Trans. E. C. Kennedy. London: Penguin Books.

Foucault, M. (1977). Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. Trans. A. Sheridan. New York: Pantheon Books.

Ginsberg, A. (2006). Howl and Other Poems. San Francisco: City Lights.

Karouzos, N. (1997). Collected Poems. Athens: Ikaros.

Kierkegaard, S. (1985). The Concept of Anxiety. Trans. R. Thomte. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

Livaditis, T. (2002). Collected Poems. Athens: Kedros.

Nietzsche, F. (1966). Thus Spoke Zarathustra. Trans. W. Kaufmann. New York: Viking Press.

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