SOUL'S SEARCH IN A FRAGMENTED WORLD: SPIRITUAL THEMES IN CONTEMPORARY POETIC EXPRESSION

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56815/IRJAHS/2025.n1.18-23

Abstract

Humans have an innate affinity for matters of faith; we are homo religiosus or religious animals. Because of the unique closeness that poetry achieves via the interaction of human words with the divine Logos, it is an ideal vehicle for expressing religious experience. Spiritual motifs—drawing from multiple traditions, personal introspection, and philosophical inquiry—are being used more and more by poets to express a desire for transcendence, connection, and inner serenity in the face of fast technological change, cultural disintegration, and existential crises. This study delves into the ways in which contemporary poets convey themes of spiritual longing, estrangement, and the pursuit of self-discovery via the use of language, imagery, and form. This research examines poetry as a mirror of the broken modern situation and a means of healing and transcendence via analyzing chosen works by notable modern poets. It focuses on the interaction between spiritual regeneration and fragmentation. At its core, the thesis contends that spiritual themes in modern poetry mirror a profound societal need to provide our fractured society with some sense of direction and purpose.