Critical Overview
Dr Harmony Volta-Wright *
Blackwood-Marlowe Institute for Literary Arts
The Dissolution of Democracy: Authoritarianism and the Weaponisation of Narcissism in Contemporary Poetry
This haunting contemporary poem offers a searing examination of authoritarian leadership through the central metaphor of a figure called “the Me” who has stolen the moon. The work masterfully employs political allegory to illustrate the dangers of narcissistic governance and the erosion of democratic institutions. Through its vivid imagery and rhythmic structure, the poem creates a nightmarish landscape where truth and collective welfare have been sacrificed to the whims of a self-serving ruler.
At its core, this work explores the relationship between power and narcissism, depicting a leader who governs not for the common good but for personal aggrandisement. The recurring motif of the stolen moon serves as a powerful symbol for the loss of shared reality and social cohesion that occurs under such leadership. Without this communal light source, citizens are left disoriented, fumbling in darkness – a profound metaphor for life in a post-truth society.
The poem’s technical structure reinforces its thematic concerns. The varying line lengths and rhythmic patterns mirror the instability and unpredictability of life under an autocratic regime. The frequent use of rhyming couplets creates a nursery-rhyme quality that contrasts darkly with the serious subject matter, suggesting the infantilisation of public discourse that often accompanies authoritarian governance.
Particularly striking is the poem’s exploration of how language manipulation becomes a tool of control. The “Me” figure reframes his theft of the moon as protection, illustrating how political propaganda can invert reality. References to “Me-Constitution”, “Me-Revolution” and “Me-substitution” reveal how democratic institutions can be hollowed out and repurposed to serve autocratic ends while maintaining a veneer of legitimacy.
The work also addresses the role of complicity in enabling authoritarian regimes. The “goblins” who dance around the leader represent those who benefit from or support such governance, while the ship-metaphor suggests a nation adrift, its people labouring under increasingly difficult conditions as their civic freedoms are gradually restricted by the “ropes” of control.
In its conclusion, the poem warns of the ultimate destination of such governance: the transformation of citizenship into a conditional state that requires acceptance of the leader’s terms. The final command to “CLICK TO ACCEPT” brilliantly merges digital culture with political coercion, suggesting that modern authoritarianism may arrive not through violent revolution but through the quiet surrender of rights in exchange for belonging.
This work stands as a powerful contribution to the tradition of political poetry, offering both a critique of specific contemporary political trends and a timeless examination of how narcissism, opportunism, and the manipulation of collective fear can undermine democratic societies. Its sophisticated use of extended metaphor and allegorical elements places it firmly within the canon of resistance literature that uses artistic expression to illuminate political reality.
