Knowing what was going on in the world at the time is key to understanding Atwood’s

motivations behind writing It Is Dangerous to Read Newspapers. Context is an important factor

into understanding the true significance of literary works and the author’s intentions behind their

creation. Upon first reading the poem, I thought it was about non-specific events, or about war in

general. Learning that it was about the Vietnam war made certain word choices make sense. For

example, Atwood writing about the “jungles flaming” is not just a random example of a war’s

setting, but was one of the battle environments where conflict took place in the Vietnam war.

Additionally, the time period references, such as typewriters, make more sense knowing when

the poem was written. Knowing the mindset of the larger public towards the issues covered in It

Is Dangerous to Read Newspapers at the time of publication also helped me understand that the

poem was Atwood’s way of speaking out on a widely held belief. Rather than it being a total

rebellion against the narrative society was pushing about the Vietnam war, it was also a rallying

cry for the many others who shared her conviction that the war should not be happening.

Intention of the author as well as historical and cultural context are very helpful factors to

analyzing a piece of writing.

In regards to the impact of the poem nowadays, newspapers (and typewriters) have been largely

replaced by modern technology: we use our smartphones and laptops to read and watch news as

well as write poetry. These references slightly date the poem, but do not dampen the message

that still resonates today. Additionally, It Is Dangerous to Read Newspapers was originally

written about the Vietnam war, which was the main world conflict Atwood was observing at the

time she wrote the poem. However, just because that war is not happening anymore does not

mean that the poem’s situation is not applicable to our lives; unfortunately, there are still many

violent conflicts happening in the world away from us, such as the Ukraine war. Although It Is
Dangerous to Read Newspapers’ set of circumstances is very much based on the time it was

written in, its meaning is still impactful today as we face similar circumstances.

Social media has very much changed the way people learn about and respond to conflicts. It has

never been easier to share your voice, for better and for worse. With social media, we are

constantly being inundated with new information. While this makes it easier to be

knowledgeable about important world events, it also is a breeding ground for misinformation and

discord. For every significant piece of news being released on the internet, there are many more

false statements being made and lots of hate being spread related to the issue.

I feel that the message of It Is Dangerous to Read Newspapers is perhaps even more poignant in

this era of social media and the 24-hour news cycle. Atwood’s pain of witnessing horrible events

through a far-away lens could be amplified if she lived in society today. Social media is a

powerful tool for connecting with others, but it is also flooded with news of all of the world’s

atrocities. These sad stories are able to be seen from millions of miles away, and many times the

viewers cannot help. Given modern technology, there are more means of helping people who are

suffering, but this constant cycle is draining and disheartening. This situation is exactly what

Atwood describes in the poem; but even more amplified as the tragic world news is constantly

being broadcasted, instead of being somewhat filtered through the delays of print media and

older television systems.