olitical view of communism. Stephen Spender was a witness to the two periods in the twentieth century, in the West, when capitalism was shaken. Throughout his life, his personal experiences helped to shape and develop his own political theories and ideals. Stephen Spender developed a very personalistic approach to his political writings. During the process of documenting his political views into novels, Spender “learned that the personal sense of the social guilt that had caused him to take sides could not cause him to abandon his ideals of individualism and artistic freedom. To give up his individualism was to give up his soul” (Sternlicht P.117). This statement from Sanford Sternlich, embodies the true essence of Stephen Spenders writings and ideals. Spender was very idealistic, and a part of expressing those idealistic opinions was through his politics. He, as always, is totally truthful about himself. That candor remains a cause for admiration. In Citizens In War-and After Spender discusses what he had seen while working as a fireman in London during the war. Much of this essay was a tribute to the workers that gave their lives to help protect the survival of others. This writing is one example of Spender’s ability to take his personal experience and incorporate his political opinions into literary writings. Spender also was once a student radical, so when the western universities exploded into rebellion, he wrote a book defining the underlying causes. The Year of theKennedy 3 Young Rebel establishes the significance of the student rebellions. Spender brought out his personal views as he informed the world of the political changes taking place. Stephen Spender also wrote many journals documenting his opinions and theories based upon his experiences, which were developed during the twentieth century. Stephen Spender also used poetry to express his personal opinions with regards to politi...
