INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INDONESIAN STUDIES SPRING 2016
1978 ), he is urging attention to their plight but he refers to them as ‘ they ,’ placing himself outside of their experience ( Febriansyah p . 30 ).
‘ They have lost their battles They are tantalized by their dreams ’ ( Aveling 2001:151 )
His poems were symbolically critical of oppression and he subjectively interpreted such experiences . He used artistic perception rather than a social viewpoint . His poor people are stereotyped by such phrases as ‘ living in the gutters ,’ and ‘ the clattering melee ’. They are mere ‘ Grass and moss beside the highway ’ ( Ibid .).
Conclusion
Rendra lived through a politically turbulent era of Indonesian history . The authoritarian New Order did not hesitate to silence those who bravely expressed artistic opposition . Such repression gave voice to the poet and dramatist , Rendra , who articulated the populous ’ social criticisms of the times . His words spoke of disparities : wealth and poverty , privileged and the downtrodden , the law and reality , cruelty and compassion .
During the period 1973 to 1978 , Rendra was influential in opposing Suharto ’ s dictatorship . He did this through the performance of his plays and his energetic and dramatic public poetry readings . Imprisonment for his opposition did not deter him ; instead it added experience and fire to his writing . Following Rendra ’ s death , commentators reflected upon the impact of his words during those years of political upheaval .
Rendra had been outspoken and prolific , which had made him a powerful opponent to the government . He went to the streets and screamed his disagreement . ( Barley 2009 )
The influence Rendra had was still a notable quality 30 years later : ‘ In 1978 , Rendra was in the vanguard of protest against social injustice and military dictatorship ( Lane , 2009 )’. The impact of his words led to his clashes with the New Order and eventually him being muzzled by the regime for 7 years . He was highly critical and outspoken , but also very lyrical in his language , passionate , persuasive , bold and unflinching in the power of his convictions .
With the political censorship of the times and the distortion of history in schools , Rendra ’ s poetry written in the 1970s was doomed not to be a nationwide phenomenon . However , it will be interesting to analyse the enduring power of his poetry as Indonesia broadens its democratic development into the 21st century . Whilst he is best remembered for his flamboyant dissidence , his dramatic poetry readings and his arrests ( Lane 2010 ), it will be his words which hopefully will stand as a benchmark of democracy .
Rendra lived to see a far more democratic Indonesia emerge . Whilst there were still injustices to address , corruption and poverty ; the political context had become far more open . Whilst his writing was dramatic , it was also a lyrical and narrative in style . His work
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