Right To Write?

As a writer, is it necessary in to write about political and social issues of our time? And furthermore, what constitutes as a worthy issue to be discussed? A writer like George Orwell, for example, would certainly agree that it is very much the responsibility of writers to address contemporary political and social issues: remarking in his 1946 essay 'Why I Write' that 'It seems to me nonsense, in a period like our own, to think that one can avoid writing of such subjects.' 'Well obviously' I hear you say, 'Orwell was a raging leftie who loved to satirise dictators and totalitarians as farmyard fiends: of course he'd tell you to write about politics.' And it's at this point I'd like to point out that Orwell also wrote an comprehensive 11-point essay on the perfect cuppa.

The fact of the matter is, that consciously or not, every issue a writer tackles will be relevant to the time.

Examining Emily Dickinson's poems, for example, affectionados of her work such as Richard Sewall argue, with good reason, that Dickinson's work intentionally deals with the American Civil War of her time - albeit through largely metaphorical language - whilst Daniel Aaron concludes that even those poems which deal directly with the war are moreover a reflection of Dickinson's inner conflicts. It's hard to deny that Dickinson's work is certainly affected by the war, but even if this were not the case and her poetry simply reflected her inner conflicts it would be no less of an issue of the time: granted, the Civil War will always be the more pressing issue of the time to the masses, but like Orwell's perfect cup of tea, Dickinson's inner conflict is no less pressing an issue, if only purely on a personal level.