It is often said that literature is a voice for social commentary. How is this true of at least two works that you have read?

Literature can often be catalysed by and reflect within, a desire for social commentary that is often expressed effectively through development of the surroundings, characterization of the antagonists, as well as contextual knowledge of the time period that influenced the literature. Chinua Achebe in Things Fall Apart reacts against depictions of the African continent as crude and uneducated with a lack of complexity of culture or landscape, as posited by the work Heart of Darkness. To counteract this Achebe displays complexity of landscape by the multitude of settings and demonstrates complexity of culture through descriptions of traditions and social hierarchies. As well as this the use of irony in mocking the third person omniscient narrator in the final chapter and the negative characterization through tone and vocabulary used, belittles the white colonialist and asserts the importance of the Igbo society.Seamus Heaney in many of his poems comments on the conflict between Catholics and Protestants in Ireland, as well as referencing the Troubles. His poem 'July' makes reference to the 12th of July celebrations where the Protestant victory over Catholics by William the Orange is lauded. As a Catholic, Heaney comments on the violent aftermath of the conflict. Descriptions such as 'policemen flanking them like anthracite' and 'skein of blood' makes a statement about the violent repercussions. Heaney's poem 'Punishment' compares the bog people to the punishment of women during the Troubles, where women were tarred for sleeping with British soldiers. In this poem, the direct comparison, makes light of how 'tribal' and 'intimate' this 'revenge' is. His diction emphasizes the severity and animalistic quality of the punishment and combined with idiomatic language about the silence of purveyors, makes a comment on social behaviour during the Troubles.