Grenfell Tower, June, 2017 by Ben Okri Poem Analysis

Ben Okri, in “Grenfell Tower, June, 2017” predominantly uses pathos and logos to masterfully craft a poem, which delves into the deeper meaning of the tragic fire. Logos shows the negligence the rich acted with when building an apartment complex devoid of the required safety features to keep its inhabitants safe. Buildings are required to be maintained at a certain safety standard; the rich ignored this standard and the concerns of residents to build a deathtrap. He uses pathos to engage with the moral values of readers, appealing to their emotional values by painting a vivid picture of the sorrow which occurred that day. Describing the fire which robbed individuals of not only their hopes and dreams but also the ones whom they love. This poem is a tribute to the victims and their families published to raise awareness for this easily avoidable disaster. All while raising funds for the individuals who suffered and the families which lost loved ones. Okri uses these strategies to claim that capitalism and the social inequality it creates led to the tragedy of Grenfell Tower. 

Logos was used to open the reader’s eyes to the disparity and disregard for the poor created in a capitalist society. At Grenfell Tower the poor place their trust in the rich to earn a better quality of life for themselves and their children; only to burn to death so a cheaper apartment complex could be made (Okri np). This alludes to how the gentrification the neighbourhood was undergoing was meant to further alienate the poor. As residents’ concerns over safety hazards were ignored in favour of cladding the building in better looking, albeit more dangerous materiel. A form of deductive reasoning, as adding highly flammable cladding, to a building already not up to code in fire safety, clearly makes a dangerous fire hazard. Okri uses this a as metaphor, showing how rather than helping the poor, the rich favour hiding them away, not caring what happens to them. The rich have the power to improve living conditions the poor endure but choose to let them wallow on the fringes of society, in favour of furthering their agenda. Capitalism created this lack of care for others, it is an ideology rooted in the selfish pursuit of self-interest, further contributing to the disparity between classes. 

Pathos is used to call out the readers for living in contempt; for being okay with the disparity capitalism brings. In the first stanza Okri emphasizes the reader’s senses, repeating the phrases, “you saw it” and “you heard it.” This captures the inescapability of the tragedy, the inescapability of the class struggle, which has people stuck on the fringes of society. Okri appeals to the emotions of the reader through speaking of the fire as if it was a collective experience, calling on the reader to empathize with those whose lives were turned upside down. The fourth stanza mentions the names of the victims in a way in which they are important, they are real people who experienced real trauma. Amaya Tuccu, the name of someone who was lost that day, was three years old, burnt to ashes before she knew how cruel the world could be (Okri np). A child was killed with little care, she was seen as not a person, but a figure, all while everyone turned a blind eye to the ugly truth. Okri is trying to make visible the invisible flaws of this world; using the power of poetry to emphasize the significance of the need for change. He calls for people to, “speak for the dead,” to inspire a social change empowered by people’s sense of morality. Challenging all people, regardless of economic background, to strive for a world in which all people are equal. 

Okri is in a unique position to comment on the disparity capitalism fosters having lived a period of his life homeless on the fringes of society. He also lived in the neighbourhood where Grenfell Tower burned down, making his take on capitalism a more real and sincere critique of the suffering it brings. Logos and pathos are used simultaneously to create a vivid picture of what is wrong with capitalism. Logic and reason are used to craft a poem that clearly illustrates the negligence carried by the rich regarding the poor. A purposeful use of language aimed to elicit an emotional response from readers. Okri uses rhetoric to inspire people to be better, to care more for those who are less fortunate, “to let a new world-changing thought flower” (Okri np).