The study of Individual self and social self in Forough Farrokhzad's poetry

Human beings, regardless of their epistemic perspectives, consider themselves distinct from other elements of existence while having mutual interactions with different biological and sociological phenomena. Two of the most important topics in sociological sciences is the study of the existential capacity of humans and the study of their social interactions with the family, the homeland, and the world. These two subjects are often referred to as, respectively, individual self and social self. The study of Forough Farrokhzad's poetry can reveal various personal and social manifestations of her as an Iranian woman. This is because her poetry is mainly arisen from the subconscious and is associated with social realism and symbolism. The present study shows that an individual self has always been present—albeit with a declining course—in all periods of Forough's life and poetry. Moreover, the study clarifies how individual self and social self confront with each other and how a perfectionist and reformist social self eventually dominates. In connection to this issue, it will be shown that the expression of dissatisfaction with what is happening in human society is one of the prominent features of Forough's poetry.