There is a possibility of understanding certain literary works outside of their historical context; however, it is more beneficial for the reader to have basic knowledge. Taha Muhammad Ali was a Palestinian poet born in 1931. He grew up in Saffuriya, Galilee, located in the Middle East. Ali was self-taught through his reading of classical Arabic literature, American fiction, and English poetry. Ali then started writing poems in the 1970s. He wrote a poem called "Meeting in an Airport" which was based on his personal experiences and, without knowing his background information and history, the reader did not know exactly what exactly this poem meant. In the poem “Meeting at an Airport” written by Taha Muhammad Ali, historical context is necessary to understand this piece because it emphasizes the theme, the purpose of the poem and establishes credibility (“Foundation of Poetry”) . When a reader understands a theme in any piece of literature, they never clearly understand the intention without knowing where the theme comes from. The theme represented ...