Antonio Gramsci's concept describes how ruling classes maintain power. In poetry, it appears in works that challenge or reinforce dominant ideologies. Poets can critique hegemonic norms by giving voice to marginalized perspectives or questioning established truths. Alternatively, they may inadvertently reproduce hegemonic values through their language and themes, making poetry a site of both complicity and resistance.

Hegemony, a concept developed by Antonio Gramsci, describes the dominance of one social group over others, achieved not just through force (coercion) but primarily through cultural and ideological leadership (consent). The ruling class creates a worldview that becomes the "common sense" of a society, shaping the values, norms, and institutions so that its dominance is seen as natural and inevitable. In poetry, hegemony appears in works that either reinforce or challenge these dominant cultural norms. A poem might celebrate a nation's mythic past, thereby reinforcing hegemonic values, or it might give voice to a marginalized group, thereby challenging them. For poets, understanding hegemony is crucial for recognizing the political and cultural power of their work, as poetry can be a powerful site of ideological contestation.