P & P: pps 63-114,
Language: Ismael, 163, young, 271, OLivarez, 231
The color complex. How
does the poets use color, their own and others?
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Throughout most
of the poems assigned for this weeks reading, most of the actual colors
mentioned in the poems are “black” and “white”. America was, and still is, a
time where there is a great racial divide. You are either white, or you aren’t.
Many of these poems reflect these themes of division.
Major Jackson’s poem “Rose Colored City” speaks of an encounter with a White Supremacist. The phrase “White Power” and “Black Power” may sound like simple opposites, but hold such different meanings and weights to them. What stings the most is that this poem could refer to a moment happening right now. White Supremacists have never disappeared, but more and more are coming out of hiding and are now louder and prouder than ever in today’s political climate. “White Power” is a threat. It is pride in feeling superior, taking others down, being the majority. “Black Power” is resistance to that. This is why things such as “White Pride” are simply unacceptable despite other cultural prides being celebrated. It has to do with the power dynamics and the history.
Major Jackson’s poem “Rose Colored City” speaks of an encounter with a White Supremacist. The phrase “White Power” and “Black Power” may sound like simple opposites, but hold such different meanings and weights to them. What stings the most is that this poem could refer to a moment happening right now. White Supremacists have never disappeared, but more and more are coming out of hiding and are now louder and prouder than ever in today’s political climate. “White Power” is a threat. It is pride in feeling superior, taking others down, being the majority. “Black Power” is resistance to that. This is why things such as “White Pride” are simply unacceptable despite other cultural prides being celebrated. It has to do with the power dynamics and the history.
In Yusef
Komunkyakaa’s piece “History Lessons” which speaks about Emmett Till’s
lynching, the author continuously references black and white to highlight the
differences between the relationships between Black and White people. “poor
white trash”, “white women”, “black boxer”, “white man dead”, “blackface”;
these are all used because the race, and therefor the position of power, of the
people in the poem, is important. It is not merely a murder story.
Dani,
ReplyDeleteI like your response this week, it raised some questions and ideas I hadn't quite honed in on while I read the poems myself. I am just now noticing the white/black juxtaposition the collections were themed with. I'm actually an ethnic studies major, and we talk a lot about racialized groups that don't get much recognition overall. There's many reasons for this starting with colonialism and xenophobia but keeping it within this week's topic of color; it dawned on me that black and white are opposites. Some would even argue that they are not colors at all. And I'm totally talking about color as in crayons, not people. It's interesting to think about how important these contradicting shades, tones, pigments are to each other and when applied to skin color they take on a whole plethora of socially constructed definitions and/or identities.
-Dominique
This is slightly underdeveloped but i know where you are going--the complex is not so complex in that we have polarities some suggesting terrifying powers. Interesting, Dani
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