Tuesday, January 24, 2017
Politicized Poetry in Of Poetry & Protest
I'm not sure that I can say within any possibility of honesty that I read these poems/stories and thought about them in a larger context and I'm not sure that it's something I can do even now. This is because I don't believe the Black experience can be generalized or be made applicable to different types of oppressions, it can be intersectional but not necessarily speak to a greater theme.
However if I had to try, I believe that I got the same feeling holding this book and reading these poems as I did watching Blackish on January 11th, and "Taking the Stage: African American Stories" on the 18th. That is to say, that when I read these poems I specifically think back to the idea that you can take 400 years of oppression and turn it into something beautiful. Specifically when the very act of existing as "you" can be considered political.
There's an idea present, even from the introduction, that to write is to preserve and also to innovate. Additionally there's the element of creating a history, much like the history that our contributors stumbled upon themselves - leaving some piece of some experience for some you to find some day. The legacy of the pen. I can't say whether or not this is more of an attempt to solidify a history or to become a representative (i.e. See, there are Black writers!) or whether the intent is to simply find a voice - but within this book, within these stories lies the notion that any of those things are possible. (And they remind you it's Black with a capital B. Black power, Black pride.)
They show extraordinary Blackness across the decades and they define it by capturing moments without reference. Which here means, that their words are left open to interpretations with little pieces that would only make sense to those who are Black. They convey an understanding - and if these pieces are any indication of what's to come, it's going to be...a heartbreaking semester. In these words, as I've just previously mentioned, the poet is allowed to capture a single moment or reaction which would be the case in the poems about Obama, like "Having a Cool President." It's not so much an attempt to emphasize any particular event, specifically any tragedies, but to showcase how we move on, how we've moved on from anything in our history and how we responded to it. Or in some cases not saying anything or responding at all.
And more so, turning poetry (or art in general) into a language by which a group of people communicate. It not only becomes a way of conveying a lived experience but becomes a new one in and of itself. Think: growing roses from concrete.
There is a passage that stayed with me the most from Kwame Dawes on page 41, he writes,
"I think that a poet who writes love poems in the middle of war is a political poet."
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I appreciate your reflection, especially:
ReplyDelete“That is to say, that when I read these poems I specifically think back to the idea that you can take 400 years of oppression and turn it into something beautiful. Specifically, when the very act of existing as "you" can be considered political.”
It is possible to find beauty in everything, if you look hard enough, however thinking about how the existence of a people can be considered political is interesting in this context. More than that, existing in a state of being that is authentically ‘you’ is even more interesting when you think about what defines ‘you’? Some automatically involve race and culture, and that has a big impact as many people make assumptions based on race, culture, etc…
This is a thought that will stay with me for a bit because while this is a state that black people are quite familiar with, I also believe that there is a sort of complex beauty to it.
Thank you for sharing what seems to be an honest, and visceral response to a work you had difficulties connecting with.
ReplyDeleteYou open with, “the Black experience cannot be generalized, it can intersect, but not speak to a greater theme." To that I ask, how so? Yes, Blackness is su generis to the American experience of those who were enslaved, terrorized, and continue to be marginalized in today's modern sociopolitical context. So yes, there is no broad, blanket language that can describe the Black experience, but Blackness does more than intersect with American history. IT IS AMERICAN HISTORY. Therefore, no matter the hue of your skin, the Black experience is a part of a greater theme. A part of you, and me, and anyone who is a citizen of the USA, trades with, or subscribes to any form of Americanism, which in all honesty is the entire world( Welcome back CUBA; maybe excluding a few indigenous communities who have escaped America’s clutches). America, be it good, or bad, has made its mark on the entire world via commerce, and trans-nationalism ( these connections are nothing to sneeze at). Everyone knows America, America was built on Blackness, hence the greater theme , one that is just as large and grand as the antiquated theme of “the American Dream”.
Yes to Black with a capital B! As Harry Belafonte said on p.18 “Anybody can debate where the [word] negro comes from. Anybody can debate where the [word] colored comes from. But Black power came from the nitty-gritty place, the vibrant movement where some people were taking charge pf their lives. It was terrifying for a lot of white folks. Even a lot of Black folks. But it was also healing for most.” I would even add that anybody can debate where African- American comes from, more so the imposition of nationalism that African- American binds on Black people who might not want to be a part of that imagined community. Black is the word that came from the 400 years of oppression that turned into something beautiful, that you mentioned in your post, I second that.
Yes, agreed! It is “existing as you” and making that a political statement that is Black culture in the face of Eurocentricity and patriarchy.
You used “they” a lot to describe the authors, poets, writers, creatives…that stuck out me, Also, I believe if you give it another try, like I have to do with many authors who do not provide direct cultural references to my individual experience, you may find, like I often have, that the work in this text , is not ,as you state, full of “little pieces that only makes sense to those who are Black.”
Thank you for your time.
TD
I'd have to disagree. There is a poem (though I can't look at it now) that deals with the darkness of the...for lack of a better term, narrator's child's skin. Wanting to breed out blackness or coming to grips with the acceptance of it is a specifically Black issue within the Black community. Which is why I added that piece of information. It's very blatant in it's colorism.
DeleteDisagree on ? not clear on what you are referring to .
Deletethe poem is titled: A Note on My Son's Face by Toi Derricotte
I too discussed this is my blog post if you are interested in reading it... yes I know its referral to colorism/ color stratification... not sure where you saw a point to disagree
best
I'm not sure if I'm totally clear on your interpretation Mickie? It seems as if you feel excluded by the poets. Or the poems? I'm not sure and please forgive my misunderstanding as I reach to grasp your meaning. Tyrice (Excessive Volume) is an invaluable poet and Black voice in this class and I'm a Brown woman, considerably older than her. It is her very inside voice and knowledge as a Black woman subject to the scourges of racism she (and every Black body) has endured that gives me insight to the world being shared by these poets.
ReplyDeleteYou wrote: "They show extraordinary Blackness across the decades and they define it by capturing moments without reference. Which here means, that their words are left open to interpretations with little pieces that would only make sense to those who are Black." I will respectfully disagree as someone who is not Black but can make awful and relatable sense of their poems, sentiment, rage, disillusion and violated humanity as Black people, especially Black citizens of America. Can I offer any of my "Beige Bridge" understanding? That is my intention in commenting.
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DeleteExciting conversation. It's interesting to indicate what we demand of writing of color as opposed to the eurocentric writers. Do we ask if Barbara Guest is repping all of white women? I think you are all circling the same point but in layers. In the abstraction, every story and poem contributes to a vision we have of life through writing. On the other side, we can point to writing to understand life and history. Are they the sum of the parts? Well, no. They are the private made public observations and perspectives of a personal (Toi) or historical (TSE) whirled through the poetic sensibilities.
ReplyDeleteThat being said. some privileging in these comments have been used to give more weight to the comments. That's inappropriate, check your syllabus again.
I am looking at the good analysis that should not depend on status, whatever.
In any case, let's hear more voices. This goes to the heart of by whom for whom, which is bound to surface
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