An Analysis Of The Poem 'Come Home From The Movies'

In lines one through two of the poem, African Americans are victimized and encouraged to “come home from the movies,” leaving behind the false reality of the standard of living that they’ve seen depicted by white culture in the ‘movies’ (line 1). The author of this poem uses symbolism, diction, repetition, and comparisons to portray the prejudice African Americans face during the era of racial segregation. Since this poem takes place during a time of racial inequality, the poem not only highlights the struggles African Americans faced, but also encourages them to go beyond the stereotype they’re given and to change the negative stigma that they’ve been branded with.
This poem uses many literary devices to convey its’ meaning. One of the most
For example, “be cold as our neighborhood” serves as a symbol for the cruelty of the reality in which African Americans face; however, it also is used as a comparison in the form of a simile in which the author is comparing the neighborhood or the lifestyle in which African Americans coincide with “cold” or dark, cruel, and hard (3-4). Another way in which the purpose of this poem was supported was in the form of repetition of lines 1 and 2 towards the end of the poem, “come home from the movies,/black girls and boys” (10-11). Since this phrase served not only as the opening of the poem, but was also repeated near the end of this very short poem, the importance of the repetition can’t be ignored. This phrase is a key component in relaying the purpose of this poem to the audience. By urging African American children to come home from the movies, the author seems to be pleading with them to break through the stereotype they’ve been burdened with and to envision a better future for themselves, not one that necessarily mimics that of the white Americans but one that has a positive stigma attached to it and goes beyond the typical