Poetry is a form of art which we are all somewhat familiar with, but it is also a tool, a tool which is used to celebrate the beauty of the world, and to raise awareness about things tainting this beauty. Poets make it their job to portray their chosen concept in such a way that it can be appreciated as an artform, a lot of inspiration around this comes from personal experience, or experiences of those who are being given voice. Which is why the statement ‘the most repressive times produce the most extraordinary art’ is supported by countless works, drawing from exposure to such ‘repressive times’ and calling for action within communities to make a change. Two poets who aid this claim are: Indigenous-Australian poet Odgeroo Noonuccal, and African-American …show more content…
Noonuccal describes the situation in this poem through a negative light paired with great command of literature to inform the audience of the crimes against the land being committed by the white man. As well as conveying an example of the deep connection the First Australians have with the Earth. In the lines ‘The miner rapes/the heart of earth/with his violent spade./Stealing, bottling her black blood’ aggressive imagery is used to reflect the intensity of the behaviours exhibited by the white man and highlights the offence he bears through doing this. Personification is also used in describing the land, which is a continued theme throughout the poem, reflecting the treatment of the Earth and understanding of the Earth in indigenous culture as similar to that of a real person within their community, thus underlining how harming the Earth is equivalent to harming one of them, or at least an incredibly large part of their identity. These opening lines set the tone for the poem as serious, as Noonuccal begins to explore the vast impact that colonisation has had on her people. She also describes the miner in the lines ‘For the sake of the filthy dollar,/He dirties the nest he builds./Well he knows that violence/Of his destructive kind’ through the use of zoomorphism in insinuating that he is like an animal making its nest. The nest being a metaphor for the environment and society that he is trying to establish, reflects how the indigenous people view it as inhumane. This is again supported by using the word ‘kind’ as an attribute, implying that the white man is seen as a different species. By saying ‘filthy dollar’, Noonuccal also conveys her negative views on the conventions of white people. This poem was written to
Poetry’s role is evaluated according to what extent it mirrors, shapes and is reshaped by historical events. In the mid-19th century, some critics viewed poetry as “an expression of the poet’s personality, a manifestation of the poet’s intuition and of the social and historical context which shaped him” ( Preminger, Warnke, Hardison 511). Analysis of the historical, social, political and cultural events at a certain time helps the reader fully grasp a given work. The historical approach is necessary in order for given allusions to be situated in their social, political and cultural background. In order to escape intentional fallacy, a poet should relate his work to universal
This is evident through the line, “Rain come down! Rain come down!” (Noonuccal p.56). Noonuccal utilises repetition in order to emphasis on the collective voices that are chanting as well as the sound of rain being repeated. Additionally, Noonuccal further expresses the connection to the land as well as to the Country through the line, “the universal sound of heavy rain” (p.58). This conveys the collective voices chanting about nature which further links an Aboriginal connection to the Country as well as to the Land. Moreover, Noonuccal utilises imagery as well as sonic elements through, “leafy boughs, rattling gravel” and “toneless monotone” (p.58) in order to depict that natural elements are also chanting. This further portrays the natural elements interacting with the human voices through the chanting as well as the collective sound having a cooperative value to
Noonuccal outlines how we prejudicially alienate one another and fight over skin tone. Nonuccal mentions, "I'm for all humankind, not colour gibes, I'm international, never mind tribes," which uses regular rhyme scheme to create a sense of certainty and finality to each line which communicates her message in a determined tone. This emphasises the unjust way we quarrel against one another based on skin colour. The rhyme scheme is consistent and goes on to manifest our differences in life but how that does not mean we should fight about it. Noonuccal illustrates how we are prejudiced towards others because of race when she writes, "black tribe, yellow tribe, red white or brown" and "Black, white or brown race, yellow race or red,". Noonuccal plays with the convention of anaphora by slightly changing the phrases to outline that while we different in some ways, we are mostly the same and should not be separated in terms of race. Just as the second quote mirrors the first one we also reflect each other. Although we look slightly different on the outside, we are "all one race" hence the title. Noonuccal writes, "I'm international, never mind place; I'm for humanity, all one race,". This summarises her whole poem by using a combination of first person and inclusive language bringing together all her points about how we are all the
Specifically, the grandfather in this poem appears to represent involvement with nature because of his decisions to garden as he “stabs his shears into earth” (line 4). However, he is also representative of urban life too as he “watched the neighborhood” from “a three-story” building (line 10). The author describes the world, which the grandfather has a small “paradise” in, apart from the elements desecrated by humans, which include “a trampled box of Cornflakes,” a “craggy mound of chips,” and “greasy / bags of takeouts” (lines 23, 17, 2, and 14-15). The passive nature of the grandfather’s watching over the neighborhood can be interpreted in a variety of different ways, most of them aligning with the positive versus negative binary created by the authors of these texts. The author wants to show the reader that, through the grandfather’s complexity of character, a man involved in both nature and more human centered ways of life, there is multifaceted relationship that man and nature share. Through the also violent descriptions of the grandfather’s methods of gardening, the connection between destructive human activities and the negative effects on nature is
The Black arts movement created a new medium that had its own distinct black aesthetic to bring about and inspire revolutionary change. Karenga’s essay “Black Cultural Nationalism” outlines three distinct components that black art must meet in order to be true black art. These three components are that “it must be functional, collective, and committing.” What this means is that black art must serve a purpose towards revolutionary change. It cannot simple be “art for arts sake” but rather must be a means by which artists make revolution through a medium that awakens, invigorates, and inspires revolution with in the black community. Gil Scott-Heron’s poem “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” commits its audience to a revolutionary awakening by emphasizing the importance of being a part of this change, which ties into what Maulana Karenga asserts about the “function of art is to make
American singer-songwriter and folk musician Bob Dylan describes in his autobiography, as well as his life and music in general, the ambiguity of folk songs and their ability to be openly shared, interpreted, and even fabricated, and he believes that human nature is such that we are most comfortable with this opacity. The work of African American artist Kara Walker reinforces this belief, and applies it to history with the exploration of cultural ideas regarding race, sexuality, identity, gender roles, repression, and violence.
In this paper, I plan to explore and gain some insight on Audre Lorde’s personal background and what motivated her to compose a number of empowering and highly respected literary works such as “Poetry is Not a Luxury”. In “Poetry is Not a Luxury”, Lorde not only gives voice to people especially women who are underrepresented, but also strongly encourages one to step out of their comfort zone and utilize writing or poetry to express and free oneself of repressed emotions. I am greatly interested in broadening my knowledge and understanding of the themes that are most prominent in Lorde’s works such as feminism, sexism and racism. It is my hope that after knowing more about her that I would also be inspired to translate my thoughts and feelings
In the year of 1917, Countee Cullen began writing poems over the struggles that he experienced through the civil rights movement. During this time, the black race was facing problems with white supremacy and racial violence. Three of Countee Cullen’s poem that greatly stand out to me are “Tableau”, “A Brown Girl Dead”, and also “Incident”. All three of the poems just so happen to revolve around civil rights issues. Specifically, the poem “Tableau” speaks out to me not only personally but also through literature. In this poem, Cullen speaks of racial issues between those who don’t always get to have an important say in the subject - children.
African American’s have faced a great deal of harsh and cruel treatment throughout our society. From being stripped from their homeland of Africa and being brought to America as slaves, African Americans have seen and been through it all. Author and renowned poet Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks discusses and describes many of the cruel and unfair treatment that African Americans have faced throughout our civilization. Brooks’ not only speaks on the racial prejudice of African Americans, but she also discusses the heartaches, the life, and the growth of African Americans as a people. Brooks’ poetry and stories are very similar to her own experience growing up as an African American woman.
Black art forms have historically always been an avenue for the voice; from spirituals to work songs to ballads, pieces of literature are one way that the black community has consistently been able to express their opinions and communicate to society at large. One was this has been achieved is through civil disobedience meeting civil manners. In this case, it would be just acknowledging an issue through art and literature. On the other hand, there is art with a direct purpose - literature meant to spur action; to convey anger and shock; or to prompt empathy, based on a discontent with the status quo. That is, protest literature. Through the marriage of the personal and political voices in black poetry and music, the genre functions as a form
For example, she describes the "greedy trade" (line 5) and "filthy trade” (line 11) in the 'black blood', which is a metaphor for the oil trade. The use of ‘rapes’, ‘destroy’ and ‘violence’ of the land to mine the oil, are also very effective metaphors. In line 9, the words "giant tool and iron drill" are more metaphors describing the equipment. Another impact that the metaphors have on the poem is that they describe the miners as villainies for example when she calls them ‘greedy’ and filthy. The uses of these poetics techniques give heart and soul to the Noonuccal's
In Maya Angelou’s third book of poetry And Still I Rise, the personal struggles of the African American Woman are brought to life through poetic works. With inspirations drawn from personal journeys of Maya Angelou herself, powerful poems praise, celebrate, and empathize with the feminine colored experience. Angelou’s writing sheds glaring light on themes of feminine power, beauty, and perseverance, raising the African American Woman to a pedestal that demands respect and adoration. For Angelou’s audience, the everyday woman is presented equipped with all the necessities to thrive and shine in the face of adversity. In Maya Angelou’s works “Phenomenal Woman”, “Woman Work”, and “Still I Rise”, audiences are able to connect to the strength and virtue of the woman that is brought to life through the praising of femininity, and through its power to make an impact on society.
Historically in most cultures across the world, parents have always been seen as the ones who have the responsibility of disciplining their children and therefore they have the right to spank them when they feel it is appropriate for disciplinary purposes. Spanking is therefore an age old practice that has been used to ensure that children can grow up in an upright manner and in line with the societal expectations and norms. During the early years, it was the norm that rearing a child involved the focus on ensuring they grow up with discipline and that children should not be spoilt by soothing them when they cry for example when they have been disciplined It is however important to note that this view saw significant changes during the 1950s and 60s after a publication by Spock in 1946 which contained arguments against spanking and urged the
Over the course of the century chronicling the helm of slavery, the emancipation, and the push for civil, equal, and human rights, black literary scholars have pressed to have their voice heard in the midst a country that would dare classify a black as a second class citizen. Often, literary modes of communication were employed to accomplish just that. Black scholars used the often little education they received to produce a body of works that would seek to beckon the cause of freedom and help blacks tarry through the cruelties, inadequacies, and inconveniences of their oppressed condition. To capture the black experience in America was one of the sole aims of black literature. However, we as scholars of these bodies of works today are often unsure as to whether or not we can indeed coin the phrase “Black Literature” or, in this case, “Black poetry”. Is there such a thing? If so, how do we define the term, and what body of writing can we use to determine the validity of the definition. Such is the aim of this essay because we can indeed call a poem “Black”. We can define “Black poetry” as a body of writing written by an African-American in the United States that formulates a concentrated imaginative awareness of an experience or set of experiences inextricably linked to black people, characterizes a furious call or pursuit of freedom, and attempts to capture the black condition in a language chosen and arranged to create a specific emotional response through meaning, sound, and rhythm. An examination of several works of poetry by various Black scholars should suffice to prove that the definition does hold and that “Black Poetry” is a term that we can use.
Lyric poetry is based off song and establishes the human condition, in this poem the condition of African Americans. Hughes describes himself as a teller and participant in this poem. Through the imagery, the reader is able to feel the emotions of the history of African Americans. Hughes tells us the history of black people beyond that in America. He projects upon his reader a world experience.