Synopsis
Arguably originated in Harlem, The Black Arts movement was directly connected with the Civil Rights. (However, as Kaluma ya Salaam points out it is distinguishable in that it was more so about "Black Power".) It is for this reason that many contemporary works are highly passionate. It was at height in the 1960s, encouraging many African Americans to write. So much so, that strides were made in African American's public writings and boldness. Black writers organized themselves into various groups and many experienced success. The movement was primarily composed of poetry that could be a performance or translated into slogans, chants, or anthems. (Due to the ongoing protests and "call to arms".) The movement had profound strength through the Black community establishments like theater groups and through black magazine publications. This movement spanned protests and also self-defense moments in the Black's progression toward equality.
Poem Analysis: "Black Art" by Amiri Baraka
The poem Black Art covers a wide range of topics and therefore, has a large spectrum of applicable meanings. The topics are, essentially, covered from the view of Blacks. Throughout the poem, the speaker calls for "..poems that kill.." or poems that are realistic and unafraid to detail events, however unfortunate, that occur in real life. The repeated use of the phrase "..we want.." indicates that the speaker talks from a perspective group rather than as an individual. It is upon this realization that the poem begins to address, quite literally, Black Art. This in combination with the line: "We want a black poem" gives a clear message: The speaker desires poetry that gives a real perspective of their life, of Black life." However, due to the way in which this is expressed much more is to be interpreted and taken from the poem. The speaker also addresses the esteem, influenced by the media, of Black women, specifically: "girdlemamma mulatto bitches whose brains are red jelly between 'lizabeth Taylor's shoes." Elizabeth Taylor is a white actress renowned for her beauty and seven marriages. Amiri Baraka chose her to represent the media's influence of Black women's self image. Furthermore, as expected of this time, the debate between protesting and violence is addressed. Contrasted are the two methods: "There's a negro-leader pinned to a bar stool in Sardi[']s [,] eyeballs melting in hot flame." and "Another negro-leader on the steps of the white-house." also described is a leader between the legs of a sheriff, which corresponds also to protest or non-violence. While "..Wrestle cops into alleys and take their weapons.." refers to a popular idea of Black Power which is the war on police enforcement in black communities (which was mainly on behalf of white cops). The poem, however, seems more so concerned with the expression of these two methods since they are ideals in the Black community rather than the determination of which is more effective. The author describes physical actions performed by the power to detail their impact. For example, "Another bad poem cracking steel knuckles in a jewlady's mouth." refers to how a Poem can impact a white and so forcefully bring them Black awareness, it may be comparable to a punch in the mouth. The poem does this often, even doing so while expressing feelings about contemporary warfare: "Poem scream poison gas on beasts in green berets." In this instance, Baraka says that a Poem can enlighten people to how they've treated others. It can give people a taste of their own medicine. Finally, the Poem addresses blacks in a sort of call-to-arms, "Let black people understand that they are the lovers and sons of warriors and [,] the sons of warriors Are poems and poets and all the loveliness here in the world." This line is apart of a very wholesome conclusion, addressing nearly everything in the poem. It tells blacks that they are their poetry as a means to express poetry's power. It tells them that they should utilize their poetry as a warrior would his sword or as a general would a war. By an expanded meaning indicated by the title, one can infer she quite possibly means all of Black's art, not just poetry. Lastly, she explains: "Let the world be a Black Poem and Let All Black people speak this poem silently or LOUD." This means that in the art blacks create they should talk about their world, the world they live in. The last sentence refers to how blacks choose to express how they feel about the world: through poetry, action, or protest. LOUD may refer to protest or even violence and poetry. While, silently refers to paintings or literature with profound detail about Black life because they don't immediately attempt to change the world, but also change perceptions and therefore are more subtle. Yet at the same time, Baraka says that such art express itself for its audience. (Poems who are planes for politicians and Poems who wrestle cops for extremists.) Poems are useless if they aren't real. (and or cannot be related to.)
Poem Analysis: Literary Device Identification
Amiri Baraka uses a lot of allusion and metaphor. For instance " Poem scream poison gas on beasts in green berets" is an allusion to the major war of that time, the Vietnam war. This serves to apply Amiri's beliefs about Black arts to a contemporary conflict/issue as do many of her references. "girdlemamma mulatto bitches whose brains are red jelly between 'lizabeth Taylor's shoes." is a reference to a famous actor, Elizabeth Taylor a white women whose beauty was highly regarded and whose love history (7 marriages was) very controversial. "Poems that wrestle cops into alleys...", "Poems that kill..", "...poem cracking steel knuckles in a jewladys mouth..","Poems that shoot guns." are all personification that once again reinforce the impact potential of Black arts. "We want poems like fists beating niggers out of jocks.." is a simile that tries to encourage Blacks to write about their struggles and expresses desire for those types of poems. This is also the case with these: "[Poems that] breathe like wrestlers, or shudder strangely after pissing." although these emphasize the idea of Poetry that is alive.
Arguably originated in Harlem, The Black Arts movement was directly connected with the Civil Rights. (However, as Kaluma ya Salaam points out it is distinguishable in that it was more so about "Black Power".) It is for this reason that many contemporary works are highly passionate. It was at height in the 1960s, encouraging many African Americans to write. So much so, that strides were made in African American's public writings and boldness. Black writers organized themselves into various groups and many experienced success. The movement was primarily composed of poetry that could be a performance or translated into slogans, chants, or anthems. (Due to the ongoing protests and "call to arms".) The movement had profound strength through the Black community establishments like theater groups and through black magazine publications. This movement spanned protests and also self-defense moments in the Black's progression toward equality.
Poem Analysis: "Black Art" by Amiri Baraka
The poem Black Art covers a wide range of topics and therefore, has a large spectrum of applicable meanings. The topics are, essentially, covered from the view of Blacks. Throughout the poem, the speaker calls for "..poems that kill.." or poems that are realistic and unafraid to detail events, however unfortunate, that occur in real life. The repeated use of the phrase "..we want.." indicates that the speaker talks from a perspective group rather than as an individual. It is upon this realization that the poem begins to address, quite literally, Black Art. This in combination with the line: "We want a black poem" gives a clear message: The speaker desires poetry that gives a real perspective of their life, of Black life." However, due to the way in which this is expressed much more is to be interpreted and taken from the poem. The speaker also addresses the esteem, influenced by the media, of Black women, specifically: "girdlemamma mulatto bitches whose brains are red jelly between 'lizabeth Taylor's shoes." Elizabeth Taylor is a white actress renowned for her beauty and seven marriages. Amiri Baraka chose her to represent the media's influence of Black women's self image. Furthermore, as expected of this time, the debate between protesting and violence is addressed. Contrasted are the two methods: "There's a negro-leader pinned to a bar stool in Sardi[']s [,] eyeballs melting in hot flame." and "Another negro-leader on the steps of the white-house." also described is a leader between the legs of a sheriff, which corresponds also to protest or non-violence. While "..Wrestle cops into alleys and take their weapons.." refers to a popular idea of Black Power which is the war on police enforcement in black communities (which was mainly on behalf of white cops). The poem, however, seems more so concerned with the expression of these two methods since they are ideals in the Black community rather than the determination of which is more effective. The author describes physical actions performed by the power to detail their impact. For example, "Another bad poem cracking steel knuckles in a jewlady's mouth." refers to how a Poem can impact a white and so forcefully bring them Black awareness, it may be comparable to a punch in the mouth. The poem does this often, even doing so while expressing feelings about contemporary warfare: "Poem scream poison gas on beasts in green berets." In this instance, Baraka says that a Poem can enlighten people to how they've treated others. It can give people a taste of their own medicine. Finally, the Poem addresses blacks in a sort of call-to-arms, "Let black people understand that they are the lovers and sons of warriors and [,] the sons of warriors Are poems and poets and all the loveliness here in the world." This line is apart of a very wholesome conclusion, addressing nearly everything in the poem. It tells blacks that they are their poetry as a means to express poetry's power. It tells them that they should utilize their poetry as a warrior would his sword or as a general would a war. By an expanded meaning indicated by the title, one can infer she quite possibly means all of Black's art, not just poetry. Lastly, she explains: "Let the world be a Black Poem and Let All Black people speak this poem silently or LOUD." This means that in the art blacks create they should talk about their world, the world they live in. The last sentence refers to how blacks choose to express how they feel about the world: through poetry, action, or protest. LOUD may refer to protest or even violence and poetry. While, silently refers to paintings or literature with profound detail about Black life because they don't immediately attempt to change the world, but also change perceptions and therefore are more subtle. Yet at the same time, Baraka says that such art express itself for its audience. (Poems who are planes for politicians and Poems who wrestle cops for extremists.) Poems are useless if they aren't real. (and or cannot be related to.)
Poem Analysis: Literary Device Identification
Amiri Baraka uses a lot of allusion and metaphor. For instance " Poem scream poison gas on beasts in green berets" is an allusion to the major war of that time, the Vietnam war. This serves to apply Amiri's beliefs about Black arts to a contemporary conflict/issue as do many of her references. "girdlemamma mulatto bitches whose brains are red jelly between 'lizabeth Taylor's shoes." is a reference to a famous actor, Elizabeth Taylor a white women whose beauty was highly regarded and whose love history (7 marriages was) very controversial. "Poems that wrestle cops into alleys...", "Poems that kill..", "...poem cracking steel knuckles in a jewladys mouth..","Poems that shoot guns." are all personification that once again reinforce the impact potential of Black arts. "We want poems like fists beating niggers out of jocks.." is a simile that tries to encourage Blacks to write about their struggles and expresses desire for those types of poems. This is also the case with these: "[Poems that] breathe like wrestlers, or shudder strangely after pissing." although these emphasize the idea of Poetry that is alive.