"Imprint for Rio Grande"

I would also like to comment on Alice’s discussion leading. I think that the questions were very insightful, and I think the class as a whole—as always—did an excellent job of keeping the conversation moving. So well done! I found Jean Toomer’s poem “Imprint for Rio Grande” very interesting. It seems as though the first stanza captures so much about the African American movement. In saying, “to assert themselves as human beings (or to surrender themselves?),” Toomer seems to get at the issues we’ve been talking about with identity, defiance, pride, and surrender. I mentioned this in class, but it seems to me as though assimilating for the sake of “succeeding” within a culture would ultimately seem like failure to many. I find the above quote relevant because it’s the struggle between self-expression and assimilation. I’m not sure Toomer makes a judgment about which is ultimately the “right” choice, but I think that he just highlights the fact that there is a choice. I don’t even know where to start with the “Being” and “Exile” part of the poem. I know that there’s so much in there as far as meaning goes, but I can’t begin to unlock it without some help.