It is interesting to note the clear shift in the poetry that we have read for this class. Not only have the form of the poems taken a leap towards informal and artistic, with Audre Lord's "Sahara" as just one example, but the content has also shifted. While there is certainly a strong similarity in the commentary on social injustices, stereotypes and hardships faced by African American people despite the passage of time, there is a new focus on life, blackness and internal pride. The commentary on time spent in jail and run-ins with racist law have come to the forefront. In addition, the questionings of identity continue to wage on as seen in "Hard Rock" and "the Idea of Ancestry."
The language, like the form, also moves closer to the colloquial or vernacular including slang and the use of the "n" word while the arrangement and diction still carry an air of art. This seems to support the reading by Collins and Crawford about the Black Power and Black is Beautiful movements.
On a specific note I was struck by Etheridge Knight's "Belly Song" becuase I found the metaphor of the internal river to be so powerful, and thought the ending left a strong feeling in the mind of the reader. Not only did it bring about a kind of kinship, or commonality in the struggle of living life and persevering together, but the poem itself served as a summary of the difficulties of life, the honor of those who have died and the commitment to each other to continue to fight together. I would be interested to know how this poem was intended and how it was recieved by its audience.
Just a few thoughts from me! Hope class goes well today and sorry I cannot be there!
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