Discussion Questions for April 1, 2009

Discussion Questions for April 1, 2009

Quincy Troupe asks in his poem “Conversation Overheard”, “who made up this standard of beauty anyway?”. How is this a theme in the poems we have read so far, and how does this relate to the theme of “the mask?” How/ why have these become themes in African American poetry?

“It is Not” is a poem that is written in a way that is supposed to be read orally. Why did Quincy Troupe choose to write it this way, and how does this come back to the traditions of African American poetry? On the other hand, why do you think that “The Syntax of the Mind Grips” was not written in the same way? How do you think critics would see the two poems differently, and why do you think one type of writing is more likely to “the cannon”?

“Dualism” (Norton Anthology, 2058), a poem found in a book about racism and communism, speaks about being outside and inside a “hungry” history. This poem uses incorrect grammar, and ends with a misspelled word. Why do you think Ishmael Reed chose to write it this way?

Do you think that any musical artist today has Neo-HooDoo? How does this tie into the black aesthetic? Why does Ishmael Reed say that the Beatles were conjuring the music and ritual of a ‘Forgotten Faith” which is a “traditional enemy of Christianity”, but earlier says that Neo-HooDoo can be found in the “Pentecostal” and “Baptist”? What does the quote, “every man is an artist, and every artist is a priest” mean? (Neo-HooDoo Manifesto, 2063).

Why does Ishmael Reed continually speak about history in his poems? As discussed in previous classes, why do so many African American authors feel that they must speak about the history of “their people”?