Consider the poems Dreaming Black Boy and Epitaph

Categories: Poems

Essay, Pages 3 (537 words)

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a) Compare the methods which these two poems deal with the experience of oppression and racism. b) State which of the 2 poems you find more disturbing, and offer reasons to support your answer. c) Identify and remark on 2 poetic devices utilized in each poem to highlight the operations of injustice or bigotry. "Dreaming Black Boy" and "Epitaph" are two poems which attend to the issues of oppression and bigotry. though they both deal with the very same issue, it is dealt with and talked about differently.

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In" Dreaming Black Kid", the personality, a young black young boy in school, discuss his goals and dreams.

He wishes for an end to racism. The persona attempts to use his education to try to get away the harsh reality of racism. He not only discusses what is going on around him now, but likewise the past and even how he would like things to be in the future. He longs for acceptance, a good education, success, to travel and a break from psychological slavery.

He stops working to grasp that regardless of his intelligence and physical maturity, the racist treatment will continue. Thinking that what he experiences as a young kid is the worst, he has yet to discover out how it is in the future.

On the other hand, "Epitaph", a substantially shorter poem, has to do with a black slave who was hanged. People stop what they are doing to enjoy the sight, yet the remainder of the world continues to go on.

the sugar cane continues to grow. Unlike in "Dreaming Black Boy", the personality in "Epitaph" is an adult, searching a past occurrence and talking about how these types of occasions have impacted on our lives today. "Epitaph" appears to be the most troubling as it suggests that much of these slaves' deaths are forgotten. The idea or concept that life goes on after you die and all you are awarded is a "pause".

The images in "Epitaph" are also more graphic. In "Dreaming Black Boy", the poet uses euphemism to down play the harsh reality of the young black boy. For example, "plotters in pajamas" is used to refer to the klu klux klan, a group infamous for the terror they caused on the black race. The main literary device used in "Dreaming Black Boy" is allusion. The persona alludes to white supremacy groups, a famous singer etcetera, to express the things he would like to change about his reality. "Epitaph" uses the "apostrophe" to give a visual image of the black slave hanging and swinging as he is hanged.

This metaphor is effective in showing also how the slave has taken on the problems of the black race as his own. And his death belongs to the blacks. It is their history. Racism and slavery are two of the most controversial and oppressive elements in human history. Though both poems differ in style and technique, both successfully describe the physical and emotional effects of racism and oppression (slavery). This success is achieved through the use of allusions, vivid images, symbolic language and even euphemism.