Imagery In African American Poetry

1. Imagery In African American Poetry Matt Clemons Mr. Bauman H American Lit 9 March 2011

2. Those Winter Sundays By Robert Hayden “…then with cracked hands that ached from labor in the weekday weather made banked fires blaze.” This quote brought the above image instantly to mind. It displays a pair of weathered hands that have clearly seen a tremendous amount of work. This helps me visualize to the father’s role in the poem. The father does much thankless work to ensure that his child remains safe. This thankless hard work is also seen in the labor of the many African American slaves who were forced to work in terrible conditions.

3. We Wear the MaskBy Paul Laurence Dunbar “We wear the mask that grins and lies” brings an image of a distraught person who feigns happiness to mind. This picture captures this feeling quite well. The subject, although visibly distraught, tries to give off the semblance that everything is fine. This, in some ways, represents the struggles of many African Americans who had to continue their hard work while not letting their distress show. This poem also uses apostrophe. “We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries to thee from tortured souls arise.” This quote powerfully shows the pain that many African Americans were going through, and suggests that they found solace in praying to God. Their smiles are mere facades that hide their true anguish.

4. HeritageBy Countee Cullen • “Strong bronzed men, or regal black women…” This quote brings to mind an image of a strong African man. Specifically, I envisioned an African warrior under the sun. I believe the above image captures this perfectly. This picture contradicts that of a weakened, beaten-down African American slave. On another level, it could represent how the strong African people became weak and oppressed when they were dragged into slavery. • This poem uses end rhyme, which I feel helps enhance the imagery greatly. “What is Africa to me: Copper sun or scarlet sea” is one of many examples of end rhyme. This use of rhyme helps add a new dimension to the poem and prepares the mind to accept the vibrant imagery that is also contained in the poem.

5. Subway Rush HourBy Langston Hughes • “Mingled breath and smell” brings the scent of another person’s breath to mind. This is just one of many cases of imagery I experience in this poem. I also feel the moist heat of breath on my face, as well as a full-body pressure caused by being tightly compressed by surrounding strangers. This poem makes me appreciate all the space I have throughout the day. • This poem also utilizes repetition. Specifically, the word “mingled” is repeated. “Mingled…mingled.” This word seems to suggest that the many people are bonded in some way, as if their limbs have become intertwined. These many strangers have a common connection that makes them one entity.

6. Adolescence—IIIBy Rita Dove This poem makes me experience a farm. “Looking out at the rows of clay and chicken manure” specifically gives me a strong scent of the chicken coops. There are many other examples of imagery in this poem—every line affects my senses in a different way. The scent of the farm, however, is experienced much more clearly in my opinion.