Oppresion and Racism

Consider the poems "Dreaming Black Boy" and "Epitaph".

a) Compare the ways in which these two poems deal with the experience of oppression and racism.
b) State which of thevtwo poems you find more disturbing, and give reasons to support your answer.
c) Identify and comment on TWO poetic devices used in each poem to highlight the workings of oppression or racism.

"Dreaming Black Boy" and "Epitaph" are two poems which address the issues of oppression and racism. though they both deal with the same problem, it is handled and discussed differently.
   In " Dreaming Black Boy", the persona, a young black boy in school, talks about his aspirations and dreams. He hopes for an end to racism. The persona tries to use his education to try to escape the harsh reality of racism. He not only mentions what is going on around him now, but also 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 mental slavery. He fails to grasp that despite his intelligence and physical maturity, the racist treatment will continue. thinking that what he experiences as a young boy is the worst, he has yet to find out how it is in the future. On the other hand, "Epitaph", a significantly shorter poem, is about a black slave who was hanged. people stop what they are doing  to watch the sight, yet the rest of the world continues to go on. the sugar cane continues to grow. unlike in "Dreaming Black Boy", the persona in "Epitaph" is an adult, looking on a past occurrence and commenting on how these types of events have impacted on our lives today.
   "Epitaph" appears to be the most disturbing as it suggests that many of these slaves' deaths are forgotten. the idea or notion 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.

"To Dah-Duh, in Memoriam"

Here is a site with a summary and a few notes on the story.

http://www.bulbsoup.com/ssa-to-dah-duh.html

What to know for the End of Year Exam

POETRY

• "Dreaming Black Boy"
• "Epitaph"
• "This is the Dark Time My love"
• "It is the Constant Image of your Face"
• "The Woman speaks to the man who has employed her son"

PROSE

• "Emma"
• "Septimus"
• "The Boy Who loved Ice-cream"
• "To Dah-Duh, in Memoriam"
• "Mom Luby and the Social Worker"

DRAMA

• Women in society
• Sub plots and their role within the play.

Literary Devices

Allegory - a symbolic representation
i.e. The blindfolded figure with scales is an allegory of justice.

Alliteration - the repetition of the initial consonant. There should be at least two repetitions in a row. 
i.e. Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.

Allusion – A reference to a famous person or event in life or literature. 
i.e. She is as pretty as the Mona Lisa.

• Allusion in Prose and Poetry

Analogy - the comparison of two pairs which have the same relationship. 
i.e. shoe is to foot as tire is to wheel

• What's an Analogy?

Assonance - the repetition of similar vowel sounds in a sentence.

Climax - the turning point of the action in the plot of a play or story. The climax represents the point of greatest tension in the work.

Foreshadowing - hints of what is to come in the action of a play or a story

Hyperbole - a figure of speech involving exaggeration.

Metaphor - A comparison in which one thing is said to be another. 
i.e. The cat's eyes were jewels, gleaming in the darkness.

Onomatopoeia - the use of words to imitate the sounds they describe.
i.e. The burning wood crackled and hissed.

Oxymoron - putting two contradictory words together. 
i.e. bittersweet, jumbo shrimp, and act naturally

Personification - is giving human qualities to animals or objects.
i.e. The daffodils nodded their yellow heads.

Pun - A word is used which has two meanings at the same time, which results in humor.

Simile - figure of speech involving a comparison between unlike things using like, as, or as though. 

i.e. She floated in like a cloud.

Remember that in the exam you will not only be asked to identify the literary device, but also show how it is effective. What effect does the device have in the piece?