Cynthia,
You are starting something again... (LOL). There are several critical theories for interpreting works of art besides the literal readings...However, in modern literay criticism, the auhtor's "intentions" are of less importance because the post-modernist argument is that a text is subsumed within a "Grand Narrative"...In the case of my poem, this narrative might be the "American Dream" deconstructed from the perspective of the marginalized African-Americans....
This country, the US, was started with a spiritual quest for religious liberty, a different conception of liberty as you and I understand it today... And we all know the story of America since the Mayflower landed on the East coast. This is why I used the three motifs of color, religion and politics of hatred to defamiliarize some historically accepted "facts"..i.e. the epic struggle of the Black race in the US: Sold by their African brothers to the slave drivers, dehumanized by established religion in Bibilcal Scriptures, freed but still violated by Jim Crow laws, still being dubed and sold by their modern leaders...Whilst the battle for racial equality is almost won, gender inequality/oppression and other social pathologies still persists within the African-American communities.
Briefly, this is my motive if you wish, for writing the poem...but of course it is open to interpretation.
Ebou
Cynthia Daniels <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Ebou, I can see why this poem would be offensive to both African Americans and Whites. It would be interesting to know what you were thinking about when you wrote this poem because it appears you may have contempt for certain aspects of American culture (Black and White).
Cynthia
Ebou Jallow wrote:
I attracted unwarranted controversy over a public reading of the original poem from both African-Americans/Whites who misjudged my intentions (which is an open game for any artist). I can only hope that my poetry only tells a story...the "unsaid story", as Heidegger puts it, for humans to understand and appreciate...Below is the slightly different original poem. Some of the language does sound politically incorrect and religiously improper ( there are two mangled lines from the Bible) but only as a technique to defamiliarize the obvious. I will forward this email to the G-L...Just in case....
Thanks for your comments,
Ebou
________
Why Am I So Black Nor White
Years of crucifying blue-eyed gaze
Soiled my black spirit and body nude;
Bought, bound ‘n’ bundled in blue,
Lynched on Christmaze trees for days.
Now my blues swing, jingle, and sell
When Santa KKKlaus makes me sing
Melodies of pain, jail and living hell…
"I’aint nigga, a boy or uncle tom no mo
I get me a bling bling , a house and a ho."
The heart of the born-again inclines to the right,
But the bleeding heart slouches towards the left.
King was spared a dream with the right bullet,
Sanctified black soul is bought with the left ballot;
Every four more years one more white promise
Gets garnished with a faithful black compromise.
We daydream a black and white dream no more
Nor redeem the Old Promise owed moons ago.
We hope, sing, joke, and sprint the last breath
Into despair, self-doubt, debt and gray death…
---------------------------------
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Mail - Find what you need with new enhanced search. Learn more.
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface
at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html
To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?S1=gambia-l
To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to:
[log in to unmask]
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
---------------------------------
Do you Yahoo!?
The all-new My Yahoo! – What will yours do?
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface
at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html
To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?S1=gambia-l
To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to:
[log in to unmask]
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
---------------------------------
Do you Yahoo!?
Take Yahoo! Mail with you! Get it on your mobile phone.
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface
at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html
To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?S1=gambia-l
To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to:
[log in to unmask]
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
|
