Scribd
Upload
17 views2 pages

One of Me: Selected Poems (Macmillan, 2004) - His Honors Included

The poem is about a black boy who dreams of being treated equally without facing harassment or obstacles due to his race. He yearns for basic freedoms and opportunities without the difficulties his ancestors faced under slavery. The poem uses repetition and allusions to slavery, the KKK, and activist Paul Robeson to convey the boy's hopes and the realities of racism he observes.

Uploaded by

Ffff Dddd
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
17 views2 pages

One of Me: Selected Poems (Macmillan, 2004) - His Honors Included

The poem is about a black boy who dreams of being treated equally without facing harassment or obstacles due to his race. He yearns for basic freedoms and opportunities without the difficulties his ancestors faced under slavery. The poem uses repetition and allusions to slavery, the KKK, and activist Paul Robeson to convey the boy's hopes and the realities of racism he observes.

Uploaded by

Ffff Dddd
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

Name of Poem: Dreaming Black Boy

Poet: James Berry


Background of Poet. “James Berry was born in Jamaica in 1924. He grew up in Jamaica
and at the age of seventeen went to work in America and eventually
settled in England, where he would spend the rest of his life.

Berry published his first book, Fractured Circles (Beacon Press), in


1979, and rose to prominence two years later when he won the
National Poetry Competition. He was the first West Indian poet to
win the prestigious prize.

Berry is the author of several books of poetry and children’s


literature, including A Story I Am In: Selected Poems (Bloodaxe
Books, 2011), Windrush Songs (Bloodaxe Books, 2007), and Only
One of Me: Selected Poems(Macmillan, 2004). His honors included
the Smarties Prize, the Signal Poetry Award, and the Cholmondeley
Award. In 1990 he was awarded an OBE for his services to poetry.
He died on June 20, 2017.”

Reference: https://poets.org/poet/james-berry

What does the title mean to A boy hoping for a better life.
you?

Summary of the poem. The poem is about a black boy who wishes that he can have access
to the basic things in life without being harassed for it. He yearns to
be treated like a normal human being. He does not want to be treated
like his ancestors.

What do you think the poem 1. A little boy.


means? 2. He is talking about his dreams of being treated
1. Who is the subject? equally and fairly.
2. What are the characters 3. To educate us on what coloured people go though,
talking about? how many obstacles they need to overcome.
3. Why do you think the 4. N/A
author wrote the poem? 5. N/A
4. When is the poem 6. N/A
happening? 7. It shifts from his dreams to his treatment by others
5. Where is the poem and how his ancestors suffered.
happening?
6. How does the poem
shift from person to
person or between times
or places?

Poetic Devices and explanation Repetition- the phrase-”I wish”


of the line:
(simile, metaphor, pun, Allusion
personification) -​​Stanza 1, lines 6 and 7, "I'm no wood chopper now like all
ancestors." alludes to slavery, the state of lacking control over one's
own life and destiny. The fact that reference is made to this hints to
how the persona feels about his life. He does not feel as if he has
control over it.

- Stanza 3, lines 19 to 20, "And hold high, my voice Paul Robesons,


my inside eye a sun." alludes to Paul Robeson, a black intellectual,
who attained success despite difficult circumstances. The persona
yearns to be like this person. He wants room to stretch intellectually.

- Stanza 4, lines 22 to 25,"I wish torch throwers of night would burn


lights for decent times. Wish plotters in pajamas would pray..."
alludes to the klu klux klan. Burning lights refers to the burning of
crosses and the pajamas alludes to their white outfits that look like
pajamas. The persona wants them to leave him alone, find
something else to do other than make his life difficult by
contributing to his wishes remaining in the realm of the dreams.
Important words or phrases:
‘not sink to lick boots’

This refers to the concept of being subservient. To have no choice


but to kowtow to people in order to get ahead.

‘Inside eye a sun’

This refers to the persona’s mind. He wants to show how intelligent


he is without fear. He wants his mind to be a sun. Sun represents
brightness and light, that is how he wants his intelligence to shine.

Reference:
https://csecenglishmadeeasy.com/2016/06/2016-06-dreaming-black-
boy-james-berry-html/

Theme(s) and explanation as to Racism


why you chose that theme: Desire/Dreams/Aspirations
Childhood Experiences
Freedom
Equality
Justic
Oppression
Survival

Tone Sadness

Mood Sadness

Vocabulary and definition Paul Robeson: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Paul-Robeson


Additional Notes:

Rubric: Content: ______/17


Grammar and Mechanics: _____/3

Total: _______/20

You might also like