One of my favorite poems by Martha Collins is [14] in which she published in 2012. She opens the poem with a metaphor as she describes black keys and white keys. The opening line "black keys from trees white keys locked, on black shoulders locked together above" is possibly the most powerful line in the poem. Black keys representing black people and white keys representing white people. In my interpretation of this poem, this line is describing the oppression black people face from white people through out history. In a darker thought, this line is describing the hanging of black keys in the trees. The title itself inspired my interpretation, reminding me of Beethoven's "Moonlight" Sonata No.14. The sound of the Sonata brings a flow to the poem and matches the somber tone of the pianos backstory. The poem then goes on to tell the tale of a group of African slaves that have to edure the hellish task of retrieving, carrying, and delivering elephant tusks to buyers. Many of the slaves die during the journey, but are easily replaced. The ivory tusks are used in the creating of thousands of pianos. Collins relates herself to the poem with mentioning that her grandmother owned a piano made by through this process. Then reiterates the behind-the-scenes horror by mentioning that in the capturing of new slaves, villages were burned. Collins also reminds the audience that slaves were used till the 20th century, informing the reader that such events were honestly recent. Using great diction through out the poem, Collins concludes the piece with a deep thought that embodies the whole theme of the poem. She makes the point that that an African slave couldve carried the ivory that was used to make the very piano that she played. The concluding thought leaves the reader wondering about where the things they touch or own came from. What was the history of the objects they touch? What went into making them? What was their true price of production? I enjoyed this poem as it did leave me with that lingering question of what went into my surroundings.
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In 2006 Martha Collins published a poem called Lynch. This poem is about a society in which racial prejudice does not occur. She begins the poem by describing the society by comparing it to an efficiently operating wheel. She then introdues a general character that represents those who gain a new status after retiring from another high status position, "as when a captain turned judge and gave it his name." Collins gives some elements of foreshadowing through the title which means a lawful punishment or execution. In a jail, they mention a white inmate and a black inmate. The white inmate killed his wife because she had refused him. It is said that the black inmates crime had been misplaced. The decision is made to execute the white inmate rather than the black inmate. This gives a heavy hint as to the time this society existed in. If this society had been set in any time before the 1960s, it would have been the black inmate chosen for execution. I believe Collins intentions with this poem was to have it open for interpretation. My interpretation was that this piece was a reflection on the idea that swift and accurate justice always be served. A justice that in not prejudice. I personally enjoyed this poem, because I enjoy figuring out what each line means and how it adds to the poem. Describing a well-oiled machine with a moral compass that points in the right direction, this poem showed great diction.
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AuthorI am a senior student of Advanced Placement literature. Enjoy! ArchivesCategories |