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 you? A boy hoping for a better life. 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 means? 1. Who is the subject? 2. What are the characters talking about? 3. Why do you think the author wrote the poem? 4. When is the poem happening? 5. Where is the poem happening? 6. How does the poem shift from person to person or between times or places? Poetic Devices and explanation of the line: (simile, metaphor, pun, personification) 1. A little boy. 2. He is talking about his dreams of being treated equally and fairly. 3. To educate us on what coloured people go though, how many obstacles they need to overcome. 4. N/A 5. N/A 6. N/A 7. It shifts from his dreams to his treatment by others and how his ancestors suffered. Repetition- the phrase-”I wish” Allusion -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-blackboy-james-berry-html/ Theme(s) and explanation as to why you chose that theme: Racism Desire/Dreams/Aspirations Childhood Experiences Freedom Equality Justic Oppression Survival Tone Sadness Mood Sadness Vocabulary and definition Additional Notes: Paul Robeson: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Paul-Robeson Rubric: Content: ______/17 Grammar and Mechanics: _____/3 Total: _______/20
