Ng Rui Qi
10A03
Sharon Olds- On the Subway
In this poem, Sharon Olds speaks of racism. She shows how one’s lifestyle
is completely dictated by his skin color from the very beginning.
“His feet are huge, in black sneakers laced with white in a complex
pattern like a set of intentional scars” shows that the black boy seems like a
social inferior to her, as though he were still a slave with scars, much like in older
times where white people freely abused black slaves.
“We are stuck on opposite sides of the car” shows us that despite the fact
that they’re in the same “car”, also the human race, their lives are completely
different. So different, in fact, that they are “opposite”.
“He has the casual cold look of a mugger, alert under hooded lids” shows
how racial stereotype has caused her to look upon him as a criminal, even though
he may be far from one.
“He is wearing red, like the inside of the body exposed. I am wearing dark
fur, the whole skin of an animal taken and used.” From this excerpt, we can see
that the black boy seems like an animal that has had his fur ripped off, to protect
her white body. This shows us that the blacks have been used unfairly in order to
protect the whites.
“And I didn’t know if I am in his power-he could take my coat so easily,
my briefcase, my life-” shows us how she assumes he is dangerous and criminal,
another racial stereotype because of his skin color.
“the way I am living off his life, eating the steak he does not eat, as if I am
taking food from his mouth” shows the disparity in lifestyles between the blacks
and whites. This shows us that the author feels that the whites have profited off
the blacks, possibly a reference to past colonial days or black slavery, and are now
more privileged than the blacks.
“I must profit from his darkness, the way he absorbs the murderous beams
of the nation’s heart, as black cotton absorbs the heat of the sun and holds it”
shows us how easily (black cotton absorbs heat very fast and retains it for a long
time) societal prejudices ( that black people are criminal, dangerous, violent,
cruel…) against black people. As a white person, she wishes to take advantage of
that too, as can be seen from “I must profit from his darkness”.
“There is no way to know how easy this white skin makes my life” shows
us how protected she is and her inability to comprehend the sufferings the black
have to undergo, thus her not knowing how privileged she is.
“his own back is being broken” shows us how the blacks are still being
marginalized.
“rob of his soul” shows us how from birth, the black boy was stripped of
any opportunities he could have obtained.
“the heart of a seedling ready to thrust up into any available light” shows
us how the black boy is full of potentials, which may be used both positively an
negatively. “any available light” also shows us how he will wander into any
venture he is provided, be it a criminal or a Nobel prize winner.
The poem thus shows us how racism has warped the whites and robbed
the blacks of any opportunities, which may end up tipping the black boy with so
much potential into grabbing any opportunities he has at all, be it for good or evil.