Carl Sandburg once said that "poetry is an echo, asking a shadow to dance." Echo here refers to multiple appearances of imagery in a poem, which allows readers to think freely on a topic that the poet wants to bring about with such imagery. This essay would study the poems Alternative Names of Black Boys by Danez Smith, The Walk by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni and Eclipse by C. Dale Young respectively, which all contain imageries of light, although they talk about different topics, and allow different 'shadows' to dance.
Table of Contents
- Alternative Names of Black Boys
- Smoke above the burning bush
- Archnemesis of summer night
- Coal awaiting spark & wind
- Oil heavy starlight
- Phoenix who forgets to un-ash
- What once passed for kindling
- Fireworks at dawn
- The Walk
- Patent-leather shoes
- Woodfires
- Thick glossy green
- O Kindly Light
- The sun's pale eye
- Sudden streetlamp
- Eclipse
- Sunlight from the window
- Plastic pen vibrates
- Holiness of halo
- Setting sun occulted
Objectives and Key Themes
This essay examines the use of light imagery in three poems: Alternative Names of Black Boys by Danez Smith, The Walk by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, and Eclipse by C. Dale Young. The essay explores how these imageries serve the themes of the poems, specifically focusing on how the "shadows" created by the light imagery contribute to the overall meaning and impact of each poem.
- The power dynamics and societal injustices faced by marginalized groups
- The role of light imagery in representing power and its absence
- The interplay of light and shadow in creating symbolic meaning
- The exploration of different forms of power, including divine power, social power, and personal power
- The use of paradox and metaphor to enhance the poetic effect
Chapter Summaries
In Alternative Names of Black Boys, the imagery of light is used to explore the power dynamics and societal injustices faced by Black boys. Through various descriptions, the poem highlights the complex relationship between Black boys and power, showcasing how their potential for greatness is often overshadowed by societal limitations. The poem explores the paradoxical nature of power, where Black boys may possess immense potential but are frequently rendered invisible or marginalized. The essay analyzes how the imagery of smoke, coal, and starlight creates a powerful sense of both presence and absence, ultimately inviting readers to consider the "shadow" of powerlessness that haunts Black boys.
The Walk, a prose poem, employs light imagery to contrast the experiences of the Irish nuns and the Indian locals. The poem draws on religious symbolism, particularly the concept of Jesus as the light of the world, to highlight the power dynamics at play. The imagery of patent-leather shoes, hesitant woodfires, and glossy green shrubs serves to depict the nuns' perception of themselves as superior to the Indian population. This imagery reveals how the nuns' belief in their own righteousness and the power they wield over the children in their care leads to a distorted view of the world. Ultimately, the poem questions the validity of their power and exposes the limitations of their perspective.
Eclipse, a poem focusing on a patient with a spinal injury, explores the power dynamics between mortals and gods. The poem uses light imagery to symbolize the divine power that controls the patient's fate. The sunlight from the window, the shining plastic pen, and the holiness of the titanium halo highlight the patient's dependence on divine intervention. The eclipse imagery ultimately represents the patient's defiance against the gods and their seemingly arbitrary power. Through the lens of light imagery, the poem questions the nature of power and the limitations of human agency in the face of divine control.
Keywords
This essay explores the use of light imagery in poetry, focusing on the themes of power, societal injustice, marginalized groups, religious symbolism, divine power, and paradox. The poems analyzed in the essay employ light imagery to represent both the presence and absence of power, ultimately inviting readers to consider the "shadows" of power dynamics and social inequities.
- Quote paper
- Kwan Lung Chan (Author), 2016, Imageries of Light in "Alternative Names of Black Boys" by Danez Smith, "The Walk" by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni and "Eclipse" by C. Dale Young, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/448153
