Introduction
Terrance Hayes is one of the most prominent poets in the history of American sonnets. He was born in Columbia and earned an MFA from the University of Pittsburgh. In his writing, Hayes creates formal constraints and employs the theme of popular culture, music, race, and masculinity. His anthology of poems has won different awards and continues to receive tremendous applause for the traditional way Hayes expresses himself. This paper will develop an analytical discussion of how theme, diction, imagery, and tone have been employed in the “American Sonnet for My Past and Future Assassin.” This will be based on the poems “Inside Me Is a Black-eyed Animal” and “Why Are You Bugging Me, You Stank Minuscule Husk.”
Main body
The author addresses the theme of contemporary society in America and its politics. The sonnet was written after the 2016 US election and is directed at the violence experienced against American racism (Burt 14). The opening of the poem “American Sonnet for My Past and Future Assassin” contradicts the central message of how the poet feels and the conflict of being a black American. The oppression of black Americans and racism have been deeply explored in both poems.
The poem “Inside Me Is a Black-eyed Animal” uses metaphors to compare the black-eyed animal to the voice of a repressed individual. The poet explains that though the bird is giant, it has been suppressed that it only mimics a ball and cannot fly wildly (Hayes 18). This hinders the black Americans from exploring the wild terrains like racism that has constrained them for a long. The poem’s theme of freedom is evident when the author states that the bird would rather be free than constricted in a dreary Cage.
Through the poem “Why Are You Bugging Me, You Stank Minuscule Husk,” Hayes shows the black man’s oppression and need to deliberate him from the assassin. He condemns the hatred toward black Americans by celebrating figures such as Baldwin and Maxine Waters (Burt 30). Themes of conflict and violence are experienced throughout the two poems as expressed by the author. Being part of the American Sonnets and fighting for the black Americans is ironic for the author. In addition, the poet makes critics the crimes committed against people of color by the government.
The poem has a neutral tone that portrays positivity throughout the story. The reader experiences this at the beginning when the speaker compares himself to a black-eyed animal that has wings and is vast like a bull. This comparison sets the mood when the poet takes the role of an animal. As the poem progresses, the tone changes to freedom since the burden is taken off the author and the reader. This is experienced when the author wants to be free instead of being constricted. The sonnet expresses a tone of contemplation and uncertainty when the speaker questions himself and is reluctant to outline his thoughts. The poem opens with anticipation when the speaker shares that he is unsure how to hold his face when dancing. This tone is seen throughout the sonnet and sets the determination to fight for the black oppressed individual.
Hayes employs imagery to show the need to be free and escape from the black American identity. He describes how huge the bull inside him is, though the animal is the size of a nipple ring, proving how his emotions are struggling to achieve his purpose. The first imagery is created in the black-eyed animal expressed as a small stall (Hayes 21). This calls a mind of an animal waiting for the right time to lash out its anger and the feeling trapped inside. The thousands of blackbirds whipping in a storm express the power and enthusiasm within the poem. The “Minuscule Stank Husk” is a troublesome racist who expects the African Americans to honor him (Hayes 24. According to the poet, he does not meet the threshold to be applauded by the black boy.
Diction has been used throughout the poems to reveal the characters ad the attitude of the speaker. “Inside Me Is a Black-eyed Animal” is one big stanza and has no rhyme patterns. The poet uses a free approach as a desire for his freedom at the end of the poem. The blackbird has been used to express the dirt and the unconstrained autonomy by the poet. The author employs the words ‘bedeviled tweezers’ and ‘stank minuscule husk’ to stress the oppression he is experiencing and the people suppressing him (Jackson and Lehman 60). He uses a stinking stinkbug to show the reader how tired he is with the struggle. Hayes’s different use of words and phrases stresses the need for freedom and lets the people of color in America have their space.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the poems focus on the black man and his battles to comprehend his place in modern society. The speaker illustrates this dilemma in the verses by expressing different themes, using imagery, and setting the right tone for the message. This symbolizes the art of the American region as well as across the world. The author believes being an African American makes one a white people’s disposal, hence the need to escape from the black identity and set them free.
Works Cited
Burt, Stephanie. Don’t Read Poetry: A Book about How to Read Poems. Basic Books, 2019.
Hayes, Terrance. American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin. Penguin Books, 2018, p. 12-30.
Jackson, Major, and David Lehman. The Best American Poetry, 2019. Scribner Poetry, 2019.