Although my blog is mainly on the subject of environmental, and global change, it fits under the broad topic of unification. In order to save our planet, and create a better place for our species, we need to deal with human problems on a more personal basis. To fix this damaged planet, we need to unify humanity first. Humanity has many minority groups, and many issues, but the main one that has divided people in the past, and is continuing to do so is racism. We need to solve racism before we go and tackle issues like climate change. If we can’t fix out intra-species issues, how on earth would we be able to fix our global, and environmental issues? Bellow, I have written a poem on racism, both to improve this blog, and to link different world issues.
Black and White
I’m segregated.
Alone. .
Forever.
My future is blank, like a white piece of paper.
White.
It won’t change, of course not.
It was dictated from the moment I was born –
I had no choice, I had no say.
It won’t improve, it’ll stay the same.
It won’t change.
And yet they say things have.
But they haven’t.
I’m trapped in a dark net, enclosed,
Constricted,
black space.
Black.
The status quo mandates
That people of color.
Cannot rise up, and challenge people
Whose skin is white – a blank canvas.
But can they?
Literary Intent
In my poem “Black and White,” I explore the subject of racial segregation. Racism is deeply disturbing – it’s putrid, so I decided to write a poem about it. The poem itself doesn’t follow a particular structure, it’s free verse. It also has no rhyming words. This was done purposely, as rhyme lightens the mood of the poem, and detracts from its seriousness. The speaker is a black individual, who’s sick of segregation and oppression. The poem has a depressing, pessimistic feel to it in the beginning, where it talks about racism, and how it won’t go away – how racial segregation won’t change. In the third line, the speaker refers to their future as being “blank.” The word “blank” links to the white race – in this case, the oppressing power. The speaker refers to their future as being “blank” to show division, and evoke emotions of inequality. The next line is simply the word “white,” italicized, to draw attention to it, further supporting the idea of oppression and segregation. Then, the speaker refers to themselves as being “trapped in a dark net,” and being “constricted in a black space.” The line after that is the word “black” italicized. This was done similarly to the lines where the speaker refers to the white race, but this time in contrast, referring to black people instead. The word “constricted” inspires feelings of oppression, and of fear. Finally, The poem explains the status quo: how black people are expected to kneel down to whites. The penultimate line refers to white skin, or rather, white people, as being a “blank canvas,” suggesting that change can still occur, that white people can change too. The last line brings this idea together, ending the poem on a more positive, hopeful note, by asking the reader “But can they?”
Victor’s Art and Poetry Blog 