Black Joy Flashcards
1
Q
Subject Matter
A
- Childhood, the joyful experiences of growing up in a balck household
- Counters perception of black childhood being painful
2
Q
Purpose
A
- to highlight the richness and complexity of Black childhood
- counter the stereotype that the black experience is dominated by pain
3
Q
Emotion
A
- nostalgic
- stanza 8: irritation at the reductive way black childhoods are often portrayed
4
Q
Structure
A
Free verse, short/long lines, short stanzas
5
Q
Language
A
- Simple, colloquial - references to everyday childhood
- Cultural references “iRama, umngqusho, rooibos”
6
Q
Imagery
A
Metaphor: The mouth as a “wound with pus and gangrene” symbolizes the forced narrative of pain that overshadows the poet’s expressions of joy.
7
Q
Movement
A
- Enjambment - flow from one image to another
- “But isn’t it funny?” - marks shift in tone from a personal memory to a social criticism
8
Q
Sound
A
“sausage shapes”
“spanked, syllables, sins”
