american political poetry in the 21st century - STIBA Malang
american political poetry in the 21st century - STIBA Malang
american political poetry in the 21st century - STIBA Malang
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EMBODIED AGENCY 55<br />
The rhetorical strategy of “The True Import” falls squarely with<strong>in</strong><br />
this debate. The poem fails as anyth<strong>in</strong>g beyond an example of a poem<br />
of authoritative agency not because of its refusal to compromise <strong>in</strong> a<br />
way that would please von Hallberg, nor because <strong>the</strong> poem is<br />
unequivocally racist as Redd<strong>in</strong>g would have it, but precisely because of<br />
<strong>the</strong> poem’s unyield<strong>in</strong>g authoritative voice. This particular figure of<br />
voice makes <strong>the</strong> poem appear as a literal appeal for blacks to kill whites<br />
ra<strong>the</strong>r than <strong>the</strong> figurative <strong>in</strong>junction po<strong>in</strong>ted out by Jennifer Walters<br />
<strong>in</strong> her essay on Giovanni and Dove. Walters implies that <strong>the</strong> notion of<br />
kill<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> poem is both symbolic and literal such that <strong>the</strong> poem can<br />
be understood as advocat<strong>in</strong>g “ ‘kill<strong>in</strong>g’ <strong>the</strong> white values imposed on<br />
Black America” (214; my emphasis) ra<strong>the</strong>r than as <strong>in</strong>discrim<strong>in</strong>ately<br />
kill<strong>in</strong>g white people. However, her claim is more wishful th<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g than<br />
rigorous read<strong>in</strong>g, as a brief exposition reveals.<br />
The <strong>in</strong>flammatory rhetoric of “The True Import” <strong>in</strong>cludes short,<br />
repetitive l<strong>in</strong>es devoid of punctuation but for two resonant question<br />
marks. The fifty-l<strong>in</strong>e poem <strong>in</strong>cludes “nigger” twelve times, “kill” twentyfour<br />
times, “you” twenty-five times, and “can” thirty times, rhetoric that<br />
clearly diverges from most poems of experiential agency. Giovanni’s<br />
experiences as an African American woman presumably authorize her<br />
to address with vitriol her black male audience, 12 and she has claimed<br />
that her “vitality” (ra<strong>the</strong>r than “role”) as a poet is based on a “trust”<br />
borne of personal experience. Accord<strong>in</strong>g to Giovanni, a poem says of<br />
its author “ ‘I saw this through my eyes’ ” (Elder 71), which is a claim<br />
that resonates with (and justifies) poems of experiential agency. But,<br />
importantly, her experience does not appear <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> poem, just <strong>the</strong><br />
authority borne of her experience as a black woman. The first three<br />
l<strong>in</strong>es have provocative voice: “Nigger / Can you kill / Can you kill.”<br />
Because <strong>the</strong> poem has no punctuation and it relies for its rhythm on<br />
<strong>the</strong> impatient, fast-paced spoken voice, <strong>the</strong>se l<strong>in</strong>es repeatedly challenge<br />
<strong>the</strong> audience. The repeated “Can you” creates an <strong>in</strong>sistent oral demand<br />
with<strong>in</strong> a “vernacular performance” as an “immediate, communal form<br />
to be experienced <strong>in</strong> public” (Smith “The Black” 101). Here, <strong>the</strong><br />
provocation twice reaches a spoken climax with a powerful “huh?,” not<br />
as markers of confusion but as demands for an answer as <strong>in</strong> a fast-paced<br />
game of <strong>the</strong> dozens that encourages immediate responsive action.<br />
These techniques seem to create a demand to act aga<strong>in</strong>st white people<br />
ra<strong>the</strong>r than a figurative <strong>in</strong>junction to “kill” white <strong>in</strong>stitutions.<br />
This claim is fulfilled by Giovanni’s own comments. She has said<br />
that this poem concerns her distaste for hear<strong>in</strong>g “talk of go<strong>in</strong>g out to<br />
die for our rights.” Dy<strong>in</strong>g, she says, “is not <strong>the</strong> hardest th<strong>in</strong>g to do.<br />
It’s harder to go out and kill for your rights.” She claims that