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Literature Analysis Essay

Introduction

Racial inequality has been a significant concern for the past two or more centuries and

still exists to date. There have been rising concerns about the future of the black community

living in America, accompanied by the most recent global demonstration themed black lives

matter. This resulted from the death of George Floyd at the hands of racist police officers; an

officer held him down, putting his knee on his neck leading to suffocation. Inequality can take

various forms, including unequal access to the legal system, housing, healthcare, work, and

education. Society contributes to the persistence of inequality, yet they are also fighting it. This

essay focuses on three poems, namely, " How to Raise a Black Son in America," "Ballad of the

Landlord," and "Color Caste Denomination. "The poems show how fear of racism is passed

down from generation to generation, exploiting people of color by depicting them as criminals

and death as the greatest equalizer, respectively.

“How to Raise a Black Son in America” shows how parents pass down the fear of

racism. Clint Smith is an educator and activist who uses poetry as his voice. His spoken word

poetry gives the listeners a glimpse into how he learned the dangers of life at such a young age.

“How to Raise a Black Son in America” provides a speech on the realities of race and the

principles taught to him as a child that is incredibly persuasive and profoundly moving. Smith
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discusses the disturbing and unjust facts of being a young black American kid, the sacrifices they

must make, and the life lessons his father instilled in him when he was a child. Smith used the

instance in his childhood when his father forbade him from playing the water guns’ game with

his white friends and the terror that his father showed to explain further the unfair and disturbing

realities of being a young black child growing up in America. “My parents raised my siblings

and me in an armor of advice, an ocean of alarm bells so someone wouldn't steal the breath from

our lungs" (Smith). His parents taught him the dangers of racism while inadvertently instilling in

him to always fear for his life. This type of parenting is pretty common within the Black

community, with most parents opting for an authoritarian style of parenting (McMurtry 1).

However, Smith rejects the idea that black people should fear for their lives whenever they go

outside and instead believes in a world where everyone can be equal. Smith's fast-paced speech

reinforces his message's urgency, which evokes listeners' emotions. This urgency is reasonable

as many Black people experience difficulty even in their most basic need, which is a comfortable

house.

“Ballad of the Landlord” shows how black people struggled to find a home. Langston

Hughes is a poet and playwright known for his social activism. His poem illustrates how the

landlord system exploits black people by depicting them as criminals. Hughes relates the tale of a

Black tenant who experiences discrimination from his landlord and is refused access to essential

apartment maintenance in "Ballad of the Landlord." As the tenant refuses to pay rent until the

repairs are performed, the landlord becomes hostile toward him. “What? You gonna get eviction

orders? You gonna cut off my heat? You gonna take my furniture and Throw it in the street?”

(Hughes). The landlord is exploiting the black tenant by refusing to do the repairs and instead

resorting to threats of evicting the tenant. However, in the end, society sided with the
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manipulative landlord and threw the tenant in jail. The poem, first published in 1940, is

renowned for its stinging indictment of the racism and housing discrimination African

Americans endured in the United States in the early 20th century. During his period, Blacks and

other minority groups, such as Jews, experienced housing discrimination (Fine 84). In order to

portray a story that is rooted in the realities of African American existence, “Ballad of the

Landlord” uses a traditional ballad format. The poem's language is straightforward and robust,

emphasizing both the immediacy of the tenant's predicament and the giant fight for racial

equality. The repetition of the words "landlord" and "police" shows how people cry for help and

how one is heard while neglected. Not having equal access to housing needs leaves some people

in a sad state, with some of them, unfortunately, thinking that death is the only thing where they

can be equal to others.

In “Color Caste Denomination," death is the great equalizer. Emily Dickinson is regarded

as one of the most influential figures in American poetry. Her poem shows how society created

this illusion of inequality and how this stratification is pointless in death's eyes. The

personification in the poem helps the readers immerse themselves in it. "As in sleep – all Hue

forgotten – Tenets – put behind – Death’s large – Democratic fingers Rub away the Brand”

(Dickinson). The poem by Emily Dickinson seems to imply that race, caste, and religious

affiliation are ultimately unimportant in the face of death and that these distinctions are

eliminated after death. The speaker argues that even the most desirable characteristics, like

blonde or Circassian features, are rendered useless by death, a democratic force that does not

discriminate based on these cultural divisions. The poem critiques how society divides and

values people according to their race, caste, and religion, implying that these distinctions are

ultimately meaningless. This viewpoint also questions the notion that race, caste, and
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denomination are unchangeable components of our identities and implies they may be more

adaptable and flexible than we typically think. While it is true that everyone will die someday, to

say that everyone is equal in death is a misleading generalization. Black people faced more

burdens concerning death than white people. For instance, When compared to Whites, Blacks

had a much more significant burden of COVID-19 in terms of prevalence, hospitalization, and

death ratios (Mude et al. 1). People should not wait for death to be equal. Ultimately, whether

one believes in death as the great equalizer does not change the idea that death should not be the

only thing people are equal in.

Conclusion

In summary, " How to Raise a Black Son in America" depicts how fear of racism is

passed down from one generation to the next, "Ballad of the Landlord" shows the exploitation of

people of color by depicting them as criminals and "Color Caste Denomination" shows death as

the greatest equalizer is both plausible and misleading all at the same time. The issue of

inequality should be resolved as soon as possible to protect future generations from falling

victims and prevent further escalation. It is both individual and collective responsibility to fight

inequality and create an environment that allows the peaceful coexistence of all races.

Furthermore, all humans are black when the lights go off. These three poems provide an

understanding of the challenges of people of color and provide insight into a possible solution.
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Works Cited

Dickinson, Emily. “Color Caste Denomination.” Wordsrum, 7 Dec. 2022,

https://wordsrum.com/2020/08/color-caste-denomination-analysis/.

Fine, Sidney. “Michigan and Housing Discrimination, 1949-1968.” The Michigan Historical

Review, vol. 23, no. 2, 1997, pp. 81–114. https://doi.org/10.2307/20173676.

Hughes, Langston. “Ballad of the Landlord.” National Humanities Center,

http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/pds/maai3/protest/text11/hugheslandlord.pdf.

McMurtry, Sarah Lynette, "Parenting Style Differences in Black American and White American

Young Adults." 2013. Dissertations. 194. https://aquila.usm.edu/dissertations/194

Mude, William, et al. “Racial Disparities in Covid-19 Pandemic Cases, Hospitalisations, and

Deaths: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Journal of Global Health, vol. 11,

2021, https://doi.org/10.7189/jogh.11.05015.

Smith, Clint. “How to Raise a Black Son in America.” Clint Smith: How to Raise a Black Son in

America | TED Talk,

https://www.ted.com/talks/clint_smith_how_to_raise_a_black_son_in_america/transcript?

language=en.