Banneker by Rita Dove

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Banneker refers to Benjamin Banneker who was the first black man to predict a solar eclipse accurately and devise an almanac. [1]

Poetry

What did he do except lie

under a pear tree, wrapped in

a great cloak, and meditate

on the heavenly bodies?

Venerable, the good people of Baltimore

whispered, shocked and more than

a little afraid. After all it was said

he took to strong drink.

Why else would he stay out

under the stars all night

and why hadn’t he married?

But who would want him! Neither

Ethiopian nor English, neither

lucky nor crazy, a capacious bird

humming as he penned in his mind

another enflamed letter

to President Jefferson—he imagined

the reply, polite and rhetorical.

Those who had been to Philadelphia

reported the statue

of Benjamin Franklin

before the library

his very size and likeness.

A wife? No, thank you.

At dawn he milked

the cows, then went inside

and put on a pot to stew

while he slept. The clock

he whittled as a boy

still ran. Neighbors

woke him up

with warm bread and quilts.

At nightfall he took out

his rifle—a white-maned

figure stalking the darkened

breast of the Union—and

shot at the stars, and by chance

one went out. Had he killed?

I assure thee, my dear Sir!

Lowering his eyes to fields

sweet with the rot of spring, he could see

a government’s domed city

rising from the morass and spreading

in a spiral of lights.... [2]

Author

Dove was the second African-American woman to be named Poet Laureate of the United States, as well as winning a Pulitzer Prize for poetry for the second (Thomas and Beulah, 1987). [3]

Racism Issue

This poem portrays the Banneker as an intellect stating in “what did he do except lie / under a pear tree,” yet the impression contrasted with the author’s interpretation, judging by “the good people of Baltimore”. The tension continues until Banneker fights back with response, “he penned in his mind / another enflamed letter / to President Jefferson”, shows as a protagonist's response to the racial pressure. The poem must be demonstrated to illustrate the segregation which dominates the poem as the subject is a black scientist, Benjamin Banneker. [4]

The main theme of the Banneker focuses on the racial inequalities. The tone of the poem which seems to be candid, based on the truthful facts and little sarcastic upon what whites thought about black and abolitionists are seen as a problem. The author pointed out small things that most people may be unaware of, showing self-experience tension and how the author attacked the tensions politically. [5]

References

  1. Banneker by Rita Dove. Poetry Out Loud. Retrieved January 17, 2021
  2. Banneker BY RITA DOVE. Poetry Foundation. Retrieved January 17, 2021
  3. Banneker by Rita Dove. Poetry Out Loud. Retrieved January 17, 2021
  4. Spotlight on Rita Dove. Rota Dpve at Wand1. March 4, 2012. Retrieved January 17, 2021
  5. Contemporary Poet: Rita Dove. Emonicon Temp and Classsical. February 4, 2014. Retrieved January 17, 2021