Banneker by Rita Dove
Banneker refers to Benjamin Banneker who was the first black man to predict a solar eclipse accurately and devise an almanac. [1]
Contents
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
- ↑ Banneker by Rita Dove. Poetry Out Loud. Retrieved January 17, 2021
- ↑ Banneker BY RITA DOVE. Poetry Foundation. Retrieved January 17, 2021
- ↑ Banneker by Rita Dove. Poetry Out Loud. Retrieved January 17, 2021
- ↑ Spotlight on Rita Dove. Rota Dpve at Wand1. March 4, 2012. Retrieved January 17, 2021
- ↑ Contemporary Poet: Rita Dove. Emonicon Temp and Classsical. February 4, 2014. Retrieved January 17, 2021