A Fable by Etheridge Knight (1973)

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A Fable tells about a story of seven men and women and were jailed because of their races. Etheridge Knight describes that the prison system is so prejudiced, it is based on skin color, rather than one’s delinquencies, the reason someone can be imprisoned. [1]

Poetry

Once upon a today and yesterday and nevermore there were 7 men and women all locked / up in prison cells. Now these 7 men and women were innocent of any crimes; they were in prison because their skins were black. Day after day, the prisoners paced their cells, pining for their freedom. And the non-black jailers would laugh at the prisoners and beat them with sticks and throw their food on the floor. Finally, prisoner #1 said, “I will educate myself and emulate the non-colored people. That is the way to freedom—c’mon, you guys, and follow me.” “Hell, no,” said prisoner #2. “The only way to get free is to pray to my god and he will deliver you like he delivered Daniel from the lion’s den, so unite and follow me.” “Bullshit,” said prisoner #3. “The only way / out is thru this tunnel i’ve been quietly digging, so c’mon, and follow me.” “Uh-uh,” said prisoner #4, “that’s too risky. The only right / way is to follow all the rules and don’t make the non-colored people angry, so c’mon brothers and sisters and unite behind me.” “Fuck you!” said prisoner #5, “The only way / out is to shoot our way out, if all of you get / together behind me.” “No,” said prisoner #6, “all of you are incorrect; you have not analyzed the political situation by my scientific method and historical meemeejeebee. All we have to do is wait long enough and the bars will bend from their own inner rot. That is the only way.” “Are all of you crazy,” cried prisoner #7. “I’ll get out by myself, by ratting on the rest of you to the non-colored people. That is the way, that is the only way!” “No-no,” they / all cried, “come and follow me. I have the / way, the only way to freedom.” And so they argued, and to this day they are still arguing; and to this day they are still in their prison cells, their stomachs / trembling with fear. [2]

Auhtor

Etheridge Knight was born April 19, 1931, an African-American poet whose one of his remarkable works debuted in 1968, Poems from Prison. The book recalls in verse of his eight-year-long sentence after being arrested. His second book, Black Voices from Prison, first published in Italy in 1970 under the title Voce negre dal carcere. He was one of the major poets of the Black Arts Movement, which flourished from the early 1960s until the middle of 1970s. [3]

Racism Issue

Knight offers a fable tradition to the intriguing perspective of how prison plays a role on the method of racial based imprisonment. “Once upon a today and yesterday and nevermore there were 7 men and women all locked/up in prison cells. Now these 7 men and women were innocent of any crimes; they were in prison because their skins were black”

This poem is seen giving a bold statement condemning mass detention and imprisonment based on races. It took back to America’s history where tense relations happened, as well as considering the author's personal issue, being jailed for petty robbery. A Fable seems to be a media of discoursing the effects of both Black and Lations mass incarceration.

However, when Komunyakaa says “[Knight] can speak for the victims, for the unaware, for the powerless who can only mock and shadowplay power with their audacious presence” there is evidence of reasons authenticating the messages in the poem and the cultural relevance attached.

The function of this poem is considered as an extension of his role as a speaker of the minority discourse. The author also addressing a stance from South African poet Keorapetse Kgositsile, “And if poetry is creative activity steeped in reality, which it must be in order to be valid, we need poems that report on and explore the tragedy of our time” [4]

References

  1. Oscar, Elizabeth. Etheridge Knight: Poems Summary. Grade Saver. Retrieved January 16, 2021
  2. Poetry and the Civil Rights Movement. Poetry Foundation. Retrieved January 16, 2021
  3. Etheridge Knight. Wikipedia. Retrieved January 15, 2021
  4. Okoro, Dike. Etheridge Knight’s Prison Poetry. Anthurium Miami Edu. Retrieved January 16, 2021