Once riding in old Baltimore,
Heart-filled, head-filled with glee,
I saw a Baltimorean
Keep looking straight at me.
Now I was eight and very small,
And he was no whit bigger,
And so I smiled, but he poked out
His tongue, and called me, “Nigger.”
I saw the whole of Baltimore
From May until December;
Of all the things that happened there
That’s all that I remember.
***
image taken from http://starvingcreatives.wordpress.com/2013/04/11/racism-journalism-a-country-not-at-peace/
Exploration of the Text
1. What is the nature of the interaction between the two boys?
The persona's childish innocence of his "heart-filled, head-filled with glee" and smiling at a presumably a white boy was muted when the Baltimorean patronised the persona when "he poked out his tongue" and called the persona a nigger.
2. Why does the speaker remember nothing more than the incident, even though he stayed in
Baltimore from “May until December”?
The persona's conscience was shook when the Baltimorean, who was "no whit bigger" highlights the persona's social inferiority in the community.
The Reading/Writing Connection
1. In a paragraph compare your experience of prejudice with the persona in the poem.
Fortunately for me, I went to an all girls school that welcomed all races and that encouraged me to have good relationships with my fellow schoolmates. Having Chinese blood flowing in me and living in a Chinese community, I have always respected them. It was only after I graduated from high school and continuing my studies in IPTA's that showed me racism still exists even in this century. The boy I was dating had a strong opinion towards Chinese and it made me feel upset. He was stereotyping other races without getting to know them first- which is unfair and anyone of any race would feel challenged when been done so.
Ideas for Writing
1. What do its form and rhyme add to this poem?
The inconsistent rhythm shows that the poet is stressing on the events rather on the word choice.
2. What is the power of language? What are the effects of the use of the term nigger?
Languages is like an open door to endless possibilities and because of that one needs to mind the words used when dealing with another. When most people think that mastering languages other than your own mother tongue, others see it as a threat and betrayal towards their ancestry. Regarding this poem, that is how the whites feel for the Africans or African-Americans, a threat and they used the word "nigger" to express their disapproval of their presence. Although it brings the meaning of "black", it is understood to be an insult in the United States.
The usage of "nigger" could cause fights against races, social discrimination, political and economical issues in a country which is there are NGO's fighting for the rights of the oppresses and against racism in general.
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