Dreaming Black Boyby James Berry

Prepared by Mrs. Schaaffe -McFarlane

Dreaming Black Boy

I wish my teacher’s eyes wouldn’tgo past me today. Wish he’d knowit’s okay to hug me when I kicka goal. Wish I myself wouldn’t hold back when answer comes.I’m no woodchopper nowlike all ancestors.

I wish I could be educated

To the best of tune up, and earn

Good money and not sink to lick

Boots. I wish I could go on every

crisscross way of the globe

And no persons or powers or

Hotel keepers would make it a waste I wish life wouldn’t spend me out

opposing. Wish same way creationwould have me stand it would haveme stretch, and hold high, my voicePaul Robeson’s, my inside eyea sun. Nobody wants to sayhello to nasty answers.

 

I wish torch throwers of nightwould burn lights for decent times.Wish plotters in pyjamas would prayfor themselves. Wish people wouldn’ttalk as if I dropped from Mars.

I wish only boys were scaredbehind bravados, for i could suffer.I could suffer a big big lot.

I wish nobody would want to earn

the terrible burden I can suffer.

 

By James Berry

About the Author

James Berry

James Berry James Berry (b. 1924) spent his childhood in a

village in Jamaica, before working in the United States. He  settled in Britain in 1948 where he has remained ever since. One of the first black writers in Britain to achieve wider recognition, Berry rose to prominence in 1981 when he won the National Poetry Competition.

  His anger at these injustices motivates some of

his poems, particularly when writing about his father's ill treatment at the hands of his white employers. However, the overriding tone of Berry's poetry is one of celebration. Without denying the hurt of the colonial experience, he chooses to defy prejudice choosing instead to emphasize, the unity of cultures.

 

James Berry There is an emotional duality in his work.

On one hand we see Berry's love of the sensual and imaginative richness of his Jamaican background in his work;

on the other hand, this inheritance is contaminated with the bitter oppressions of slavery.

James Berry How does a poet represent two distinctly

different cultures in their work? How did James Berry interpret his experience and those of other Jamaicans who migrated to England in the late 1940’s into his writing? James Berry was born in Jamaica in 1924, but moved to England during the wave of immigration from the West Indies led by the Empire Windrush.

From a young age Berry had an interest in language, and showed an aptitude for spoken word and through writing soon realized he could explore the world from different perspectives. He became part of a new generation of post-colonial poets who drew inspiration from their country of birth in addition to British culture.

Content

Point-of-view & Summary

Summary In the poem a little black boy had the dream that he would

not be judged by the colour of his skin. In the poem the boy articulates his thoughts and emotions

in abstract images. The poem might be seen as a wish list which draws

attention to the areas which this boy sees the need for change. The word wish is used twelve(12) times.

He dreams and wishes for the rights that should be bestowed to all human beings - recognition and love, the freedom of movement, freedom in the choice of careers and speech.

These images used by the poet, appeal to the emotions and the reader sympathizes with the little boy.

 

Point-of-view The poem is told from the first person perspective as it

highlights the injustices a little boy feels because of his race, not only in his classroom but also in the wider society.

This point-of-view is advantageous as the persona is able to share and express the deep longing he feels for:o Justiceo Equalityo Freedom.This perspective helps to highlight the emotional turmoil of the speaker and shows his experience as being personal and authentic, eliciting from the reader a sense of sympathy.

Significance of the Title

“Dreaming Black Boy”

Title

The title “Dreaming Black Boy” is appropriate as it prepares the reader for the aspirations of a boy who is black.

The fact that his colour is mentioned in the title suggests that the poem is about a boy who suffers discrimination because of his race.

Stanza by Stanza

Summary & Analysis

Stanza 1 Stanza one places our young

dreamer in his classroom. He longs for the attention of his white teacher who is in the habit of ignoring him (his eyes go past him) even when he does something outstanding, like scoring a goal. He knows that he probably contributes to his own lack of visibility in that even when he knows the answer, he clams up.

Stanza 1 He feels that since he is in the process of getting

an education he should not behave like his wood chopper ancestors who were not educated.

He uses this simile to show that he needs to be more confident, assertive and self-assured.

Stanza 2 Stanza two recognizes how

important education is as a means of improving your status in society, and so the boy wants to be educated “to the best of tune up”. When musicians tune up their instruments, they are ensuring that they play at the right pitch.

This boy is ambitious; he wants to be educated to the highest level possible. He doesn’t want to have to “lick boots” (metaphor); that is to do something low, wrong, disgraceful or demeaning to impress someone in authority because you want a job or a promotion.

Stanza 2 He wants to be free to

travel all over the world without being humiliated by being told that there are certain places that he cannot enter because of his colour. “…no …hotel keepers would make it a waste.” The word waste implies that he would be wasting time, effort and money if he cannot enjoy a trip that he pays for.

Stanza 3 In Stanza three, he wishes that “life wouldn't spend [him] out

opposing”.(metaphor) We have two choices when confronted with injustice, either to accept the unfair treatment quietly, or to oppose it. Clearly he will not accept and so he is hoping for a life in the future where there is justice and equality for all so that he will have no need to oppose.

A person who is spent is a person who is tired. He wants to do productive things with his life; he does not want to spend his life fighting for rights that should be his without any effort on his part.

  As a human being he is made with the ability to literally stand

upright, but he wants to do more than the average human being, he will not be satisfied with mediocrity, he wants to excel.

  

Stanza 3 Note the metaphorical use of “stretch”.

He admires Paul Robeson as an example of an African American who stretched metaphorically. Robeson excelled in several areas of his life.

He was an outstanding scholar, actor, singer and activist for peace, racial justice and improved labour relations – hence the allusion to Robeson.

“My inside eye a sun”(metaphor) speaks of his desire for brilliance, perception and understanding. If he does not have these qualities, he fears he will not be able to influence anyone into changing the status quo (the way things are). “Nobody wants to say hello to nasty answers.”

Stanza 4 Stanza four begins with another

important allusion. “Torch throwers of night” and the wish that “plotters in pyjamas would pray for themselves” (alliteration) are a clear reference to the nefarious (evil) activities of members of the Ku Klux Klan, some of whom actually claimed that in terrorizing black people and those who sympathized with them, by arson, torture and murder, they were carrying out God’s will.

 

Stanza 4 The boy wishes that Klan

members would “burn lights for decent times”(metaphor). Instead of committing acts of terror, he would like them to use their energies to let their light shine by promoting acts of decency that would make the world a better place. (Note that light is a symbol for Jesus and for Christian values.)

He also wants them to pray for themselves. The stanza ends with his longing to be truly integrated into the society as people treat him like an alien, “as if I dropped from Mars”. (simile).

Stanza 5 Stanza five evokes our sympathy more than any of the

other stanzas. Here we see a child who is vulnerable because parents who should be protecting their children cannot fulfill this important role.

Although they put up a facade (a pretense) of confidence (bravados) in front of their children, they too are scared. The boy knows it and so he makes the anguished lament: “I could suffer./ I could suffer a big big lot./ I wish nobody would want to earn / the terrible burden I can suffer.” (repetition)

  His final wish expressed in the last two lines of the poem

shows that the boy has a social conscience. He is not only concerned about himself, but he cares about all people.

Language

Tone & Mood, Diction

Tone & MoodTONE The tone is wistful, longing as the boy repeatedly

expresses a desire for the things that will make his society a better place and make him safe and happy. He never demonstrates anger or resentment although slight sarcasm may be detected in: “Wish plotters in pyjamas would pray for themselves.”(lines 24 -25) There is also the element of fear and despair in his tone in the last stanza.

MOOD A mood of anxiety permeates the poem.

Diction Words & Phrases

I wish Okay to hug me No woodchopper Spend me out Nasty answers Plotters in pyjamas Only boys were scared Terrible burden Suffer Bravados

Their Effect Berry’s diction in Dreaming

Black Boy was effectively used to portray the desires and dreams of not only the persona but also all black boys at the time who faced discrimination. The words evoke sympathy in the reader as we are able to see how much blacks were denied during the period of civil unrest.

Techniques

Figurative Devices

Repetition ‘I wish’ – the constant repetition of this phrase

emphasizes/reinforces the persona’s desire for freedom and equality.

“I could suffer./ I could suffer a big big lot./ I wish nobody would want to earn/ the terrible burden I can suffer.” – this is a lament from the persona who wishes he could share the burden of adults. He is also conscious of others as he would not want anyone to have to face things he has to.

Metaphor “lick boots” -  this is to do something low, wrong,

disgraceful or demeaning to impress someone in authority because you want a job or a promotion. This helps to reinforce the dreams and wishes of the persona.

“life wouldn't spend me out opposing” - A person who is spent is a person who is tired. He wants to do productive things with his life; he does not want to spend his life fighting for rights that should be his without any effort on his part. If this spent is used in the context of money then the persona would have nothing left of himself after trying so hard to oppose those who are oppressing him.

Metaphor “My inside eye a sun” speaks of his desire for

brilliance, perception and understanding. If he does not have these qualities, he fears he will not be able to influence anyone into changing the status quo.

“burn lights for decent times” - Instead of committing acts of terror, he would like them to use their energies to let their light shine by promoting acts of decency that would make the world a better place.

Simile “as if I dropped from Mars”. – this expresses

the persona’s longing to be truly integrated into the society as people treat him like an alien.

“I’m no woodchopper now like all ancestor” – the persona wishes that unlike his ancestors who were mere woodchoppers, uneducated and lacked confidence, he would be brave enough to stand up for himself as he has opportunities they never had.

Allusion “Torch throwers of night” – this alludes to the

klu klux klan who were a group of white supremacist people who burned crosses in front of the homes of black people or torched the houses.

Alliteration “Plotters in pyjamas would pray” - a clear

reference to the nefarious (evil) activities of members of the Ku Klux Klan, some of whom actually claimed that in terrorizing black people and those who sympathized with them, by arson, torture and murder, they were carrying out God’s will.

Themes

Central Issues and Ideas

Racism

The poem explores the theme of racism as it highlights the inequality and injustice faced by blacks during the 1950s and 1960s.

The persona wishes for freedom from discrimination as he wishes that as a black person he will not be:o Ignoredo Denied educationo Denied the ability to go where he pleaseso Denied the right to fulfill his dreams.

Childhood Experiences The persona is a child who is experiencing

discrimination at the hand of his teacher and those around him.

The language used by the persona is child-like when he says ‘nasty answers’.

Dreams & Aspirations The poem might be seen as a wish list which

draws attention to the areas in which this boy sees the need for change. The word wish is used twelve times.

He dreams and wishes for the rights that should be bestowed to all human beings - recognition and love, the freedom of movement, freedom in the choice of careers and speech.

Written Task

1.    What are some of the problems experienced by the boy in this poem?2.   What are some of the reasons that cause discrimination?3.   What are some of the hopes and dreams of the little boy?4.   What is the tone of the poem?5.   How does the poem make you feel?6.   Describe the importance of the imagery of the poem.7.   What does the repetition of the phrase “I wish” reveal about the boy’s life?