dear white america

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 2017

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Form & Meter

As a prose poem, “dear white america” doesn’t follow a traditional form or set rules of meter; it is instead formatted as prose would be. Prose poems are hybrids of poetry and prose, meaning that they can also benefit by using literary devices found in both poetry and prose. A prose poem such as “dear white america” relies on the natural rhythm of spoken English. Its conversational tone draws the reader in. Because there are no visual indications in terms of the line break to suggest that it is a poem, it relies as well on other literary devices to indicate to the reader that it is in fact a poem, including “symbols, metaphors, and other figures of speech” (“Prose Poem.” Glossary of Poetic Terms. Poetry Foundation).

Repetition

“dear white america” relies heavily on repetition, with one of the most notable examples being Smith’s listing of names in Lines 6 and 7 to emphasize police brutality specifically and anti-Black violence in general. The continued use of ampersands also helps create a sense of continuity, a feeling that is particularly important for a prose poem. In Lines 8 and 9, for example, Smith writes, “their ghost re-gifted flesh & blood, their flesh & blood re-gifted their children.” This repetition also acts as a mirror, creating a reflection to enforce a sense of cyclicality, an unfortunate reality, but one that is vital to understanding systems of violence.

There is also repetition of the syntax itself: “we did not build your boats (though we did leave a trail of kin to guide us home)” (Lines 10-11). The syntax here, parentheticals qualifying the negation, is then repeated in the next three lines. There is the repetition of time in Lines 30 and 31, and bid in Lines 34 and 35. And there is the repetition in the final list of verbs, the things that white America has done to Black America: “you cannot steal or sell or cast overboard or hang or beat or drown or own or redline or shackle or silence or cheat or choke or cover-up or jail or shoot or jail or shoot or jail or shoot or ruin” (Lines 37-39). Repetition in the poem is an effective device to emphasize the endlessness of violence and injustice that Black America faces.

Imagery

Because so many of the themes and motifs “dear white america” explores are heavy both emotionally and conceptually, Smith cleverly employs imagery to help the reader make things concrete. The extra-terrestrial imagery that bookends the poem helps to demonstrate the intensity with which the narrator feels they must leave Earth. There is the image of the poplar tree as well. Perhaps the most poignant image in the poem, however, is “her joints brittle & dragging a ripped gown through Oakland” (Lines 13-14). The “her” here refers to America; Smith viscerally personifies the country as a fragile and ruinous woman moving through the city. There is a sense that her movement is heavy; she feels burdened, even with the weight of her past.