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Danez SmithA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
“Tonight, in Oakland” by Danez Smith (2015)
In “dear white america,” Smith references Oakland when describing America as brittle and broken and walking through the city. “Tonight, in Oakland” is in clear conversation with “dear white america”; “Tonight, the police / have turned to their God for forgiveness” (Line 17-18). In these two small lines, Smith quickly brings up the idea of police wrongdoings, their attempt to justify them, and the idea that they look to a God that is there to protect them and them alone.
“alternate names for black boys” by Danez Smith (2014)
In this poem, Smith employs numerical listing to, as the title suggests, provide alternative names for Black “boys.” These names are not actual names but phrases and ideas. Smith utilizes naming as a gesture in “dear white america”; here, Smith uses the listing convention to convey ideas like “5. guilty until proven dead” (Line 5) to demonstrate the mistreatment of Black men at the hands of the criminal “justice” system.
“Bullet Points” by Jericho Brown (2019)
Jericho Brown is a contemporary American poet and writer from Louisiana. Like Smith, much of his writing is concerned with the historical and present mistreatment of Black Americans.
By Danez Smith
alternate names for black boys
alternate names for black boys
Danez Smith
& even the black guy’s profile reads 'sorry, no black guys'
& even the black guy’s profile reads 'sorry, no black guys'
Danez Smith
It won’t be a bullet
It won’t be a bullet
Danez Smith
juxtaposing the black boy & the bullet
juxtaposing the black boy & the bullet
Danez Smith
Not an Elegy for Mike Brown
Not an Elegy for Mike Brown
Danez Smith
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