Many poems and songs lyrics have been written about racism and various related themes. This lesson invites you to explore a few selected poems and song lyrics. You may find that you want to explore more poems and songs by one or more of these writers in preparation for an individual oral or HL Essay.

1. Place each poem on a different table in your classroom. Walk around the room and visit each table and read each poem. At each table, on a large sheet of paper, there should be a 'see, think, wonder' table, like the one below. Write your answers to the questions in each column before reading what other students have written. 



See	Think	Wonder
What do see, when you read this poem? What images come to mind?	What does this poem make you think about? What kinds of ideas come to mind?	What do you still wonder? What questions do you have? What would you like to know in order to understand this poem better?




Text 1: 'Telephone Conversation' by Wole Soyinka, 1963

The price seemed reasonable, location
Indifferent. The landlady swore she lived
Off premises. Nothing remained
But self-confession. "Madam" , I warned,
"I hate a wasted journey - I am African."
Silence. Silenced transmission of pressurized good-breeding. Voice, when it came,
Lipstick coated, long gold-rolled
Cigarette-holder pipped. Caught I was, foully.
"HOW DARK?"...I had not misheard...."ARE YOU LIGHT OR VERY DARK?" Button B. Button A. Stench
Of rancid breath of public hide-and-speak.
Red booth. Red pillar-box. Red double-tiered
Omnibus squelching tar.
It was real! Shamed
By ill-mannered silence, surrender
Pushed dumbfoundment to beg simplification.
Considerate she was, varying the emphasis-
"ARE YOU DARK? OR VERY LIGHT" Revelation came
"You mean- like plain or milk chocolate?"
Her accent was clinical, crushing in its light
Impersonality. Rapidly, wave-length adjusted
I chose. "West African sepia"_ and as afterthought.
"Down in my passport." Silence for spectroscopic
Flight of fancy, till truthfulness chaged her accent
Hard on the mouthpiece "WHAT'S THAT?" conceding "DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT IS." "Like brunette."
"THAT'S DARK, ISN'T IT?"
"Not altogether.
Facially, I am brunette, but madam you should see the rest of me. Palm of my hand, soles of my feet.
Are a peroxide blonde. Friction, caused-
Foolishly madam- by sitting down, has turned
My bottom raven black- One moment madam! - sensing
Her receiver rearing on the thunderclap
About my ears- "Madam," I pleaded, "wouldn't you rather
See for yourself?"

Text 2: 'People' by Jean Toomer, 1929

To those fixed on white,
White is white,
To those fixed on black,
It is the same,
And red is red,
Yellow, yellow-
Surely there are such sights
In the many colored world,
Or in the mind.
The strange thing is that
These people never see themselves
Or you, or me.

Are they not in their minds?
Are we not in the world?
This is a curious blindness
For those that are color blind.
What queer beliefs
That men who believe in sights
Disbelieve in seers.

O people, if you but used
Your other eyes
You would see beings

Text 3: 'Speakin' at de Cou't House' by Paul Laurence Dunbar, 1913

Dey been speakin’ at de cou’t–house,
An’ laws–a–massy me,
‘T was de beatness kin’ o’ doin’s
Dat evah I did see.
Of cose I had to be dah
In de middle o’ de crowd,
An’ I hallohed wid de othahs,
Wen de speakah riz and bowed.

I was kind o’ disapp’inted
At de smallness of de man,
Case I ‘d allus pictered great folks
On a mo’ expansive plan;
But I t’ought I could respect him
An’ tek in de wo’ds he said,
Fu’ dey sho was somp’n knowin’
In de bald spot on his haid.

But hit did seem so’t o’ funny
Aftah waitin’ fu’ a week
Dat de people kep’ on shoutin’
So de man des could n’t speak;
De ho’ns dey blared a little,
Den dey let loose on de drums,—.
Some one toll me dey was playin’
“See de conkerin’ hero comes.”

“Well,” says I, “you all is white folks,
But you ’s sutny actin’ queer,
What’s de use of heroes comin’
Ef dey cain’t talk w’en dey’s here?”
Aftah while dey let him open,
An’ dat man he waded in,
An’ he fit de wahs all ovah
Winnin’ victeries lak sin.

Wen he come down to de present,
Den he made de feathahs fly.
He des waded in on money,
An’ he played de ta’iff high.
An’ he said de colah question,
Hit was ovah, solved, an’ done,
Dat de dahky was his brothah,
Evah blessed mothah’s son.

Well he settled all de trouble
Dat’s been pesterin’ de lan’,
Den he set down mid de cheerin’
An’ de playin’ of de ban’.
I was feelin’ moughty happy
‘Twell I hyeahed somebody speak,
“Well, dat’s his side of de bus’ness,
But you wait for Jones nex’ week.”

Text 4: 'Fuck your Ethnicity' by Kendrick Lamar, 2011

Gather round, I'm glad everybody came out tonight
As we stand on our neighborhood corner
Know that this fire that's burning represents the passion you have
Listen, Keisha, Tammy, come up front
I recognize all of you, every creed and color
With that being said, fuck your ethnicity, you understand that?
We gon' talk about a lot of shit that concerns you, all of you

Now everybody throw your hands up high
If you don't give a fuck throw your hands up high
Throw your hands up high

Now I don't give a fuck if you
Black, white, Asian, Hispanic, goddamn it
That don't mean shit to me
Fuck your ethnicity nigga

Fire burning inside my eyes, this the music that saved my life
Y'all be calling it hip hop, I be calling it hypnotize
Yeah, hypnotize, trapped my body but freed my mind
What the fuck are you fighting for? Ain't nobody gon' win that war
My details be retail, man I got so much in store
Racism is still alive, yellow tape and colored lines
Fuck that, nigga look at that line, it's so diverse
They getting off work and that wanna see Kendrick
Everybody can't drive Benzs, and I been there, so I make it my business
To give 'em my full attention, ten-hut, man I gotta get my wind up
Man I gotta get down with God cause I got my sins up, ooh
Matter of fact, don't mistake me for no fucking rapper
They sit backstage and hide behind the fucking cameras

I mosh pit, had a microphone, I tossed it
Had a brain, then I lost it, I'm out of my mind
So don't you mind how much the cost it, penny for my thoughts
Everybody please hold up your wallets
Yeah man, I'm the mailman, can't you tell man?
Going postal, never freeze up when I approach you
That's star-struck, and roast you, oh my, HiiiPoWeR

Now I don't give a fuck if you
Black, white, Asian, Hispanic, goddamn it
That don't mean shit to me
Fuck your ethnicity nigga

I'm tired of y'all, cause everybody lied to y'all
Do you believe it? Recognize them false achievements
It's treason and I'm Tylenol, I knock out when you knock it off
Knock of the doors of opportunity, I'm too involved
I'm no activist, I'm no Einstein, before calculus I was kicking in math
Dropping that science like an alchemist, and I be kicking that ass
Lyrically I'm UFC
If a UFO had came for me I'ma come back with the head of alien
Don't alienate my dreams, get it right, get a life
I got two, that's a metaphor for the big shit I do
Boy, TMI, TSA, man I'm fly
Put wings on my back, that a plane or angel? Both
Like a pilot with a halo, whoa, gross

I don't mean nothing, so many things come through
Them, him, her, you, hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm
I'm just a messenger
Yeah I know life's a bitch, get the best of her

Put them threes up, they notice that we up
HiiiPoWeR, and the power, and the people
And if they don't believe us, they'll die
Wizard

Now I don't give a fuck if you
Black, white, Asian, Hispanic, goddamn it
That don't mean shit to me
Fuck your ethnicity nigga

Text 5: 'I, Too' by Langston Hughes, 1926

I, too, sing America.





I am the darker brother.


They send me to eat in the kitchen


When company comes,


But I laugh,


And eat well,


And grow strong.





Tomorrow,


I’ll be at the table


When company comes.


Nobody’ll dare


Say to me,


“Eat in the kitchen,”


Then.





Besides,


They’ll see how beautiful I am


And be ashamed—





I, too, am America.





2. After having read all of these poems and song lyrics, work as a class to make a list of global issues that are related to racism. Look at the 'see, think, wonder' diagrams to inform your list.


3. Break up into smaller groups. Assign each group a different poem. Which global issues, from your class' list of issues are present in your group's poem? Where do you see evidence of this?


4. Visit the page on poems in the text types section of this support site. Are there any poetic, stylistic or structural devices that you can identify in your group's poem? What are the effects of these devices on the reader? Why do you think the author chose these words in this order? Take notes on your group discussion.


5. In your group, (re)visit the 18 question from the areas of exploration and select 2-3 questions that relevant to your poem. Discuss your poem in relation to these questions. Take notes on your group discussion.


6. Visit the page on concepts in the 'Guide and outline' section of this Support Site. Write a discussion question for your classmates about your poem, which includes one or more of these seven concepts in the question. 


7. Give a 5-minute, group presentation on your group's poem, in which you comment on: the global issues that are presented in your poem, the kinds of stylistic and structural features that you found in your poem and the AoE questions that you discussed as a group. Ask your classmates the questions that you wrote, using one or more of the concepts from this course, in order to initiate a classroom discussion on your poem.