Movement Background: This type of poetry is referred to as an artistic sister. With roots from the Civil Rights Movements started around 1960 to 1970. They wrote this type of poem to create political engaged work that explored the African American culture and historical experience. An important figure in this movement was Amiri Baraka. He created poetry of his own and he founded a Black Arts school in Harlem.
Poetry Analysis: In Gwendolyn Brooks poem, Riot she opens with the "A riot is the language of the unheard.-MLK" The quote justifies what Brooks thinks and she thinks violence is the answer to get what blacks want. This quote was given to the answer to the race riots that were happening in the U.S. Then she starts off the poem by describing a man who drives fancy cars, wears fine linen, and also drinks the finest liquor and eats expensive foods. Who is later to be a selfish person. In the poem he states, " Gross. Gross. Que tu es grossier." Then he states, "Don't let it touch me the blackness! Lord!" This points out that he is racist towards blacks and he is a very corrupt man. Then John Cabot was tossed into the fire to burn to death, he screams " Lord! Forgive these nigguhs that know not what they do." Even when looking death into its eyes, he still did not know that he was at fault and even with the riots also. Brooks believes that money is power and that power corrupts. He couldn't see what was going on because he was fortune in life.
Literary Devices: The poem have a literary device that I would like to get into which is hyperbole. In the poem when Brooks states, "and they were coming toward him in rough ranks." She exaggerated how they were coming at him to get her point across and to show how mad the people were and show how fierce they were coming towards him.