|
you broke the ocean in
half to be here. only to meet nothing that wants you. –immigrant With the current political climate, I felt that this poem of Waheed’s is more topical than ever. It is from her collection, salt., which was published in the September of 2013. Despite years of encouragement and pleads from Americans, world leaders, foreign countries, and from the voices of the disenfranchised themselves, immigration rights in America have seemed to regress. “Populus” ideas have taken precedent over the welfare of others, replacing a vital life-or-death standpoint with a talking point used to distract and detract from the issues of real people who are striving for not only their own life and safety, and the safety and promise of security for their children, but for their aspirations, dreams, and goals. This is the point that Waheed is making in “immigrant.” They “broke the ocean in / half to be here.” They worked and tried and fought for basic human rights–what are now seemingly antiquated American values of life, liberty and happiness–”only to meet nothing that wants [them].” Waheed is not afraid to get political. A lot of poets are not afraid to do so, but poetry is still often seen as a medium to express sentiments regarding life and love, lust and loss. Not current events or topical issues in policy. However, throughout Waheed’s entire collection of poems from salt., it becomes evident that her writing is a platform for advocating for the rights and concerns of the underrepresented. Waheed offers a platform for these marginalized groups to speak their opinions, not have some white male politician appoint them. She discusses hypermasculinity and the abnegations or celebrations of femininity (relying on context), sexism and misogyny, ignorance and prejudices, homophobia and heteronormativity, Islamophobia and racism, radicalism and liberalism (some of which are not comparable). Here Waheed specifically addresses the widespread antipathy and apathy surrounding immigrants in America. Her uses of punctuation and structure do not vary much from poem to poem; her style is very consistent, keeping with the “agenda” of her work to highlight the message protruding from the poem. She does not like to create uncertainty in her work; the reason being (I imagine) that it would distract from the real issue being addressed, since she is so often political. The punctuation in “immigrant” is different from that of her other poems, however; there are no comma splices, no cut-off sentences, no run-ons. It is only three lines, two sentences, so perhaps her relatively “conservative” use of punctuation is due to the severity of the issue being addressed. The syntax of the first two lines suggests bleakness and urgency. Splitting the sentence after “in,” and leaving that particular half of the sentence, “half to be here,” places emphasis on the somberness and desolation of the subject. They broke the ocean in half to be here, and the land tore them in half. They are half knowing that this, despite the subjective racism and xenophobia accompanied with Americans, is the better choice for their well-being and the promise of life and prosperity, and half yearning to go back to their homeland, where they are not maliciously attacked and judged. The title of the poem clarifies the subject of the piece; if it is not glaringly obvious that this is referring to immigrants in the US, then it can now be understood that “immigrant” is an insight into the situation of a massive group of people.
5 Comments
i don't pay attention to the
world ending. it has ended for me many times and began again in the morning. —untitled, Nayirrah Waheed In this untitled poem by Nayirrah Waheed, the concept of suffering is explored through Waheed’s portrayal of her incessant apocalypses, or the “world ending.” She demands the necessity of moxie in survival; Waheed presents a brief summary of her life (or rather, the beginnings and endings of it), using figurative language and rhythm to affect the reader’s emotions. Waheed capitalizes on empathy, attempting to elicit it for her oppression to display her suffering to the reader. Waheed’s persistence, as illustrated through hyperbole—the world “has ended [...] many times”—proves a point to the audience that she is stronger than any other group of people. Crass assumptions made about women as being overly sensitive are dismissed through the untold sufferings that are endured. Waheed seems to humbly say (not boast, but rather diligently prove a point) that she is taking on more than others ever have or will—just suck it up and keep on. This poem could be related back to gender and race because this is what Waheed’s work largely centers around. Or, if this poem is meant to be interpreted on a more personal level, it represents the depth of suffering and mistreatment she has faced. The world ends every night for her; but every day is not the dreadful beginning of new cataclysmic rotation only doomed to fall to ruin, but rather a fresh start. She “doesn't pay attention” to the ending of the world, because it will begin again “in the morning.” This suggests that the nighttime embodies the consternation that accompanies an apocalypse. What could the night represent? It's not cynicism. Waheed’s continual cycles of personal Armageddons work to make her oblivious to minor setbacks. It is only when the morning does not begin again that deserves to provoke worry. She seems to tell the reader not to fret over the small stuff: “don't pay attention” to the world ending, only to mornings not renewing. I am trying so hard to think of more stuff to write for such a short poem without repeating everything I've already said in other posts. This is all I've got #ThanksWaheed what i never
learned from my mother was that just because someone desires you does not mean they value you. desire is the kind of thing that eats you and leaves you starving. —the color of low self esteem, nayyirah waheed In “the color of low self esteem” by Nayyirah Waheed, the connotation of the word “desire” is discussed. Waheed argues that desire does not equal true appreciation, or possibly love. She does not actually argue this, but by her nature of being a strong woman with no hesitation in asserting her ideas (not a bad thing), I'm going to assume that she is arguing with some poor girl who is sobbing over an ex-boyfriend that just dumped her. Waheed is saying to the girl, “he did not deserve you but most importantly you do not deserve yourself until you realize your worth.” (The girl does not get it or her language.) Waheed’s use of spacing, word choice, and anecdote create meaning in this poem. The title may also be analyzed to draw depth into it. The word choice in “the color of low esteem” creates an entirely new interpretation of what formerly seemed easy enough to understand. What is “the color” of low self esteem, and how is the color of it revealed throughout the poem? How does the desire of another person for you equate to you having low self esteem? Why does self esteem have a color??? Perhaps Waheed is saying that believing that somebody values you solely because they are sexually driven or attracted to you is consequently damaging to yourself. Desire “eats you” and “leaves you starving”—it does not reciprocate, feel, or fulfill. Desire benefits only the desirer. Waheed’s mother neglected teaching her this: “what i never / learned from my mother / was that” desire is damaging to oneself. However, this “was” a mistake on the mother’s behalf—not anymore. This shows growth in the subject, while for the remainder of the poem the subject dwindles and decays down to a starving, empty body. A lesson to be learned from a sad story, combined with the sole mentioning of her mother (a personal betrayal), creates a feeling of a deeper and more emotional connection. As always, Waheed’s utilization of spacing and enjambment in her poems emphasizes the meanings of not only the entire work, but the meaning and connotation of each individual word. This slows the reader down, causing them to take twice as long to read only two sentences. For example, in lines 9-11, “eats you / and / leaves you starving” two pauses are created on each side of the conjunction, drawing emphasis to each individual reaction that desire has on “you.” Desire eats you. And. Leaves you starving. Waheed’s intention of writing is to convey deep and personal messages. She wants to help others like her: women, people of color, women of color, etc. This poem is a fantastic representation of why she writes; bold words with deep emotional ties and a striking layout create emphasis, assertion, and touching advice that says, “I know what I’m doing and I know who I am.” do you think
calling me ‘angry’ is an insult. every time you call me ‘angry’ i hear your voice salt with guilt and i laugh. look how easy it is to reveal you. —anger is a healthy and natural response to oppression, nayirrah waheed Nayyirah Waheed is an angry black woman. She’s angry and she wants you to know. The insult of being another “angry black woman” is obsolete– Waheed adopts the term, reclaiming it as a just description of her just aptitude for anger. She takes an insulting disavowal of her people’s fight for justice, which discredits their reaction to being oppressed, and transforms it in her favor through her work. Waheed has every right to be angry. After being oppressed for centuries, anger is “a healthy and natural response” to the injustices faced. She wants the reader to not only read, or acknowledge, or understand, or feel her anger, but to transcend beyond sympathy, and into empathy—reciprocate her anger. She does this through the justification of it, without blatantly stating why her anger is reasonable. By doing so, it’s almost as if Waheed is ‘tricking’ the reader into agreeing with her: “It’s so reasonable and obvious why I am angry, and ‘i laugh’ at you for thinking otherwise.” Being identified as justifiably angry by society furthers the movement through rationalizing black cries and shouts, allowing for room for progress for the cause (with the cause being racial and gender oppression). She writes, ‘do you think / calling me ‘angry’ / is an insult.”, giving new meaning to the rhetorical question; already punctuating lines with periods to draw emphasis and create deeper meaning throughout the entirety of her work, the period at the end of these three lines multiplies the meaning of the preceding lines. The rhetorical question does not expect a response, but Waheed intensifies her callous regard for answers to statements regarding her own well-being. who could know her needs better than herself. Shame on the accusing finger, pointing to the oppressed black woman for inciting discontent. Disregarding a displeased reaction to oppression as being silly or uncalled for is no more beneficial to the expulsion of systematic racism than the blatant acts of racism; both are erasure of an enormous group of people's oppressions, hardships, fights, and accomplishments. Waheed recognizes this in the lines, “every time you call me ‘angry’ / i hear your voice salt with guilt / and / i laugh.” She laughs at the blatant attempt of an individual—or specifically a man, because let's face it: this is garden-variety commentary from a man—to conceal their guilt for what African Americans have been through, as caused by white people. The way the lines are written, I find the placement of the line, “i laugh.” interesting. Abrupt and outright, not trying to hide her ridicule of the subject. Waheed meets a disregard for oppression with a laugh– comical, strongly laughing back what she thinks of the ‘insult.’ Similarly, the parallel between her being called angry and then laughing at it shows good-spiritedness and perseverance. The rebuttal of an argument against her is in her laugh, as if she is blatantly calling out the obvious ignorance. ‘look how easy it is to reveal you.’ Look how easy it is to see through your pale skin when held up to the light. In an attempt to absolve themselves from guilt, they will disregard and erase slavery and harassment in the workplace and on the streets and in your home when you are murdered by police and racial profiling and stereotypes and injustices and obstacles, telling angry black women to ‘get over it- slavery was like 200 years ago.’ Waheed understands the manipulation. Through punctuation (lack of periods or abruptly ending a sentence to emphasize ideas), word choice, the usage of rhetorical questions, the title, and the appeal to pathos, Waheed carries her message loud and proud. The connection between her use of “salt” in this poem and it being the title of the book which this poem is from, salt., is intriguing. I don't fully understand the context of the word used in “i hear your voice salt with guilt,” but the imagery I receive from the line is of lips shriveling up, shy and knowing of the wrongness of saying what will be said next: “angry black woman.” Although, as for the word “salt” in regards to it being the title of the book, I hypothesize that it might be a reference to a popular product of Africa during the time of slave trade there (her work is largely centered around Africa). Waheed’s word choice seems like commonplace language, but that in itself intensifies the meanings she associates with everyday occurrences. In addition, the pathos created in the emotional appeal to the reader intensifies her message. Projecting people who use the term “angry black woman” (as an insult) as feeling guilty tugs at their intentions, accusing them of wrongdoing. She laughs at them, being all-knowing of the manipulation that both the subject’s mind has undergone to be revealed as this, and the manipulative methods being used against the angry black woman. Nayyirah Waheed understands them all too well. She has the superiority and innocent affection all figured out—and she is angry about it. the night was busy making the moon
so i gathered my quilt and softly told my heart we'd come back tomorrow. —untitled, Nayirrah Waheed Nayirrah Waheed is a contemporary poet. She writes on very personal matters affecting women and African Americans and, more often, the intersection of the two, as well as on self confidence and being bold and outspoken and displaying fortitude and strength in being a woman. This poem, to me, is no exception to these themes, despite its vagueness and lack of a title (Waheed’s titles are usually concrete and powerful ideas, tying together and solidifying what the meaning of the poem is, creating an “Aha!” moment). The absence of a title is actually a very bold move– instead of Waheed using her work to control the narrative and declare her opinions on political matters as she usually does in her powerful self-assuredness through titles, she leaves the poem open-ended to the reader. All art is subjective, but this is particularly; amongst the absence of a title to distinguish concrete connections, the personification of the night in the first line, the distinction drawn between her and her heart, and the metaphor of the quilt, the meaning of this work is completely up for individual interpretation, as usual. My girl Nayirrah does a fantastic job at allowing her readers to sculpt and form her works to fit each individual self, letting us feel related to and therefore not-so-alone (but with the preferred audience being women, obviously). Personally, what I drew from this poem is that Waheed is relating herself as to being the day. “The night is busy making the moon,” and Waheed is making something as well, but leaves once night comes. This suggests that she is the day making the sun. The sun, like the quilt that is being made, spreads warmth and is symbolic of love and life, being patched together and passed through generations. Or, alternatively, she could just be another person, knitting a quilt. A quilt is made piece-by-piece, crafted with care and over a long period of time; it is always there to pick back up the next day if surrendered for the night. If life does not go well one day, wake back up, like the moon and the sun, and start again tomorrow. She "softly," gently, tells her heart that “we’d come back tomorrow,” suggesting that there is always time. Rome wasn't built in a day– there is always more time (...usually). Waheed may be just another person, trying to get through life. The night possibly suggests sadness and depression, as is often associated with darkness, and her heart cannot handle it, hence her softly telling her heart “we'd come back.” The struggles of living can be too difficult to bear sometimes (Waheed often writes on mental illness), so it can be easier to just take it day by day and occasionally give up and take a break—for just the time being. Be gentle with yourself. The symbolism of the quilt is interesting: patches on quilts are scavenged, taken from old quilts or ripped parts of torn t-shirts. This is similar to living; we all have our dusty corners, old memories. We are just fragments of memories of living to create thoughts pieced together into a being Another thing that I found interesting was the use of “we.” Waheed tells her heart “we'd come back,” separating her heart, the core of life and love, from her body. This could possibly be to distinguish the difference between the heart and the brain. As I explained earlier, if Waheed is representative of a person struggling with depression, a mental illness that is entirely due to chemical imbalances in the brain, the use of “we” in relation to her heart and body differentiates between the concrete and lawful science of living (the brain) and the abstract feelings as a result of living (the heart). The body is very much alive but the heart is struggling in feeling alive. Waheed states that “the night was busy making the moon,” so she'd come back tomorrow. Some implications here include that the night is taking up too much attention, space, energy, time, from her. However, it must be kept in mind that there will never be ‘enough’ time for yourself if you are always waiting on someone else (in this case, the moon). Ironically, Waheed tells herself to “come back tomorrow”–however, the moon will also be back tomorrow, and every night after that. You will never have the opportunity if you wait. Make time for yourself. In conclusion, there are several different ways to interpret this poem. Whether she is the sun or human, warm or sad, neglectful of herself or mindful, patient or submissive, this poem is certainly purposely subjective, letting the reader feel related to in their struggle. (Thanks girl! I don't feel alone anymore). Not trying to put Nayirrah Waheed on a godlike or unfair pedestal here with unreachable expectations, but I certainly view her as the sun (which is a damn good compliment imo). Her poem here is symbolic of fortitude, gentleness, and care. Make time for yourself. And be soft. i want more ‘men’
with flowers falling from their skin. more water in their eyes. more tremble in their bodies. more women in their hearts than on their hands. more softness in their height. more honesty in their voice. more wonder. more humility in their feet. –less, nayyirah waheed “Less” by Nayyirah Waheed questions masculinity. Waheed addresses the absence of specific traits in men that she desires. The first two lines, “i want more men with flowers falling from their skin,” set the tone for the rest of the poem– gentleness and “femininity.” Flowers are symbols of life; life comes (traditionally) from love. Love comes from understanding. Understanding comes from vulnerability. Men are vulnerable; but they do not show it. Vulnerability and affection are assets necessary for genuineness and honesty and authenticity to thrive, traits that enable love in its truest form. Waheed wants more men with this kind of vulnerability— for now she labels them ‘men,’ for it is not the common perception of a man. Men are expected to be manly men, tough and obstinate and unfeeling of emotion. “Flowers” possibly represent words; humans use words to show love and authenticity. Or perhaps alternatively, the flowers falling from their skin represent the shedding of tears, the shedding of themselves, the shedding of themselves onto others. Addressing weaknesses or talking about problems does not place a burden on others. Fears and worries and problems need to be spoken about to release tension in oneself. People should be kind, gentle, and tender, and listen. The flowers fall from their skin in display of freely expressing emotion without hesitance or consideration. Flowers are traditionally seen as feminine; Waheed is negotiating the absence of femininity in men with the contemporary affectation of masculinity that men adopt. Stereotypically feminine traits, such as crying (“more water in their eyes”), earnestness (“more tremble in their bodies”), gentleness (“more softness in their height”), honesty, and self-effacement and humbleness (“more humility in their feet”), are beneficial to keeping oneself in reality, and to enlightenment and curiosity. The title of this poem—“less”— is curious; Waheed uses parallelism throughout the poem to denote what she desires more of in men. She wants to see more tremble, more softness, more honesty, more wonder, etc., yet does not signify what she wants less of. This, I believe, leaves the meaning of the poem open-ended for the reader. Waheed implies that she desires less hypermasculine traits in men; she states what ‘feminine’ traits she does desire. Therefore, she is leaving it up to the reader to decide which sociological behaviors in men are typically masculine (hypermasculine). She is allowing the reader to make these connections for themselves, to question the presence of social constructs and which presences are social constructs. Alternatively, by the title “less,” Waheed is being ironic: after stating everything that she wants more of, she is ironically insinuating that the men are “less” than they were before. This irony is a way of saying that being less of the stereotypical 21st century man does not make them any less of a person. In fact, it very well might make them more. |
AuthorJosie Kremer Archives
January 2017
Categories |