"The warden said to me" Etheridge Knight #250

In just a few words, Etheridge Knight effectively shows the mental toll segregation had on blacks who suffered.

The speaker of this poem is an imprisoned African American by the name of Etheridge who is recalling a seemingly meaningless conversation with the white warden. Since Etheridge is the name of the author of this poem, it can be assumed that this poem is at least slightly a reflection of himself. It is clear that Etheridge is familiar with the assumption that whites are oblivious to the pain and suffering blacks endure from segregation and feelings of inferiority. The speaker uses some sarcasm in the line, "I lowered my jaw and scratched my head" (line 5). Through this sentence Etheridge is characterizing himself as dumb, which is a common stereotype of the African American race. Ironically, his response is full of meaning and intelligence. In saying, "we ain't got no wheres to run to," (line 8), Etheridege is metaphorically saying that a better life awaits blacks no where, and being physically imprisoned may be more favorable over being imprisoned in their own neighborhoods. This highlights the mischaracterizations of the African American race that have prevented them from advancing and running towards a better life.

There is no rhyme scheme or particular meter in this poem. The lack of both of these components gives the poem a conversational feeling, which makes the poem a personal account of a situation, instead of merely a description of a situation. In creating the poem this way, Knight is going beyond simply making a point. He is able to acutely describe the desperate situation of an entire race, without the use of sensory detail. He utilizes his personal thoughts through the parenthetical interjections, however, the last line makes this poem applicable to the African American race as a whole, not just to one person.

This entire poem is slightly ironic and utilizes sarcasm. The white warden uses improper English in the line "why come the black boys don't run off," (line 3). This characterization of the warden leads the reader to believe that the warden is not particularly intelligent. In fact, the warden's speech mirrors the speech of Etheridge, which symbolically puts the two people on the same level, and thus makes the statement that all humans are equal in that we all exist in the same physical world, but all humans are not equal based on their opportunities. The parenthetical interjection that read: "innocently, I think" are slightly sarcastic. The comma after innocently causes a natural break signifying thought. This break changes the meaning of his thought from "he's asking this innocently" to "he may seem innocent, but he's actually just ignorant." The second time Etheridge says "innocently, I think," it is in reference to his own response, which leads the reader to believe that Etheridge is not in fact being innocent, but trying to convince himself that he is. As mentioned before, when Etheridge describes himself lowering his jaw and scratching his head, he is characterizing himself as stupid. This description is clearly sarcastic after his intelligent response is read. Additionally, the warden's question, "Why come the black boys don't run off like the white boys do?" reads as a silly question, from a man who is supposed to have such high authority. Etheridge's response, on the other hand, is full of meaning and witt, even though he is regarded as the person with less authority and intelligence. This situation in itself is ironic.

Neither "etheridge" or "suh" is capitalized, which takes away from the personal feeling that the conversation format creates. The choice to not capitalize the names puts these two individuals on the same level, allowing solely their intelligence to create status, instead of their race, occupation, or opportunities. Clearly, Etheridge portrays himself as much more intelligent than the warden, so perhaps Knight is trying to say that without consideration of race, age, gender, or beliefs, those who are degraded will surpass expectations.

I really enjoyed this poem. It reminded me a lot of Invisible Man, especially the line, "Keep that n***** boy running." Both that line and this poem express the idea that blacks could try to escape segregation and harassment, but in reality, there was no safe place for them. I really enjoyed the idea that this poem was so short, and yet the meaning is so deep. The form of the poem, the personal feelings of the poem, and the simplicity of the poem made it an easy poem to read, but a meaningful poem regardless. This is my favorite type of poetry. The poetry that is easily understood on the surface, but has meaning beyond. I also loved Etheridge's response. It is so simple, and yet so complex simultaneously.