Here is an example from a candidate who did a fairly good job of showing the effectiveness of a device

by tying it to the experience/event (in this instance discrimination/racism in the poem ―Dreaming Black
Boy‖): The constant repetition of „I wish‟ illustrates the longing and desire the persona has for
oppression and blatant discrimination to stop. It is a symbol of grief as he feels helpless to the fact that
he is oppressed by the white society. The phrase „I wish‟ is far-fetched and may not happen. Therefore,
it is evident he thinks discrimination against African-Americans would not stop. By extension the phrase
„I wish‟ reminds us of the famous speech made by civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr which
entailed the phrase „I have a dream.‟

SUMMARY
The poem is about a black boy who wishes that he could have regular things in life. Things such as a
congratulatory hug, to be educated to the highest level and to travel without harassment. The persona
yearns to stop fighting for the basic right to be successful and to rise above societal expectations.

LITERARY DEVICES
1. REPETITION:
The constant repetition of the phrase ‘I wish’ points to a yearning, a desperation even, for the basic things
that life has to offer. The repetition gives credence to the idea that the persona might believe that his
wishes are actually dreams that might not come true.

2. ALLUSION:
Stanza 1, lines 6 and 7, alludes to slavery, the state of lacking control over one’s own life and destiny. The
fact that reference is made to this hints to how the persona feels about his life. He does not feel as if he
has control over it.

Stanza 3, lines 19 to 20, alludes to Paul Robeson, a black intellectual, who attained success despite
difficult circumstances. The persona yearns to be like this person. He wants room to stretch intellectually.

Stanza 4, lines 22 to 25, alludes to the klu klux klan. Burning lights refers to the burning of crosses and
the pyjamas alludes to their white outfits that look like pyjamas. The persona wants them to leave him
alone, find something else to do other than make his life difficult by contributing to his wishes remaining
in the realm of the dreams.

IMPORTANT WORDS / PHRASE

3.’not sink to lick boots’
This refers to the concept of being subservient. To have no choice but to kowtow to people in order to get
ahead.
4. ‘Inside eye a sun’
This refers to the persona’s mind. He wants to show how intelligent he is without fear. He wants his mind
to be a sun. Sun represents brightness and light, that is how he wants his intelligence to shine.

TONE
The tone/mood of the poem is one of sadness. The persona is thinking about how he is treated and he
reacts to this in a sad way. He keeps wishing that things were different.

THEMATIC CATEGORY:
Racism, survival, oppression, desire/dreams.

Dreaming Black Boy - Analysis

1. 1. Dreaming Black Boy – Fact Sheet Main Idea: The poem is about a black skinned boy is being
discriminated against because of his colour. He is wishing that people would look beyond his
colour and view him as a person rather than a black boy and that he could enjoy the regular things
in life. Reference: The passage speaks of the many problems of racism that many black people
had to face before. Almost all whites discriminated against blacks and treated them as if they
were inferiors. Racism occurred wherever whites and blacks met up, whether in a school, church,
office or even on a public bus. Whites discriminated against blacks in many ways; derogatory
names, denial of entry into public buildings, violating their rights of freedom of speech and
expressions and in many other ways. Genre: Lyric Type: Themes: Racism, Oppression The
persona wishes that racism doesn’t exist. The persona wishes that people see him as a person and
beyond his colour. The persona wants to be accepted and enjoy all the regular things in life.
Racism causes people to feel inferior to others. Mood: The mood of the poem is one of hurt and
strong desire. Setting: The poem is set in the 20th century when racism was rife in society.
Though racism was also prevalent before that period, the persona refers to his slaves
(woodchoppers) being his ancestors. Slavery ended in the 19th century, so for the slaves to be his
ancestors he must have existed generations after them. Another factor indicating the setting is the
fact that the boy went to school. No black children went to school in the 19th century. In fact, not
even all whites attended school as such institutions were not abundant as they are now. Also the
allusion to the “Klu Klux Klan” in lines 22-25 gives an indication of the time period. This anti
black terrorist organization peaked between the 1920’s and 1950’s.
2. 2. The repetition also gives rise to the idea that the persona might believe that his wishes are
actually dreams that might not come true. If he was confident that these dreams would come true
he would have probably used a phrase with more confidence and surety. Allusion: The boy
conveys his strong desire for an end to racism by starting every stanza with “I wish.” He makes
clear his yearning and desperation for the simple things that should be enjoyed in life.  Lines
 25-26: “Wish people wouldn’t talk as if I dropped from Mars.” This image again shows how the
people viewed the boy. They didn’t regard him as a human, but something else, similar to a
disgusting alien. They didn’t think he was fit to belong on earth. Devices: Repetition:  Lines 10-
11: “And not sink to lick boots.” This image conveys to the reader the demeaning jobs that
coloured people at the time held. The action of licking boots is one that is below anyone’s dignity
and so gives the reader that same image.  Lines 2-4: “Wish he’d know it’s okay to hug me when
I kick a goal.” This shows how they thought of the boy because of his colour. They didn’t regard
him as equal to them, but as something inferior, strange and so disgusting that they couldn’t even
touch him.  Lines 1-2:“I wish my teacher’s eyes wouldn’t go past me today.” The image of a
teacher ignoring his/her own student just serves to show an example of the wrong end of
prejudice that the boy experienced. It shows that racismeven existed in schools. This may also
suggest that the boy attended a school full of whites. Imagery: The writer uses little imagery to
convey his desire to be treated as an equal. However some imagery can still be deduced from the
poem. These images focus on describing how unfairly the boy and other people of his colour
were treated.
3. 3. Stanza 4, lines 22 to 25, alludes to the “Klu Klux Klan,” a group infamous for the terror they
caused on the black race. Burning lights refers to the burning crosses and the pyjamas allude to
their white outfits that look like pyjamas. The persona wants them to leave him alone, find
something else to do other than make his life difficult, as well as contributing to his wishes
remaining a dream. Shifts: In the 1st stanza the persona focuses on racismin his school. In the
next stanza he focuses on how prejudice can affect his aspirations; “to be educated” and to travel
around the world. The 3rd stanza sees the writer wishing that he could express himself and share
his views, opinions, knowledge and intelligence. In stanza 4, the writer gives a lengthy allusion to
the KKK clan. He is wishing for them to stop the terror that they are causing to people of colour.
In the last stanza the persona focuses on racismfrom a collective perspective. He is wishing that
racism came to end and that nobody would have to suffer from it. Diction: Stanza 3, lines 19 to
20, alludes to Paul Robeson, a black intellectual, who attained success despite difficult
circumstances. The persona yearns to be like this person. He wants room to stretch intellectually.
 Stanza 1, lines 6 and 7, alludes to slavery, the state of lacking control over one's own life and
destiny. The fact that the persona refers to this gives a hint to how he feels about his life. He does
not feel as if he has control over it.