voices from the gaps: women poets of color

Margaret Walker aaaaaLorna Dee Cervantes aaaMaya Angelou aaaBonita Valdez-Cruzada

background

When Amy Tan discovered that "Cliff's Notes" had been made for her novel, The Joy Luck Club, she remarked, "I thought those were only made for dead white men". This demonstrates the lack of recognition for literature and poetry written by minority women in our culture, and it also comments on the position of those women themselves. Our society has traditionally been, and is still to a large extent, politically, socially, and artistically dominated by white males. Hence, women of color find themselves in a double jeopardy of sorts; members of both ethnic and gender groups commonly discriminated against. Only recently have authors like Alice Walker, Toni Morrisson, and Amy Tan brought women of color to the forefront of literary acheivement. Yet, behind the success of popular novels like Beloved and The Color Purple, toil legions of minority women poets striving to be heard.

While some poetry, like that of Maya Angelou, has been widely acclaimed, the majority exists in the shadow of popular prose, including Tan's Joy Luck Club and The Kitchen God's Wife. Furthermore, as you will discover, many of these poets wrote long ago, or have been doing so for some time. This should provide some interesting insights into the ways that their roles in and perspectives of society have changed with the advent of civil rights and feminist movements.

the task

With this in mind, you are going to hear the 'voices' of these women. You will read, interpret, and analyze their poetry, and form conclusions about what they are trying to say, and the kinds of obstacles they must overcome in order to be heard.

In groups of three, you will put together a brochure including information on at least five minority women poets. You can use the internet and desktop publishing to accomplish this task. Among the five poets you cover, you must include at least two African-American poets, one Latino poet, and one Asian poet, but feel free to investigate as many as you want- these women need to be recognized! Devote at least one page to each poet, including a picture borrowed from the internet, a brief biography, and an analysis of 2-3 of their poems (making reference to specific questions listed below, including the titles, and using quotes from the actual poems). At the end of your brochure, you need to write a one page synthesis comparing and contrasting all of the poets you studied. You also need to conclude with an interview that you have conducted with the shade of William Shakespeare; perhaps the greatest dead, white poet of all time. Correspond with his spirit by clicking here. You might consider asking him what he thinks of the linguistic talents of these poets, in light of the fact that society and language have changed so drastically since his time.

the process

If you are familiar with poets that are not mentioned here, please search for them on the internet. However, you will be provided with plenty of sources. As you read and digest these poems, consider the following questions:

-How does this poet feel about her gender and race, and how has it affected her life?

-What sorts of things, specifically, has she had to overcome as a poet and a person?

-Where has this woman found solace or peace in her life- as a child? as an adult? Do they differ as she grows up?

-What emotions do you feel most strongly as you read?

-What concrete images and words does this poet use to convey her emotions, and are they effective?

-What purpose does writing poetry serve this woman- how does it seem to make her feel as she expresses herself?

As you write your synthesis, consider these questions:

-What similarities do you see; what emotions, themes, images, and situations occur repeatedly?

-How do these women differ in their poetry and in their view of life?

-Are some poets more powerful than others- do some seem to reach you, where others don't?

-Do different ethnicities encounter different obstacles, or are these women in similar positions?

-What conclusions can you draw about being a minority woman poet in our society?

Of course, you will not be able to answer all of these questions for every poet or apply all of them to each one. However, they are suggested as guidelines to help you approach the individual poems and the synthesis part of your brochure.

As you begin, you might investigate Maya Angelou. Her poetry has inspired millions, and includes the feminist anthem "Phenomenal Woman". Other African-American poets you might consider are Margaret Walker and Phillis Wheatley. Wheatley's poetry, as well as that of Elois Bibbs, can be read by clicking here. Their biographies are not included, but they provide excellent examples of earlier poets' attitudes, and should be looked at before you write your synthesis.

Mila Aguilar and Bonita Valdez-Cruzada are both Filipina poets who deserve attention.

Lorna Dee Cervantes is a Latina poet you might read about.

Again, these are only recommendations, and you should read whichever poems seem most interesting and write about the ones that affect you the most. A wealth of other minority women poets can be found at http://www.poets.com/.

conclusion

After a day or two of research and another day or two of careful thinking, talking, and writing in class and at home, your group should be ready to produce a handy-dandy brochure. Also, you should all be 'experts' on the poetry of at least five minority women. You visually recognize these poets, know something about their lives, and have heard their 'voices' through their poetry. You also have a better understanding of what it means to be a minority woman in our society, whether you are a poet or not. Perhaps, in the future, when you read poetry by men of comparable ethnicity, you will notice how much more a woman has to overcome to be heard. When you read any poetry, especially that of white men, you can think to yourself, "how would this poet's life have been different and how would he have written differently if he had been a woman of color?"- and hopefully you will be able to answer that question.