Analysis of Poems by Etheridge Knight, Essay Example

The poetry of Etheridge Knight is not pretty.  He is not a “classically-trained” scholar, but received his education from the “school of hard knocks.”  Knight writes about the basest emotions and experiences in a language that is anything but flowery.  Scholarly critics may find fault with Knight’s style and form, however, this is their personal opinion of what constitutes art and poetry.  Even if one does not like the style and diction of Knight’s work, when taken in the context of the era and of Knight’s life, his poetry can certainly be appreciated.

Knight’s poetic career did not begin until he was arrested for armed robbery and sent to prison in the 1960s.  His academic life ended when he dropped out of school when he was fourteen.  When he was sixteen, he enlisted in the United States Army, where he became addicted to opiates. Bolden states that Knight’s “vision and mission as a poet were shaped by his experiences as a marginalized black youth whose economic prospects were so dim that he enlisted” in the United States Army at sixteen years old.  While he was serving in the military, he became addicted to opiates; it was this addiction that led him to commit armed robbery (282, 283).

During his prison term, Knight composed The Idea of Ancestry, which, according to Bolden (282) is considered one of the “finest poems” in American poetry.  In Knight’s poem Rehabilitation and Treatment, he reflects how he was able to rise above the prison culture and “avoid the violence and brutality of everyday prison life” (Bolden 283). Poetry offered both a form of solace and a way of coping, but also a way in which to discreetly disobey the system that held him prisoner (283).

Knight was popular in many circles because of the time, his raw style, and the adaptability of his work to different causes.  Resistance was the only major theme in Knight’s poetry (Bolden 284).  According to Hayes, “Knight was something of a chameleon, spiritually and poetically.  He had a foot in several circles of poetry – the Black Arts poets, the Deep Image poets, the university poets, the community poets – but he was committed to none of them.”

Knight was popular in the Civil Rights movement because he preached resistance and provided a voice to people who had none.  Bolden (283) states that Knight’s experiences and intellectual growth has important implications of African American masculinity.  His personal story is the embodiment of the hostile relationship between the criminal justice system and African American men.  He presents an opportunity for redemption and speaks to African American men who have been abandoned by society.

Throughout his life, Knight continued to be a voice for struggling and imperfect people.  He was a jealous husband, at one point tearing the manuscript of his wife Sonia Sanchez out of jealousy (Bolden 283).  Knight was also never able to overcome his addiction to opiates.

In addition to being crass, some critics panned Knight for not presenting a more confrontational rebellion while he was in prison.  However, Knight was intelligent enough to understand that if he directly disobeyed, he would be severely punished.  He was well aware that “troublemakers” were sent to insane asylums where they were “treated” with severe electro-shock “therapies.”  Knight’s writings were constantly being scrutinized by authorities such the commissioner of corrections and the governor (Bolden 284).

Trying to understand a flowery piece of prose is not for everyone.  How much do people really get out of poetry that they require a dictionary to understand?  Knight’s poetry was relatable to everyone, regardless of their education.  It helped African Americans to find their voice, and people of other races were better able to understand their plight.  His raw style was accessible to all audiences, and was able to form a bridge that could unite people regardless of race or socioeconomic status.

Works Cited

Bolden, Tony. “The Black-Blues Aesthetic and the Writings of Toni Morrison and Etheridge

Knight.” The Journal of African American History. 99.3 (2014): 275-289

Web.  30 November 2015. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5323/jafriamerhis.99.3.0275>

Hayes, Terrance.  “The Space Between Everything.” The Paris Review.  12 March, 2015.

Web. 30 November 2015. <http://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2015/03/12/the-space-between-everything/>