# Know any good poems that deal with racial prejudice? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 19, 2013, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-good-poems-that-deal-with-racial-prejudice/647684 "2013-01-19T03:16:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Beastly\_Rotter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/45deac/32.png) [@Beastly\_Rotter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beastly_Rotter)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2013, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-good-poems-that-deal-with-racial-prejudice/647684/21 "2013-01-19T20:38:47Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > So I guess “The White Man’s Burden” is out of the question. Henri Labouchere’s [“The Brown Man’s Burden”](http://mondoweiss.net/2010/07/brown-mans-burden-of-1899-was-prescient.html) is still pretty uncomfortably on the money, though: > [@](#): > > Pile on the brown man’s burden, > And if his cry be sore, > That surely need not irk you– > Ye’ve driven slaves before. > Seize on his ports and pastures, > The fields his people tread; > Go make from them your living, > And mark them with his dead. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-good-poems-that-deal-with-racial-prejudice/647684/22 "2013-01-21T03:55:43Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Kipling’s too hard for a fifteen year old? Really? _Kipling_? I’ll try anything. Need it specifically be a poem the author’s intent of which is to address racial prejudice? If taking a broader approach of using poetry as fuel for discussion about racial prejudice, I will humbly suggest “Eeenie Meenie Miney Moe”. I’m willing to guess that the majority of her classmates are unaware that the “tiger” references were a later substitution. The fact that it was at one time shared unreticently as a children’s nursery rhyme is an excellent focus of academic deconstruction for students her age. Ditto the original version of “Ten Little Indians” without the Indians (although, the Indians version ain’t a bad example on its own). ---
**Author:** ![auRa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c4cdca/32.png) [@auRa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/auRa)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-good-poems-that-deal-with-racial-prejudice/647684/23 "2013-01-21T08:16:32Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Kipling’s too hard for a fifteen year old? Really? _Kipling_? Well, apparently so are metaphors, so… ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-good-poems-that-deal-with-racial-prejudice/647684/24 "2013-01-21T15:14:30Z")
[Pastures of Plenty](http://batlyrics.com/medley%3A_pastures_of_plenty_this_land_is_your_land_land-lyrics-lila_downs.html), by Lila Downs, about the migrant worker. Sample lyric: > [@](#): > > Say you’re American but what does that mean > You are the particle, the dust in the scheme > Now that you have all the things that you want > Did you ever look around and see who you forgot ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-good-poems-that-deal-with-racial-prejudice/647684/25 "2013-01-21T15:30:14Z")
Gil Scott Heron’s [“Whitey on the Moon”](http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/05/gil-scott-herons-poem-whitey-on-the-moon/239622/). Pretty straightforward, no metaphors necessary. > [@](#): > > A rat done bit my sister Nell. > (with Whitey on the moon) > Her face and arms began to swell. > (and Whitey’s on the moon) > I can’t pay no doctor bill. > (but Whitey’s on the moon) > Ten years from now I’ll be paying still. > (while Whitey’s on the moon)… ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-good-poems-that-deal-with-racial-prejudice/647684/26 "2013-01-21T15:53:40Z")
[Strange Fruit](http://www.lyricsfreak.com/b/billie+holiday/strange+fruit_20017859.html) started as a poem that was later put to music. The story about the author is fascinating. [The Strange Story Of The Man Behind 'Strange Fruit' : NPR](http://www.npr.org/2012/09/05/158933012/the-strange-story-of-the-man-behind-strange-fruit) ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-good-poems-that-deal-with-racial-prejudice/647684/27 "2013-01-21T16:55:43Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > [Strange Fruit](http://www.lyricsfreak.com/b/billie+holiday/strange+fruit_20017859.html) started as a poem that was later put to music. > > The story about the author is fascinating. [The Strange Story Of The Man Behind 'Strange Fruit' : NPR](http://www.npr.org/2012/09/05/158933012/the-strange-story-of-the-man-behind-strange-fruit) Very good read. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-good-poems-that-deal-with-racial-prejudice/647684/28 "2013-01-21T17:27:38Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Very good read. Thanks. That he ended up adopting and raising Ethel and Julius Rosenberg’s kids was such an unexpected twist in what was already a fascinating story! ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-good-poems-that-deal-with-racial-prejudice/647684/29 "2013-01-21T17:53:16Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > That he ended up adopting and raising Ethel and Julius Rosenberg’s kids was such an unexpected twist in what was already a fascinating story! A Jewish communist who adopted the sons of convicted and executed atomic spies Ethel and Julius Rosenberg wrote the Time Magazine “song of the century.” Yeah. Steven Spielberg wanna take this one on? ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-good-poems-that-deal-with-racial-prejudice/647684/30 "2013-01-21T17:54:28Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > A Jewish communist who adopted the sons of convicted and executed atomic spies Ethel and Julius Rosenberg wrote the Time Magazine “song of the century.” > > Yeah. Steven Spielberg wanna take this one on? Who was simply a Bronx high school English teacher. It would be a great story. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-good-poems-that-deal-with-racial-prejudice/647684/31 "2013-01-21T18:07:36Z")
It has a sexual element, so it may not be appropriate (better for her to make this determination), but Maya Angelou’s “Still I Rise” is very accessible. She’s not a favorite of mine; I don’t care for her poetry at all. But I think she has things to say in a way that 15-year-old students can probably grasp and talk about with ease. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-good-poems-that-deal-with-racial-prejudice/647684/32 "2013-01-21T18:28:15Z")
[Only a Pawn in Their Game](http://www.mp3lyrics.org/b/bob-dylan/only-a-pawn-in-their-game/), Bob Dylan ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-good-poems-that-deal-with-racial-prejudice/647684/33 "2013-01-21T18:30:35Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > It has a sexual element, so it may not be appropriate (better for her to make this determination), but Maya Angelou’s “Still I Rise” is very accessible. She’s not a favorite of mine; I don’t care for her poetry at all. But I think she has things to say in a way that 15-year-old students can probably grasp and talk about with ease. Thanks. She’s gone with Strange Fruit after all. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-good-poems-that-deal-with-racial-prejudice/647684/34 "2013-01-21T19:07:51Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Thanks. She’s gone with Strange Fruit after all. YAY! I WIN! Booyah! (It was a contest, right???) 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-good-poems-that-deal-with-racial-prejudice/647684/35 "2013-01-21T19:12:29Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > YAY! I WIN! > > Booyah! > > (It was a contest, right???) > > 🙂 The [del]cheque[/del] check is in the mail. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-good-poems-that-deal-with-racial-prejudice/647684/36 "2013-01-21T19:13:51Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > The [del]cheque[/del] check is in the mail. Half my family lives on Ontario. I’ll take a cheque any day! ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-good-poems-that-deal-with-racial-prejudice/647684/37 "2013-01-21T19:52:30Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > YAY! I WIN! > > Booyah! > > (It was a contest, right???) > > 🙂 You need to check further upthread. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-good-poems-that-deal-with-racial-prejudice/647684/38 "2013-01-21T21:08:04Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > You need to check further upthread. 😉 Damn. Cancel the cheque. ☹ And I read the thread twice before posting! Great minds, blah, blah. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2013, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-good-poems-that-deal-with-racial-prejudice/647684/39 "2013-01-22T14:45:37Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > Damn. > > Cancel the cheque. ☹ > > And I read the thread twice before posting! > Great minds, blah, blah. 🙂 I am happy to dance on the grave of your dreams and aspirations. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2013, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-good-poems-that-deal-with-racial-prejudice/647684/40 "2013-01-22T21:11:33Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I am happy to dance on the grave of your dreams and aspirations. 😃 Take a number, funny guy. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-good-poems-that-deal-with-racial-prejudice/647684.md?page=1)