Dreaming Black Boy

by James Berry
Prepared by
Mrs. Schaaffe -McFarlane

Dreaming Black Boy

wishmyteacherseyeswouldnt
gopastmetoday.Wishhedknow
itsokaytohugmewhenIkick
agoal.Wish Imyselfwouldntholdbackwhenanswercomes.
Imnowoodchoppernow
likeallancestors.

wishtorchthrowersofnight
wouldburnlightsfordecenttimes.
Wishplottersinpyjamaswouldpray
forthemselves.Wishpeoplewouldnt
talkasifIdroppedfromMars.

IwishIcouldbeeducated

Tothebestoftuneup,andearn
Goodmoneyandnotsinktolick
Boots.IwishIcouldgoonevery

wishonlyboyswerescared
behindbravados,foricouldsuffer.
Icouldsufferabigbiglot.

crisscrosswayoftheglobe
Andnopersonsorpowersor
Hotelkeeperswouldmakeitawaste
I

wishlifewouldntspendmeout
opposing.Wishsamewaycreation
wouldhavemestanditwouldhave
mestretch,andholdhigh,myvoice
PaulRobesons,myinsideeye
asun.Nobodywantstosay
hellotonastyanswers.

wishnobodywouldwanttoearn

theterribleburdenIcansuffer.

ByJamesBerry

About the Author

James Berry

James Berry

JamesBerry(b.1924)spenthischildhoodina
villageinJamaica,beforeworkingintheUnited
States.HesettledinBritainin1948wherehe
hasremainedeversince.Oneofthefirstblack
writersinBritaintoachievewiderrecognition,
Berryrosetoprominencein1981whenhewon
theNationalPoetryCompetition.

Hisangerattheseinjusticesmotivatessomeof
hispoems,particularly when writing about his
father's ill treatment at the hands of his white
employers. However,theoverridingtoneof
Berry'spoetryisoneofcelebration.Without
denyingthehurtofthecolonialexperience,he
choosestodefyprejudicechoosinginsteadto
emphasize,theunityofcultures.

James Berry

Thereisanemotionaldualityinhiswork.

OnonehandweseeBerry'sloveofthesensualand
imaginativerichnessofhisJamaicanbackgroundinhis
work;
ontheotherhand,thisinheritanceiscontaminatedwith
thebitteroppressionsofslavery.

James Berry

Howdoesapoetrepresenttwodistinctly
differentculturesintheirwork?Howdid
JamesBerryinterprethisexperienceand
thoseofotherJamaicanswhomigrated
toEnglandinthelate1940sintohis
writing?JamesBerrywasbornin
Jamaicain1924,butmovedtoEngland
duringthewaveofimmigrationfromthe
WestIndiesledbytheEmpireWindrush.
FromayoungageBerryhadaninterest
inlanguage,andshowedanaptitudefor
spokenwordandthroughwritingsoon
realizedhecouldexploretheworldfrom
differentperspectives.Hebecamepartof
anewgenerationofpost-colonialpoets
whodrewinspirationfromtheircountryof
birthinadditiontoBritishculture.

Content

Point-of-view & Summary

Summary

In the poem a little black boy had the dream that he would
not be judged by the colour of his skin.
In the poem the boy articulates his thoughts and emotions
in abstract images.
The poem might be seen as awish listwhich draws
attention to the areas which this boy sees the need for
change. The wordwishis used twelve(12) times.
He dreams and wishes for the rights that should be
bestowed to all human beings - recognition and love, the
freedom of movement, freedom in the choice of careers
and speech.
These images used by the poet, appeal to the emotions
and the reader sympathizes with the little boy.

Point-of-view

The poem is told from the first person perspective as it

highlights the injustices a little boy feels because of his
race, not only in his classroom but also in the wider
society.

This point-of-view is advantageous as the persona is

able to share and express the deep longing he feels for:
o Justice
o Equality
o Freedom.

This perspective helps to highlight the emotional

turmoil of the speaker and shows his experience as
being personal and authentic, eliciting from the reader
a sense of sympathy.

Significance of the
Title

Dreaming Black Boy

Title

The title Dreaming

Black Boy is
appropriate as it
prepares the readerfor
the aspirations of a boy
who is black.
The fact that his colour
is mentioned in the title
suggests that the poem
is about a boy who
suffers discrimination
because of his race.

Stanza by Stanza

Summary & Analysis

Stanza 1

Stanza oneplaces our young

dreamer in his classroom. He
longs for the attention of his
white teacher who is in the
habit of ignoring him (his
eyesgo pasthim) even when
he does something
outstanding, like scoring a
goal. He knows that he
probably contributes to his
own lack of visibility in that
even when he knows the
answer, heclams up.

Stanza 1

He feels that since he is in the process of getting

an education he should not behave like hiswood
chopper ancestors who were not educated.

He uses thissimileto show that he needs to be

more confident, assertive and self-assured.

Stanza 2

Stanza tworecognizes how

importanteducationis as a means of improving
your status in society, and so the boy wants to be
educated to the best of tune up. When
musicianstune uptheir instruments, they are
ensuring that they play at the right pitch.

This boy is ambitious; he wants to be educated to

the highest level possible. He doesnt want to
have to lick boots(metaphor);that is to do
something low, wrong, disgraceful or demeaning
to impress someone in authority because you
want a job or a promotion.

Stanza 2

He wants to be free to
travel all over the world
without being humiliated by
being told that there are
certain places that he
cannot enter because of his
colour. no hotel
keepers would make it
awaste. The word waste
implies that he would
bewasting time, effort
and money if he cannot
enjoy a trip that he pays for.

Stanza 3
In

Stanza three, he wishes that lifewouldn'tspend[him] out

opposing.(metaphor) We have two choices when confronted with
injustice, either to accept the unfair treatment quietly, or to oppose
it. Clearly he will not accept and so he is hoping for a life in the
future where there is justice and equality for all so that he will have
no need to oppose.
A person who is spentis a person who is tired. He wants to do
productive things with his life; he does not want to spend his life
fighting for rights that should be his without any effort on his part.

As a human being he is made with the ability to literally stand

upright, but he wants to do more than the average human being, he
will not be satisfied with mediocrity, he wants to excel.

Stanza 3

Note themetaphoricaluse of stretch.

He admires Paul Robeson as an example of
an African American who stretched
metaphorically. Robeson excelled in several
areas of his life.

He was an outstanding scholar, actor,

singer and activist for peace, racial justice
and improved labour relations hence
theallusionto Robeson.

My inside eye a sun(metaphor)speaks of

his desire for brilliance, perception and
understanding. If he does not have these
qualities, he fears he will not be able to
influence anyone into changing the status
quo (the way things are). Nobody wants to
say hello to nasty answers.

Stanza 4

Stanza four begins with another

importantallusion.Torch
throwers of night and the wish
that plotters in pyjamas would
pray for themselves (alliteration)
are a clear reference to the
nefarious (evil) activities of
members of theKu Klux Klan,
some of whom actually claimed
that in terrorizing black people and
those who sympathized with them,
by arson, torture and murder, they
were carrying out Gods will.

Stanza 4

The boy wishes that Klan

members would burn lights for
decent times(metaphor).
Instead of committing acts of
terror, he would like them to use
their energies tolet their light
shine by promoting acts
ofdecencythat would make the
world a better place. (Note that
light is a symbolfor Jesus and
for Christian values.)
He also wants them to pray for
themselves. The stanza ends with
his longing to be truly integrated
into the society as people treat
him like an alien, as if I dropped
from Mars.(simile).

Stanza 5

Stanza fiveevokes our sympathy more than any of the

other stanzas. Here we see a child who is vulnerable
because parents who should be protecting their children
cannotfulfillthis important role.
Although they put up afacade(a pretense) of
confidence(bravados)in front of their children, they too
are scared. The boy knows it and so he makes the
anguished lament: I could suffer./ I could suffer a big big
lot./ I wish nobody would want to earn / the terrible burden I
can suffer.(repetition)

His final wish expressed in the last two lines of the poem
shows that the boy has a social conscience. He is not only
concerned about himself, but he cares about all people.

Language

Tone & Mood, Diction

Tone & Mood

TONE
The tone iswistful, longingas the boy repeatedly
expresses a desire for the things that will make his
society a better place and make him safe and
happy. He never demonstrates anger or resentment
although slightsarcasmmay be detected in: Wish
plotters in pyjamas would pray for
themselves.(lines 24 -25) There is also the
element offear and despairin his tone in the last
stanza.
MOOD
A mood of anxiety permeates the poem.

Diction
Words & Phrases

I wish
Okay to hug me
No woodchopper
Spend me out
Nasty answers
Plotters in pyjamas
Only boys were scared
Terrible burden
Suffer
Bravados

Their Effect

Berrys diction in Dreaming

Black Boy was effectively
used to portray the desires
and dreams of not only the
persona but also all black
boys at the time who faced
discrimination. The words
evoke sympathy in the
reader as we are able to
see how much blacks were
denied during the period
of civil unrest.

Techniques

Figurative Devices

Repetition

I wish the constant repetition of this phrase

emphasizes/reinforces the personas desire for
freedom and equality.

I could suffer./ I could suffer a big big lot./ I

wish nobody would want to earn/ the
terrible burden I can suffer. this is a lament
from the persona who wishes he could share the
burden of adults. He is also conscious of others as
he would not want anyone to have to face things
he has to.

Metaphor

lick boots - this is to do something low, wrong,

disgraceful or demeaning to impress someone in
authority because you want a job or a promotion. This
helps to reinforce the dreams and wishes of the persona.

lifewouldn'tspendme out opposing - A person

who is spentis a person who is tired. He wants to do
productive things with his life; he does not want to spend
his life fighting for rights that should be his without any
effort on his part. If this spent is used in the context of
money then the persona would have nothing left of
himself after trying so hard to oppose those who are
oppressing him.

Metaphor

My inside eye a sunspeaks of his desire for

brilliance, perception and understanding. If he does
not have these qualities, he fears he will not be able to
influence anyone into changing the status quo.

burn lights for decent times - Instead of

committing acts of terror, he would like them to use
their energies tolet their light shine by promoting acts
ofdecencythat would make the world a better place.

Simile

as if I dropped from Mars. this expresses

the personas longing to be truly integrated into
the society as people treat him like an alien.

Im no woodchopper now like all ancestor

the persona wishes that unlike his ancestors
who were mere woodchoppers, uneducated and
lacked confidence, he would be brave enough to
stand up for himself as he has opportunities they
never had.

Allusion

Torch throwers of night this alludes to the

klu klux klan who were a group of white
supremacist people who burned crosses in front
of the homes of black people or torched the
houses.

Alliteration

Plotters in pyjamas would pray - a clear

reference to the nefarious (evil) activities of
members of theKu Klux Klan, some of whom
actually claimed that in terrorizing black people
and those who sympathized with them, by arson,
torture and murder, they were carrying out Gods
will.

Themes

Central Issues and Ideas

Racism

The poem explores the theme of racism as it

highlights the inequality and injustice faced by
blacks during the 1950s and 1960s.
The persona wishes for freedom from
discrimination as he wishes that as a black
person he will not be:
o Ignored
o Denied education
o Denied the ability to go where he pleases
o Denied the right to fulfill his dreams.

Childhood Experiences

The persona is a child who is experiencing

discrimination at the hand of his teacher and
those around him.
The language used by the persona is child-like
when he says nasty answers.

Dreams & Aspirations

The poem might be seen as awish listwhich

draws attention to the areas in which this boy
sees the need for change. The wordwishis used
twelve times.
He dreams and wishes for the rights that should
be bestowed to all human beings - recognition
and love, the freedom of movement, freedom in
the choice of careers and speech.

Written Task

1.What are some of the problems experienced by the

boy in
this poem?
2.What are some of the reasons that cause
discrimination?
3.What are some of the hopes and dreams of the little
boy?
4.What is the tone of the poem?
5.How does the poem make you feel?
6.Describe the importance of the imagery of the poem.
7.What does the repetition of the phrase I wish reveal
about the boys life?