The elements of the Ten-Point Program are expressed in many poems from the Black Arts Movement. The demand for self-determination is probably the most prevalent, and while it's present in all of these, I think it's especially so in "Malcolm" by Lucille Clifton. "It Must Be Deep" expresses the point about education that reflects the true history of black people, in the role college has played in the narrators life. The communist elements of the Ten-Point Program appear more in "a/coltrane/poem" by Sonia Sanchez, and are used as a sort of a call to action.
Lucille Clifton's "Malcolm" starts by evoking imagery of war in a similar way the Black Panther Party does when it's talking about and end to police brutality and exemption from military service. I think the first line "nobody mentioned war" is referencing the attempts at peaceful protests mostly championed by MLK, and the poem is showing the aftermath of that and saying that it wasn't really enough. The Black Panther Party was much more militant than MLK, and in the Ten-Point Program they mention war and self defense multiple times. This poem also seems to reference the ideas of freedom and self-determination the Ten-Point Program mentioned. I think the second line "but doors were closed" is referencing segregation and it seems like that oppression is the main reason for the preparations for war the rest of the poem is describing. The poem also seems like a usurpation of white institutions in how it describes "black eagles...screaming through the streets", and how there's a sense of importance to what's happening.
The main elements of the Ten-Point Program that's expressed in "It Must Be Deep" by Carolyn Dodgers are the ones about self determination and education. It's from going to college and evidently learning more about the history of black people that the narrator becomes disillusioned with America and existing institutions. Here it's mostly religion and it's similar to how Beneatha feels about it in "A Raisin in the Sun", and I think that pushing back on blind acceptance of religion is also a way of trying to achieve self-determination. I think this may also be part of the meaning of the misspellings that permeate this poem. I think it's trying to push back on what's considered the traditional/correct way of writing English, which was more or less created by white people.
"a/coltrane/poem" by Sonia Sanchez is much more focused on capitalism, and has similar opinions as the Black Panther Party. The Ten-Point Program mentions taking the means of production from the "businessman" as well as turning housing owned by landlords in public cooperatives. Sanchez is more directly attacking the elites who, "KILL US WITH THEY CAPITALISM/18% OWNERSHIP OF THE WORLD." She specifically mentions Rockefeller, Vanderbilt, Mellon, and Ford, and says "GIT em. PUSHem/PUNCHem/STOMPem. THEN LIGHT A FIRE TO THEY pilgrim asses." They're both focused on the use of capitalism as a tool of oppression, it's just that Sanchez seems to be looking for more immediate revolutionary action while the Black Panthers aren't as explicit about it.
Hi Ben! I initially didn't know too much about the ten-point program before your blog. I'm actually quite intrigued that you were able to show us (the readers) what it entails by drawing from examples from texts that we've read in class, as opposed to just giving us the definition. It's like we're taking bits and pieces to combine them together to form a better conclusion of what it is along the way. We start with the themes of Self-defense and war, which were preached by Malcom X, then we get into Self determination and education from Dodgers, and finally communism from Sanchez. All of these examples helped with furthering my understanding of the program, and I hope it did for others who were unfamiliar :)
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting post, Ben! I agree that the Ten-Point Program advocates for more direct self defense and self-determination. I also did not realize before how "a/coltrane/poem" connects to the Ten-Point Program message of capitalism as a tool of oppression. Multiple demands of the program urge for more control in economic aspects of life. Sonia Sanchez not only addresses the ownership elites created over black people, but also urges to dismantle the elites, which I am sure the Black Panther Party would agree with even though they do not explicitly write it.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really interesting comparison, because I never would have really associated Coltrane poems with the Black Panther Party. However, your post does a really good job of illustrating the similarities and connections between some specific poems and the way are connected to the Black Panther Party's 10 point program
ReplyDeleteI thought your post was really interesting! I didn't think about how the mention of "war" in the poem "Malcolm" could be viewed as directly addressing/critiquing Martin Luther King's nonviolence, but I think that makes a lot of sense. When I read the line "Nobody mentioned war", I thought of it as kind of unspoken agreement, that nobody said it outright but it was clear that that was where people needed to go. I think this idea also fits with the Black Panther ideology and with your points because it shows how the way black people have been discriminated against for so long can only be answered in one way: war, revolution, and drastic change.
ReplyDeleteHi Ben! Great blog post! I think that you make a good point when you say that the Ten-Point Program advocates for more self defense and self-determination. I also did not realize the coltrane capitalism references in "a/coltrane/poem" by Sonia Sanchez, but I can see how her use of language and literature elements further her message for more action.
ReplyDeleteI like how you connect the ten-point program to how it promoted education that would expose the systemic racism in America. I particularly see this as relevant because it connects to Malcolm X and Booker T. Washington's stories of receiving an education in tough circumstances. I also like how you explained the anger we can see in the Black Arts Movement in terms of the 10 point program; the two areas intertwine a lot and you make it very clear exactly how.
ReplyDeleteI liked how you related the poems "Malcolm" and "It Must Be Deep" to the Ten-Point Program, because you mentioned things that I had not thought about before. I also liked how you mentioned and discussed how capitalism played a big role in "a/ coltrane/poem". I think you made really good points. Good job, Ben!
ReplyDeleteI found your blog to be quite interesting. I hadn't realized how prevelant the 10 point program was in the poems we read, but the connections you made make it quite clear that it was. I particulary liked the connections you made with war and self determination- the connection wasn't clear to me until you explained it well.
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