To close out the last week of Senior Seminar I have chosen to read from Morgan Parker again, another poetry collection called Magical Negro. Just like her previous work this collection has themes of the black experience and racism, but what I found to be interesting about this collection so far are the ways that she discusses the fetishization of blackness and the ways that blackness is shown in the media. Parker does this by using experiences from her own life and also intersecting them with experiences from historical figures or celebrities. The use of Magical Negro is explained as an cinematic trope where a black characters sole purpose is to aid his/her white counterpart. This is commonly seen in roles where black people are considered sidekicks or “the best friend”. Parker is able to take this theme and combine it with real life emphasizing that black people are mortal, real, and not for entertainment purposes.
There are multiple ways in which history has been modified to present a certain outcome or belief to the masses. In some cases history has been rewritten and there are things that we are not taught. Parker points this out in her collection as well. Who are we when we speak to ourselves and who are we went we are not made to cater to whiteness? These questions presented themselves to her as she challenged herself with this collection, calling it the hardest book she has ever written. For me while reading there was a sense of urgency in her words. I do not know if it is because these are personal things that I have experienced or if that is actually the tone that she is going for in some of her poems. Either way there are emotions here that are uncovered because she is able to put these experiences into words the way others cannot.
The history of black people, after Jean-Michel Basquiat.
The history of black people: an allegory for
Denzel Washington’s continuous battle with various
forms of transportation.
The history of black people: a black feminist reading of
Cinderella starring Whitney Houston and Brandy.
– “The History of Black People”
When discussing the fetishization of the black experience Parker puts into perspective what is considered acceptable and what is considered unacceptable. It is acceptable to want black people to perform or to entertain. She uses examples of Gladys Knight, Diana Ross, Denzel Washington, Bernie Mac, and others. It is interesting because even though they represent what is considered acceptable and are of a higher status, they are still discriminated against harshly, so even then it is not enough. I believe that her poem “Let’s Get Some Better Angels at This Party” demonstrates what is considered to be unacceptable. It makes me sad to even think that. The fetishization of the black experience and black people runs deep, but it is not enough to save us.
Michael Brown, 18, due to be buried on Monday, was no angel.
– The New York Times
You always thought angels lived
in the dark. You didn’t sleep.
Appeared at the foot of Mom’s bed
covered in Nana’s perfume. You saw
and kept seeing. You let them
make a crescent of your spine.
The same thing over and over.
You don’t trust air. You call the ghosts
the angels your kin.
There is one who looks like your brother.
– “Let’s Get Some Better Angels at This Party”