The Idea of Ancestry (Masterplots II: Poetry, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Etheridge Knight
- First Published: 1968
- Type of Work: Dramatic monologue
- Genres: Poetry, Dramatic monologue
- Subjects: African Americans, Family or family life, Blacks, South or Southerners, Substance abuse, Drug addiction or addicts
The Poem
“The Idea of Ancestry” is a forty-two-line poem in free verse divided into two parts of three and two stanzas, respectively. The title names the subject of the poem—the poet’s connection to his family, his birthplace, and his culture. The poem is written in the autobiographical, first-person voice of Knight. In stanza 1 of part 1, the poet describes his cell in prison, the walls covered with “47” photographs of his relatives. He reclines on his bunk and contemplates the pictures, imagining they are alive and looking at him. Pointedly, he reflects that he...
[The entire page is 1387 words long]
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