Decoding E. Shockley’s “mesostics from the american grammar book” Pt. 2

Posted in Articles, Literary/Artistic Criticism, Women on 2011-12-24 20:22Z by Steven

Decoding E. Shockley’s “mesostics from the american grammar book” Pt. 2

SIUE Black Studies Blog
Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville
2011-10-13

Cindy Lyles

Alongside [Evie] Shockley’s bold choice to write a poem using only names of black women, her stanza construction also makes a daring statement in “mesostics for the american grammar book.” The names are intentionally grouped in specific stanzas, which allows for intriguing discussion in the continuation of this decoding process.

[Related: Decoding “mesostics from the american grammar book” Pt. 1]

“doroThy dandridge / yellow maRy peazant / hAlle berry / helGa crane / marIah carey / Clare kendry” all appear in a stanza together. These women share the commonality of being light-skinned, which they are noted for in their individual cases. That observation alone warrants further examination, especially when considering that the vertical phrase “TRAGIC” traverses the names.

Shockley purposely selects the women for the “TRAGIC” stanza, as each one represents a version of the tragic mulatto. Actress Dorothy Dandridge portrayed variations of the tragic mulatto throughout her film career. The character of Yellow Mary Peazant was a product of rape yielding her of biracial ancestry. Both Halle Berry and Mariah Carey have white mothers and black fathers. In their respective novels, Helga Crane and Clare Kendry were biracial and so light-skinned that they could pass for white…

Read the entire article here.

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