The theme
or message of this poem is to show, humorously, the many ways the word black has been attached
to other words to create negative connotations. Zephaniah's poem highlights these negative
connotations by changing common words or phrases that use the word black to use the word white
instead: such as white-mailed instead of black-mailed. The poem shows that the language we use
matters and that there are many negative meanings attached to the word black, so that this is no
longer a neutral term.
A main literary device Zephaniah uses, which springs
naturally from his subject, is . Imagery is description using any
of the five sense of sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell. Leaning heavily into visual imagery,
the poem's speaker nudges us to imagine normally black objects and concepts as white: what
mental picture does being "whitelisted" rather than blacklisted, for example, conjure?
Is it purer, more positive? Conversely, what kind of image is conveyed when we picture
the...
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