Conquering Amiguity

In M. Carl Holman's Mr. Z, the initial situation of the main character is rather ambiguous. The poem jumps directly into a description of the life of Mr. Z at a young age. The inattentive may easily skip over important revealing details within the diction of the poem. However, have no fear! Ambiguity of characterization is no match for the analytical reader! In the first line alone Holman drops hints that the source of Mr. Z's life struggles are the result of his race. Holman states, "Taught early that his mother's skin was the sign of error" (Holman). Moreover, as the poem continues, more clues are left. Holman alludes to "jazz" and "spirituals", both activities characteristic of the African American race. As the poem continues, however, Holman becomes more direct with phrases such as, "Whatever ground was Anglo-Saxonized" (Holman) and "race" (Holman). Once the reader understands the situation of Mr. Z, he can then proceed in his analysis of the rest of the poem. Now that I reread this blog post and the poem itself, however, I realize that the race issue really was not all that ambiguous...but I will admit, I was confused.