Comprehensive notes covering Assassination by Don L Lee.
A combination of information from the textbook, The Complete Poetry Resource (Sixth Edition), as well as additional class and video notes.
Written by an 85% < English HL Student
= the act of murdering (an important person) for
political or religious reasons. Unclear which
Assassination assassination.
by Don L Lee (Haki R. Madhubuti) Poet adds contextual markers as the poem
progresses to help the reader understand the
unfolding of events.
“it” = vague, heightens tension and creates
curiosity.
(chaotic atmosphere) “wild” - Contextual marker as was a popular
it was wild. 1960s term used by the Black Consciousness
Culture. (colloquialism)
It also suggests less serious subject matter and
this makes the later events more memorable.
Effect: No capital letter suggests that the first line
the is a continuation of a previous one, making them
curious.
The past tense suggests that the speaker was
there.
Place has connotation of vulnerability.
Parenthesis usually indicates information that is
bullet hit high. relevant but not necessary for understanding.
However, the parenthesis is on its own line and is
indented, thus making it appear more important.
Placement draws attention to the information
which startles the reader.
(skilled marksman)
(the throat-neck) Because of the placement we know the
assassination was about a specific person and is
not merely metaphorical; Martin Luther King was
hit in the same spot.(contextual marker)
Ampersand – an abbreviation for “and”.
& from everywhere, It emphasizes the urgent tone as there is not
even enough time to write the word out.
the motel, from under bushes and cars,
Where “they” came from
from around corners and across streets,
Insinuates that the people who are running are
garbage and lowlifes as they are described
coming with derogatory terms.
out of the garbage cans and from rat holes (negative connotations)
The unspecified “they” came running from
in the earth everywhere, including strange and highly
improbable places.
This suggests that countless people suddenly
came out of nowhere.
they came running. Ambiguous as we do not know who “they” are
and therefore it is unclear what their intentions
are.
This adds to the chaos of the aftermath.
with
Explanation that they came armed and prepared
for action.
The line break emphasizes the detail and forces
guns the reader to slow down.
It could also resemble how time seems to slow
down for many people when they experience
trauma.
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