Assertion of Ethnical Identity through Sonia Sanchez's " This is Not a Small Voice"

Authors

  • Rubaya Jabbar Ibrahiml English Department, College of Education for Humanities, University of Diyala, Iraq
  • Susan Raheem Rahman JaF English Department, College of Education for Humanities, University of Diyala, Iraq

Keywords:

African American, Assertion, Cultural Heritage, Justice, Social Identity

Abstract

The poem "This Is Not a Small Voice" by Sonia Sanchez is a moving examination of how ethnic identity is asserted within the American community. Sanchez captures the voice and experiences of African Americans collectively through vivid imagery and evocative language, highlighting the importance of group membership in forming both individual and collective identity. This analysis explores how Sanchez's poem serves as an example of the processes of self-enhancement and uncertainty reduction within the context of ethnic identity, drawing on social identity theory's emphasis on self-categorization and intergroup dynamics. By emphasizing their beauty, skill, aspirations, joy, and love, the poem goes beyond the common narrative of trauma and oppression, highlighting the diverse and multifaceted aspects of their identity. Further, the poem shows how people can assert their ethnic identity to combat harmful stereotypes and promote a sense of belonging by celebrating the strength and love of the African American community. It also provides insights into the varied ways in which ethnic identity is affirmed and communicated. The investigation offers a powerful message of solidarity and pride, reinforcing the idea that every voice within the community contributes to its strength and effect

References

Amiri Baraka,B. M. (2008). Sabotage, Target Study, Black Art; Collected Poetry, 1961–1967. Twentieth-Century American Poetry, 240.

Asha, A. J., & Rahman, F., Amir P. (2022). Social condition of Southern America in the 1930s as reflected in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird (1960). Journal of Advanced Education and Sciences, 2(2), 04-08.

Badejo, D. L. (2020). Birthing Orality in Mother Tongue Ebonics: Sistah Sonia Speaks. Contemporary Literary Criticism, 453(2), 85-94.

Fanon, F. (2016). Black skin, white masks. In Social Theory Re-Wired (pp. 394-401). Routledge.

Hale, D. J. (1994). Bakhtin in African American literary theory. Elh, 61(2), 445-471.

Hogg, M. A., Abrams, D., Otten, S., & Hinkle, S. (2004). The social identity perspective: Intergroup relations, self-conception, and small groups. Small group research, 35(3), 246-276.

Hogg, M. A., & Smith, J. R. (2007). Attitudes in social context: A social identity perspective. European Review of Social Psychology, 18(1), 89-131.

Irons, S. (2007). Sonia Sanchez (1934). BlackPast.org. www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/sanchez-sonia-1934.

Jennings, R. B. (1992). The Blue/Black Poetics of Sonia Sanchez. Language and Literature in the African American Imagination, 120-32.

Kim, H. (2018). The Other American Poetry and Modernist Poetics: Richard Wright, Jack Kerouac, Sonia Sanchez, James Emanuel, and Lenard Moore (Doctoral dissertation, Kent State University).

La Donna, L. F. (2021). Hands Up, Don't Shoot:" Suicide," Black Gun Ownership, and Restoring Black Masculinity on Black Arts Movement Stages. Theatre Journal, 73(4), 467-488.

Langston, H. (1926). The Negro artist and the racial mountain. The Nation, 122(3181), 692-94.

Mottram, D. (2021) "This Is Not a Small Voice." LitCharts. LitCharts LLC, 25 Oct 2021. Web. 17 Jul 2023.

Mulligan, C. J. (2021). Systemic racism can get under our skin and into our genes. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 175(2), 399-405.

Myrdal, G. (2017). An American Dilemma: The Negro Problem and Modern Democracy, Volume 1. Routledge.

N’guessan, K. G. (2012). From "NEGRO" To "AFRICAN AMERICAN": The Evolution of Black's Identity Referent in America, University of Pitesti Publishing House (11), 221-234.

Pastrana, A. (2004). Black identity constructions: Inserting intersectionality, bisexuality, and (Afro-) latinidad into Black studies. Journal of african american Studies, 8(1-2), 74-89.

Rahman, F. (2019, February). Save the world versus man-made disaster: A cultural perspective. In IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science (Vol. 235, No. 1, p. 012071). IOP Publishing.

Sanchez, S. (1999). Morning Song and Evening Walk. Poetry Foundation. Retrieved July 21, 2023 from www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/155821/morning-song-and-evening-walk.

Sanchez, S. (1995). Wounded in the House of a Friend (Vol. 3). Beacon Press.

Tajfel, H., & Turner, J. C. (1982). Social psychology of intergroup relations. Annual review of psychology, 33(1), 1-39.

Wood, J., & Sanchez, S. (2005). “This Thing Called Playwriting”: An Interview with Sonia Sanchez on the Art of Her Drama. African American Review, 39(1/2), 119–132.

Wright, R. (1941). Twelve Million Black Voices. New York.

Downloads

Published

2023-09-23

Issue

Section

Articles