I think the most striking thing about Red Clay-Suite is the consistent references to trauma against black southern women by the men in their families. This struck a particular chord in me, because Jeffers really pinpoints the complexity of the role the black man has in the black familial structure, and how that complexity runs in the both the love and hatred that black women have against black men. She doesn't shy away from these truths, but instead paints a picture of the psychological dissonance that black women endure when actively choosing (or not choosing) to interact with black men.
I found this most revelatory to me in particular, because I made a conscious decision years ago to consciously limit my interaction with cis heterosexual black men (all cishet men, really) as much as possible in my personal life, because of the physical, mental and emotional trauma and disrespect that I have endured at earlier moments in my life. Because I made this decision a long time ago, and have formulated my reality in this manner, I often don't find myself in environments or situations where my choice has to be explained, but when seldom I do, I find myself explaining the types of traumas that Jeffers hauntingly describes. Poems like "What Is Written For Me" are painstakingly accurate in displaying the complexity of love and fear that black women endure in their relationship with black men. She writes:
One man.
Screamed at me one night, liquor
lighting him up inside like a prophet
I was a woman.
A woman.
but followed him into the dark field,
anyway, unafraid as only
a child should be
When finally sure he meant
to kill me -- that's when my love
for him came down in a revelation
First, we can examine the allusion to Christian religion. The specific use of "prophet," "woman" and "revelation" stick out heavily in the first stanza, and I think Jeffers is alluding to how the invasion of this faith in the black home can be considered the causation of the imbalance between black man and women. Even further the use of "woman" is a direct allusion of the creation story of Adam and Eve, and through this Jeffers is further hinting to the imbalance of power in the relationships of black men and women, because its considered that Eve is subsidiary to Adam because she is created from his rib. This is further enacted when the speaker follows the man "into the dark field" and even after she is certain he will kill her has a "revelation" of the depths of love she has for him. In this moment, Jeffers is effectively revealing how emotionally and psychologically enmeshed black women are in the protection of black men. The speaker is so unaware of the levels of abuse she endures, confusing it for love, that she sacrifices her own life to follow him. This is Stockholm syndrome. But I argue that Jeffers is examining the ways in which black women justify the abuse of black men, because we don't naturally see them as abusers. Most of the time they are our fathers, our lovers, and our sons, and what this does is create a dissonance of being able to label them/treat them as our abusers.
Wow. Your breakdown and integration of that poem into understanding was not only thorough, but slices deeply into the heart of the many effects of all forms of oppression. How it poisons the very fabric of what is meant to be a more symbiotic and interdependent relationship between the sexes than most in reality are, regardless of the nature of the relationship, siblings, friendship, marital, co-workers, sexual, etc. Women and children are almost always the casualties.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great interpretation of 'What is Written for Me'. I can definitely see the justification of abuse, or maybe not the justification but the ways of coping with abuse in 'The Little Boy that Will Be My Father' as well. The acceptable image she comes up with of her abuser is of a little boy, as someone innocent. That she has to fabricate a palatable image of her father speaks to what you're talking about regarding the emotional and psychological enmeshment of black women in the protection of black men.
ReplyDelete"But I argue that Jeffers is examining the ways in which black women justify the abuse of black men, because we don't naturally see them as abusers. Most of the time they are our fathers, our lovers, and our sons, and what this does is create a dissonance of being able to label them/treat them as our abusers. " Wow! this is really powerful Mia. I'm a bit dumbfounded on how to respond but I remember reading your post yesterday and wanting to respond. This is something that is tough in many black communities. I don't know if this is too much of a hot topic but tonight I saw an article on facebook endorsing a Tiny desk concert Erykah Badu did I clicked on the comemnts and many people were talking smack about her because she refused to speak ill of R. Kelly, she didn't necessarily make excuse for his behavior but she stated he is a hurt man and everyone in the situation has been hurt by it, including himself. This is a man that has been abusing black women for decades but he still has a strong following . For some reason this made me think of how folks justify the abuse of black men because they might have some sort of power on a high level like pop culture or on a smaller scale like the family structure. It just makes me wonder how do we stop these cycles of abuse? When do we as women of color say enough is enough? when will we as communities of color stop separating ourselves on issues of domestic, sexual, emotional and psychical abuse?
ReplyDeleteBut I think Jeffers and your words about examining, writing and speaking about abuse among black women and their bodies is very powerful.
This is so important and powerful. These relationships of power and abuse - especially when they're a child's first exposure to family life -- can become so entangled with associations/expectations around love. They can follow us like a shadow. Your post made me think of the lines from one of Jeffers' other poems:
ReplyDeleteI’m so angry with you and I haven’t yet learned
how much weaker than a girl a woman can be.
How silly I am to assume you are stronger than he.
I think about how the inheritance of and early childhood associations with negative forms of masculinity can impact our relationship to the feminine. How we may start to see woman as weaker than girls. How we may assume that men are still more powerful than women.
And I also think about the blues. How the blues is so much about longing. About longing for that goddamn man you treated you so bad, but who you just can't get over.