The Albuquerque Graveyard Analysis - Literary devices and Poetic devices

The Albuquerque Graveyard

By Jay Wright

It would be easier
to bury our dead
at the corner lot.
No need to wake
Before sunrise,
take three buses,
walk two blocks,
search at the rear
of the cemetery,
to come upon the familiar names
with wilted flowers and patience.
But now I am here again.
After so many years
of coming here,
passing the sealed mausoleums,
the pretentious brooks and springs,
the white, sturdy limestone crosses,
the pattern of the place is clear to me.
I am going back
to the Black limbo,
an unwritten history
of our own tensions.
The dead lie here
In a hierarchy of small defeats.
I can almost see the leaders smile,
ashamed now of standing
at the head of those
who lie tangled
at the edge of the cemetery
still ready to curse and rage
as I do.
Here, I stop by the imitative cross
Of one who stocked his parlor
With pictures of Robeson,*
and would boom down the days,
dreaming of Othello’s robes.
I say he never bothered me,
and forgive his frightened singing.
Here, I stop by the simple mound
of a woman who taught me
spelling on the sly,
parsing my tongue
to make me fit for her own dreams.
I could go on all day,
unhappily recognizing small heroes,
discontent with finding them here,
reproaches to my own failings.
Uneasy, I search the names
and simple mounds I call my own,
abruptly drop my wilted flowers,
and turn for home.

Summary of The Albuquerque Graveyard

Popularity of “The Albuquerque Graveyard”: The poem, ‘The Albuquerque Graveyard’ was written by Jay Wright, a phenomenal American poet, and writer. It was published in 1971 in one of his collections. The poem sheds light on the ongoing racial inequality in American society, even after the author’s death.. It is unfortunate that the cemetery also conveys the discrimination that African Americans may have encountered during their lives. This poem has achieved popularity due to its treatment of the issue of racial discrimination and inequality.
“The Albuquerque Graveyard” As a Representative of Injustice: The poem captures the speaker’s physical movements to a cemetery to illustrate the ubiquitous segregation that exists in American society. It begins when the speaker starts his laborious journey by changing various buses and taking long walks to arrive at the segregated graveyard. After traveling past the lavish and decorated graves of the whites, he reaches the simple graves of his ancestors. Unfortunately, blacks are in limbo, an area of neglect where their struggles are not categorized. Although segregation and inequality sore his heart, he ignores the white, sturdy limestone crosses and adores the graves of his people. He remembers the great sacrifices of the African Americans and their contribution to the world. After recalling their great deeds, he puts wilted flowers on the graves and makes his way back home.
Major Themes in “The Albuquerque Graveyard”: Inequality, the supremacy of whites, and racial injustice are the major themes of the poem. The poem describes the dominance of whites in that the African Americans have graves in far-off corners even after their deaths. The writer takes a lot of pains to reach the graves of his people. Upon arrival, he compares socio-economic and racial “hierarchy” to expose ongoing human atrocities. Unfortunately, the segregation of whites is evident as the whites are buried in the sealed mausoleums” that are categorized as the white sections. However, the African American section is labeled as the “simple mounds.” The divided cemetery is the mouthpiece of the fact that unfair social hierarchy cannot melt away easily.

Analysis of Literary Devices Used in The Albuquerque Graveyard

literary devices make simple poems impactful. Their appropriate usage connects the audience with the writer’s message. Jay Wright has also inserted some literary devices in this poem, whose analysis is as follows.

Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /e/ “It would be easier” and “I can almost see the leaders smile”.
Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /f/ in “fit for her” and /w/ in “with wilted flowers”.
Allusion: Allusion is a belief and an indirect reference of a person, place, thing or idea of a historical, cultural, political or literary significance. Jay Wright alludes to Shakespeare’s writings, for example, “and would boom down the days/dreaming of Othello’s robes”.
Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /t/ in “the white, sturdy limestone crosses” and the sound of /m/ in “to make me fit for her own dreams”.
Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break; rather, it rolls over to the next line. For example:

“Here, I stop by the simple mound
of a woman who taught me
spelling on the sly,
parsing my tongue
to make me fit for her own dreams.”

Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. For example, “the white, sturdy limestone crosses”, “I can almost see the leaders smile,” and “Here, I stop by the simple mound.”
Irony: Irony is a figure of speech in which words are used in such a way that their intended meaning is different from the actual meaning of the words. The writer has used this device throughout the poem to show the prejudicial treatment of the whites against the black community such as,

“Here, I stop by the imitative cross
Of one who stocked his parlor
With pictures of Robeson.”

Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between the objects that are different. The poem shows injustice as an extended metaphor to show how blacks were treated as inferior, even after death.
Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from literal meanings. The poem shows the use of the symbols of wonder, sadness, and death just to show the sufferings of black people.
Synecdoche: It is a literary device in which a part of something represents the whole, or it may use a whole to represent a part. The poet used this device in the middle of the poem where John Wright refers black as inferior such as,

“i am going back
to the Black limbo.”

Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in The Albuquerque Graveyard

Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is the analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.

Diction: The poem shows descriptive diction having rhetoric devices, symbolism, and impressive images.
Tone: The poem shows the use of a tragic, sorrowful, and bitter tone.
Free Verse: Free verse is a type of poetry that does not contain patterns of rhyme or meter. This is a free-verse poem with no strict rhyme or meter.
Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are fifty-one lines in this poem with no stanza break.

Quotes to be Used

These lines from “The Albuquerque Graveyard” are useful to quote while talking about deceased parents.