Preface to a Twenty Volume Suicide Note
By Amiri Baraka
for Kellie Jones, born 16 May 1959
Lately, I’ve become accustomed to the way
The ground opens up and envelopes me
Each time I go out to walk the dog.
Or the broad edged silly music the wind
Makes when I run for a bus…Things have come to that.
And now, each night I count the stars,
And each night I get the same number.
And when they will not come to be counted,
I count the holes they leave.Nobody sings anymore.
And then last night, I tiptoed up
To my daughter۔s room and heard her
Talking to someone, and when I opened
The door, there was no one there…
Only she on her knees, peeking intoHer own clasped hands.
Summary of Preface to a Twenty Volume Suicide Note
- Popularity of “Preface to a Twenty Volume Suicide Note”: “Preface to a Twenty Volume Suicide Note” by Amiri Baraka, an African American genius of writing, dancing, editing, and playwriting, is an interesting poem written in the memory of Kelly Jones. It first appeared in the month of March in 1957 and later got a place in the book, Preface to a Twenty Volume Suicide Note. The unique feature of the poem lies in its self-reflective mode that the poet envisages in himself.
- “Preface to a Twenty Volume Suicide Note” As a Representative of Self Reflection: Amiri opens the poem with attribution to Kellie Jones. He states that he has become habitual of finding himself in the earth from where he has sprung up. However, whenever he goes out to walk his dog and hears the music of the wind while running for the bus, he sees that things become the same. Even in counting the stars, it seems to him that the things come to naught. He does not see anybody singing as if they are lost in their self-absorption. Finally, he goes to meet his daughter in her room and sees her peeking into something. When he finally discovers, he sees that she is also lost in self-reflection as she has placed her face into her hands to think deeply.
- Major Themes in “Preface to a Twenty Volume Suicide Note”: Absurdity of life, the meaninglessness of the world, and self-reflection of the poet about the things around him are three major themes of the poem. The absurdity of life is clear from the very first stanza that the poet does very ordinary things just to discover meanings in them and finds nothing. He does the same with stars and comes to the conclusion that the world has lost the sense to evaluate the beauty of art and music. Therefore, he finally turns to his daughter to find meaning in life and finds that she, too, is lost in her self-reflection. This makes him arrive at the conclusion that self-reflection or knowing one’s persona is the real task of the mankind.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used In “Preface to a Twenty Volume Suicide Note”
literary devices bring variety into simple poetic pieces. Their appropriate usage helps the writers to convey their thoughts impressively. Amiri has also used 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/ in “The ground opens up and envelopes me” the sound of /o/ in “Each time I go out to walk the dog” and the sound of /o/ again in “Nobody sings anymore.”
- Alliteration: The poem shows the use of alliteration in the shape of initial consonant sounds of the neighboring words such as the sound of /h/ in “he holds” and the sound of /h/ in “heard her.”
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line such as the sound of /n/ and /p/ in “The ground opens up and envelopes me” and the sound of /w/ and /c/ in “And when they will not come to be counted.”
- 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;
And then last night, I tiptoed up
To my daughter۔s room and heard her
Talking to someone, and when I opened
The door, there was no one there…
Only she on her knees, peeking into
Her own clasped hands.
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. Amiri Baraka has used imagery in this poem such as “Makes when I run for a bus”, “The ground opens up and envelopes me” and “I count the holes they leave.”
- Personification: The poem shows the use of personifications of ground, music, and stars as if they have life and emotions of their own.
- 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 symbols of stars, wind, and ground to show Amiri’s love for nature.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in “Preface to a Twenty Volume Suicide Note”
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 and Tone: The poem shows the use of descriptive diction with a serious and quizzical tone.
- Free Verse: The poem has no fixed rhyme scheme. Therefore, it is a free verse poem.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. This poem shows three stanzas and three one-liners. Each stanza has a different number of verses.
Quotes to be Used
These lines from “Preface to a Twenty Volume Suicide Note” are appropriate to quote when talking about the upbringing of children.
And then last night, I tiptoed up
To my daughter۔s room and heard her
Talking to someone, and when I opened
The door, there was no one there…
Only she on her knees, peeking intoHer own clasped hands.
