Three prior assumptions that I made while reading the poem “White Lies” by Natasha Tretheway are assuming that everything in the poem is literal, assuming that the poem has one definitive interpretation, and that the poem is an expression of the poet’s personal feelings.
Even though the poem is definitely personal, it also addresses wider socioeconomic themes. In order to examine more general questions of race and identity, including the ways in which societal pressures can have a negative impact on people, Tretheway draws on her personal experiences. The poem offers comments about the world in which the poet lives in addition to being a personal expression of her sentiments. Lines 3–4 of the poem use the speaker’s description of herself as “light-bright, near-white, high-yellow, red-boned” to show how complex racial identity might be. These descriptions are intended to explore the speaker’s experiences with identity and race instead of to be taken literally.
2 thoughts on “Vaman Dass Discussion 13”
Vaman, I like your POV and your ability to recognize what assumptions you made. Often times, we think there has to be ONE narrative in a piece of writing, when it can be multifaceted.
In this piece, the line you referenced, I identify so much with. I too am “light-bright” and have often had to explain, defend or discuss the complexity of who I am.
Vaman, thanks for the comments. Readers’ assumptions that everything in a poem is literal and that the poem is an expression of the poet’s personal feelings are not among the assumptions cited by Hirsch in the article “How to Read a Poem.” Your discussion of “White Lies” is based on an assumption that is not mentioned; i.e., that the poem is an expression of the poet’s personal feelings. This may be true in the case of Natasha Tretheway; however, it is not one of the three assumptions mentioned.