Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Kevin Young?s "Beauty" is a poignant and sensory-rich exploration of transformation, identity, and the intersections of pain and beauty. Through its vivid imagery and layered metaphors, the poem captures a moment steeped in ritual, history, and yearning, delving into the complexities of personal and cultural identity shaped by both external and internal forces.

The poem opens with a reference to the Sixth Annual Coushatta Parish World Fair & Spectacle, situating the narrative within a specific cultural and regional context. This detail evokes a sense of tradition and celebration, setting the stage for the intimate, transformative act that follows. The mention of a "World Fair & Spectacle" contrasts with the deeply personal and private ritual of preparing one’s hair, underscoring the tension between public perception and individual experience.

The central act of the poem is the use of the hot comb, a tool historically significant in Black beauty culture. The line "you run the hotcomb right through tight, crowish hair" introduces the ritual with both tenderness and stark honesty. The description of "tight, crowish hair" acknowledges the natural texture of the hair while invoking a metaphor of resilience and wild beauty. The act of straightening becomes a transformative process, symbolizing the negotiation between natural identity and societal expectations of beauty.

Young’s use of sensory detail is particularly striking, creating an atmosphere that is both tangible and symbolic. The "smell of lilacs burning / of ripe, half-bitten plums" evokes a mix of sweetness and combustion, pleasure and pain. The lilacs, traditionally associated with beauty and delicacy, are juxtaposed with the violent act of burning, suggesting the sacrifices often tied to achieving societal standards of beauty. The plums, "half-bitten," carry a sense of incompleteness and vulnerability, emphasizing the tension between natural allure and imposed transformation.

The imagery of "waiting by the fire for the comb to turn colors / once blue" underscores the deliberate patience and anticipation involved in this ritual. The comb’s transformation from blue to another color symbolizes readiness and change, reflecting the broader theme of metamorphosis.

The poem does not shy away from the physical discomfort of the process: "until your roots come straight / or pull out in plugs baked big as fists." This visceral description highlights the pain and sacrifice tied to the pursuit of beauty. The "roots" symbolize a deeper connection to identity and heritage, while the image of hair being pulled out "in plugs" speaks to the physical toll exacted by conformity to beauty standards. The baked plugs, "big as fists," evoke both the violence of the act and the laborious nature of self-presentation.

The poem further connects this transformation to ancestral labor with the line "as hands which made pies / from rotting fruit / and ate them while still warm." This image ties the act of straightening hair to the resilience and resourcefulness of those who have come before. The "rotting fruit" suggests scarcity and hardship, while the act of making pies and eating them warm conveys a sense of perseverance and finding beauty even in difficult circumstances.

As the poem progresses, the hair’s transformation continues: "your hair keeps on changing / to coal / cooling, quiet beneath your feet." The comparison of hair to coal carries multiple meanings—coal as fuel, as a source of warmth and power, but also as something that burns and is eventually reduced to quiet ash. This duality reflects the beauty and the cost of the process, as well as the transient nature of the transformation.

The closing lines shift the focus to the younger generation: "near pig-tailed sisters who watch and yearn / for the time / they too will burn / in a light this beautiful." The pig-tailed sisters symbolize innocence and anticipation, observing the ritual with both awe and longing. The phrase "burn in a light this beautiful" captures the bittersweet nature of the process—beauty achieved through pain and sacrifice, a rite of passage that is as illuminating as it is consuming. The younger girls? yearning highlights the cyclical nature of this ritual, suggesting that it is both inherited and perpetuated across generations.

"Beauty" is a deeply evocative meditation on the intersections of culture, identity, and transformation. Through its rich sensory imagery and layered metaphors, Kevin Young captures the complexity of rituals tied to self-presentation and the sacrifices made in pursuit of beauty. The poem invites readers to reflect on the ways in which societal expectations shape personal and cultural identities, as well as the resilience and creativity required to navigate these pressures. At its heart, "Beauty" celebrates the strength and grace that emerge from these transformative acts, while acknowledging the pain and longing intertwined with them.

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