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Classic and Contemporary Poetry


IDEA OF ANCESTRY by ETHERIDGE KNIGHT

Poem Explanation Poet Analysis

First Line: TAPED TO THE WALL OF MY CELL ARE 47 PICTURES: 47 BLACK
Last Line: THEY ARE ALL OF ME, I AM ME, THEY ARE THEE, AND I HAVE NO CHILDREN TO FLOAT IN THE SPACE BETWEEN
Subject(s): AFRICAN AMERICANS; ANCESTORS AND ANCESTRY; FATHERS; KOREAN WAR, 1950-1953; MEN; PRAYER; PRISONS AND PRISONERS;

Poem Sources:

MODERN SOUTHERN READER; MAJOR STORIES, DRAMA, POETRY, ESSAYS, INTERVIEWS & REMINISCENCES FROM THE TWENTIETH-CENTURY SOUTH.
  FORKNER, BEN & SAMWAY, PATRICK (EDS.)
  (1986)
 
SINGULAR VOICES; AMERICAN POETRY TODAY.
  BERG, STEPHEN (ED.)
  (1985)
 
THE WORLD'S BEST POETRY. SUPPLEMENT IV: MINORITY POETRY OF AMERICA.
  (1987)
 
THE PITTSBURGH BOOK OF CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN POETRY.
  OCHESTER, ED, & ORESICK, PETER (EDS.)
  (1993)
 
EVERY SHUT EYE AIN'T ASLEEP: AN ANTHOLOGY OF POETRY BY AFRICAN AMERICANS SINCE 1945. EDITED BY MICHAEL HARPER AND ANTHONY WALTON.
  HARPER, MICHAEL (ED.)HONY WALTON (EDS.)
  (1994)
 
THE POETRY OF BLACK AMERICA; ANTHOLOGY OF THE 20TH CENTURY.
  ADOFF, ARNOLD (ED.)
  (1973)
 
AGAINST FORGETTING; TWENTIETH-CENTURY POETRY OF WITNESS.
  FORCHE, CAROLYN (ED.)
  (1993)
 
THE NORTON ANTHOLOGY OF AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERATURE.
  GATES, HENRY LOUIS, JR. & MCKAY, NELLIE Y. (EDS.)
  (1997)
 
IN SEARCH OF COLOR EVERYWHERE: A COLLECTION OF AFRICAN AMERICAN POETRY.
  MILLER, E. ETHELBERT (ED.)
  (1994)
 
A CHILD'S ANTHOLOGY OF POETRY. EDITED BY ELIZABETH HAUGHE SWORD WITH VICTORIA FLOURNOY MCCARTHY.
  SWORD, ELIZABETH HAUGE (ED.)
  (1995)
 
THE RAG AND BONE SHOP OF THE HEART; POEMS FOR MEN.
  BLY, ROBERT, & HILLMAN, JAMES, & MEADE, MICHAEL (EDS.)
  (1993)
 
VOICES OF CONSCIENCE; POETRY FROM OPPRESSION.
  CRONYN, HUME, RICHARD MCKANE, AND STEPHEN WATTS
  (1995)
 
TROUBLE THE WATER; 250 YEARS OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN POETRY.
  WARD, JERRY W. (ED.)
  (1997)
 
ANTHOLOGY OF MODERN AMERICAN POETRY.
  NELSON, CARY (ED.)
  (2000)
 
LIGHT FROM ANOTHER COUNTRY; POETRY FROM AMERICAN PRISONS.
  BRUCHAC, JOSEPH (ED.)
  (1984)
 
THE ESSENTIAL ETHERIDGE KNIGHT.
  KNIGHT, ETHERIDGE
  (1986)
 



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