"Boy" in Boy Breaking Glass
The character of "Boy" in Boy Breaking Glass is a symbol of a small group of African American individuals who are trying to break free from the bounding African American Society and its countless limitations. However, even if they manage to break free, they are never able to be actually free in that society; "breaking glass" both symbolizes breaking free from the society and breaking the societal norms of the African American society and betraying the society in a sense. Hence, no matter what, they would never be fully free.
"Sweet" in the mother
Throughout the poem, food-related words such as "sweet" and "snack", symbolize various things. The word sweet was initially used on line 6 as a symbol for candy and sweet snacks that the mother would never "buy" to "silence" her children. Secondly, "a snack" symbolizes the children that "the mother" never had but would eat them from loving them too much. Again, on line 14, "sweets" is utilized to symbolize non-existent children of the mother; the mother implements the word "sweets" to describe her children instead of the slang term "sweetie".
"Golden Shovel" in We Real Cool
The poem We Real Cool demonstrates the struggles and difficulties that young African American men face by describing their experience at a pool club called “Golden Shovel”. However, the “Golden Shovel”, in addition to being the name of the club, also is a prediction of the young men’s future, that could be being buried by “shovel”. This is an allegory to the gun violence (and other causes of death) revolving young African American men.
“Bean” in the Bean Eaters
Generally, beans as a food are a symbol of what financially incapable individuals eat. In this poem, beans also symbolize both financial and social lack of the couple. Additionally, the beans are mentioned at the last few lines of the poem again to both emphasize the couple’s financial and social incapabilities, and remember their past, in order to be able to go through their current situation.
“Fine tooth comb” in Sadie and Maud
As Sadie is the livelier sister among Sadie and Maud. As a part of her liveliness, “Sadie scraped life/ With a fine tooth comb”. The “fine tooth comb” could be an allegory for what African American women had to do to be considered beautiful. But also, the “fine tooth comb” is a symbol for how finely Sadie went through her life and enjoyed every moment but not missing any detail of her life.
