Essay Questions

Ross Gay chose to title one of his poems as, “Within Two Weeks the African American Poet Ross Gay is Mistaken for Both the African American Poet Terrance Hayes and the African American Poet Kyle Dargan, Not One of Whom Looks Anything Like the Others.” Explain the significance of Gay’s decision to do so.

Gay’s decision to title this poem accordingly is clearly intentional and purposeful. He is using the title to make a statement so that, should readers choose not to read on and finish the poem, they have at least read a statement that captures the breadth of the narrator’s message. Gay uses this title as social commentary on the implicit racial bias that makes people to be prejudice against African American people and upholds the belief that all black men and women look alike. In this way, his title is very much like a newspaper headline. It is both an attention grabber and a political statement that conveys pertinent information in a single line. This is a masterful decision on Gay’s part, as it establishes his contempt for this issue before readers even begin to interact with the poem.

Why does the narrator of “Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude” thank the reader for reading the poem as long as they have?

The narrator of this poem is detailing his numerous gratitudes and this includes his gratitude to the narrator. The narrator brews a proverbial cup of tea for his readers and spoons in some honey—a gesture of gratitude and appreciation. The narrator thanks his readers for dedicating their time and mental energies to the reading of his poem. It is clear that he feels he has some important insights that can be shared with the reader and he appreciates the fact that they have continued to read and appreciate these insights. In short, the narrator addresses the reader directly because he wants his readers to know that he appreciates their dedication to the poem and to his message.

Most of Gay’s poems are very conversational and unconventional in nature. He writes as if he is having a detailed, yet casual conversation with the reader. What might be the literary purpose behind this writing style?

Much like the titles of Gay’s poems—such as “Some Instructions on Black Masculinity Offered to My Black Friend by the White Woman He Briefly Dated: A Monologue”—the narrator will address the reader directly and indirectly. His prose is written as a one-sided conversation between the narrator and the reader. The decision to do so is significant, as it places some of the literary responsibility upon the reader. This conversational, first-person tone also establishes a sense of rapport between the narrator and the reader, which can help make readers feel more invested in the narrator’s story. In short, it is likely that Gay wanted to draw his readers into his prose and wanted to make them feel emotionally invested in the stories. By writing in this unconventional and very conversational manner, Gay draws his readers into his story and gives them a reason for devoting their time and mental energies to it.