Entry Ten: Poem Review

Lorna Dee Cervantes' poem "Poem for the Young White Man Who Asked Me How I, an Intelligent, Well-Read Person, Could Believe in the War between Races" appears to be coming from a person fighting a very serious internal battle. Cervantes finds herself in a conflict between the world she lives in when she secludes herself inside versus the real world that awaits her outside the door. I think this poem could make a case for being canonized as a great poem because it speaks to an issue that so many Americans find themselves battling. Throughout the poem the theme of conflict shines through as she uses words like "my land" versus "this country" clearly defining a separate feeling for each one. Many people will find this poem easy to relate to, which is something that I think needs to be considered while determining whether something is "great" or not.