"Mr. Z"
M. Carl Holman
Throughout the poem, Holman criticizes and satirizes the life of Mr. Z who constantly attempted to abandon his African American heritage.
First of all, Mr. Z was described as rejected things typically associated with black culture. Mr. Z even "Disclaimed kinship with jazz and spirituals" (Holman). Even though jazz enjoyed popularity among various races including whites, Mr. Z avoided it simply because of its pertinence to the black community. Moreover, Mr. Z avoided certain foods like low quality pork and cornbread only because those foods were typically eaten by African Americans. Even when he was choosing a wife, his desire to assimilate to white society led him to choose a woman who had abandoned all stereotypes of her Jewish ancestry. Because of his superficial prejudices, Mr. Z chose a life devoid of pleasures such as jazz, cornbread, and a diverse wife.
The greatest satire comes in the last irony. After Mr. Z's death, consistent with his life style, his wife grieved only subtly. In fact, only one aspect fired her up. In his obituary, when his ethnic race was mentioned, even though he was described as "one of the most distinguished members of his race", his wife was angry enough to kill.
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