Through repetition, direct tone and vivid imagery Jericho Brown presents his own understanding and stance on police brutality and racism in “Bullet Points.” The interpretation Brown presents requires readers to adopt a position of strength which opposes oppression. Brown doesn't merely describe the violence; he transforms it into a powerful testament of defiance and strength. Through his background and firsthand experiences as a Black man in America, Brown is able to shine a light on the intense realities of police brutality by painting a picture in the reader's head. His stance on police brutality is one that is harsh to realize for some people but, by using a form of art to get his message across, he makes it less of a political stance and more of a comprehensible idea.
Brown often uses the phrase “I promise” in this poem which creates a protest-like atmosphere that I experienced while reading it. The systematic misrepresentation of Black victims in police brutality cases emerges through this repetition which simultaneously creates a tone of resilience. Another commonly repeated phrase is, “I will not” the author reveals his individual perspective as well as his own vulnerability. With this phrase, referring to himself in the first person, we see a symbol of vulnerability.
Through his intentional use of “I will not” he strengthens both the sense of urgency and determination to reject the false narratives which are often used to justify Black deaths. “I will not shoot myself” and “I will not hang myself with a trash bag” employ a vivid image that grips the reader's attention. By highlighting the reality of systematic racism, readers can get a firsthand glimpse of the injustices the African Americans endure in America.
Brown often refers to the readers as, “you,” it forces the reader to confront their own complicity in the idea of systematic racism. The direct address creates an urgent, and accountable tone highlighting the injustices against African Americans. The word “you” also breaks the line between personal and political and gives the opportunity for the poem to not feel like a lecture but more personable, unlike dry political debates. Using an art form such as poetry brown can bypass your thought process and go straight to your emotions, making it more relatable as well as understandable. When reading this poem, the readers see systematic violence through the eyes of those who have experienced it- deepening the empathy and understanding of the issue at hand.
The author’s perspective is that of a Black man who is living his everyday life through the harsh realities of police brutality. This viewpoint instils the poem with a sense of resistance and defiance, and a deep understanding of the systematic issues at play. If this poem had been written by someone outside of this lived experience, such as a white woman unfamiliar with such struggles, it would lack the same emotional depth and authenticity. In the poem Brown illustrates his point by starting how he will die “the same way most Americans do.” He lists harsh but real causes of death such as “cigarettes” or “choking on a piece of meat.” Through the list, he crafts a powerful allegory, contrasting the ordinary ways in which many Americans, specifically non-minority individuals, pass away with the tragic reality in which many Black Americas often die because a “cop killer [them].” By juxtaposing these two vastly different scenarios, Brown forces readers to confront the stark disparity between the everyday nature of one type of death and the systematic violence that defines the other. This contrast highlights the poem’s central message and leaves a lasting impact on the readers.
In the article “The Part About Black Lives Mattering Where White People Need to Shut Up and Listen,” Greta Christina speaks in her point of view as a bystander of racism in modern day America, highlighting how we need to sit back and listen rather than exhibit our “white fragility.” This is in sharp contrast with Jericho Browns message of resilience and standing up. I bring this article to contrast how an author's perspective and background can significantly alter the primary message of their work. Christinas’s background and experiences differ vastly from Brown’s, affecting their cultural understandings. While Christina represents someone who does not have to navigate life with the fear of racism, Brown speaks from a place of vulnerability. Had Christina attempted to write from Brown’s perspective it would likely lack authenticity and may come across as politically incorrect, given that she does not share the same racial experiences. Authenticity is something the Brown has given his reality as a Black man living in America. Brown's identity allows him to convey a message of resilience that is deeply understood and accepted by readers, offering them a firsthand insight into the realities of police brutality.
In “Bullet Points” by Jericho Brown, the central message revolves around resistance, resilience, and strength required to combat police brutality and racism in modern day America. Brown uses repetition of phrases such as "I will not," making the poem become an act of protest against oppression. Furthermore, by breaking the fourth wall and addressing the readers directly, Brown transforms his poetry into a universal call to action and realization. This technique ensures that the issue remains deeply relatable even to those who have not personally experienced the realities of racism or police brutality. He makes sure for even those who have not experienced police brutality or racism, deeply understand the issue, and he does so by using vivid imagery of certain situations that African Americans are systematically subjugated to in America. In doing so, Brown explains the idea of recognizing and standing up against police brutality and racism.
Work cited
“The Part About Black Lives Mattering Where White People Need to Shut Up and Listen,” Greta Christina
July-August 2015
Reflection
My purpose for writing this assignment is to relay my understanding of this text with efficient evidence to help prove my claims. I hope that my piece achieves this, I tried to add as much detail as possible. The audience for this piece is my professor. When choosing the format and medium for this project, I think that I had no choice on what medium, but I think the format of the paragraphs helped me keep my thoughts organized and well laid out. I tried to keep each point in its own paragraph just so my thoughts would not mix. One rhetorical decision that I had to make was what theme I wanted to address; it took me a few times re-reading this poem to make sure I fully understood what Brown was trying to say. I decided to go with the main theme of strength and resilience, because I felt that there were enough rhetorical devices to help back up my claim. One challenge that I had during this project was incorporating the external sources into this essay, I was confident in my research skills that I have had from high school, but I feel that trying to make sure the source I had was an academic search was difficult for me. I also missed the lesson in class that we did reviewing the UNM research website, so I think that made it a lot harder for me. I had to teach myself how to use the database, which was pretty easy and accessible. I also struggled with making sure to analyze the text and fully understand it. It took me around 10-15 reads to feel confident enough to write this paper. During high school I took both AP literature and AP language and during these courses we did a lot of analysis papers, but we did rhetorical analysis. Although it is not the same as literary analysis, I feel that it gave me a little bit of a head start on how to use my academic voice in a rhetorical situation. When starting this assignment, I liked how we were given the option to choose our own story to write about. I feel that this gave me a little extra boost of motivation when writing because I actually understood and liked the text that I was writing about. When writing this essay, the SWA’s that came before it really helped me get a rough draft going and gave me a great place to start when it came to preparing for this essay. I feel that when writing this essay, I wanted to put a large emphasis on how I interpreted the text to not be a symbol of victimization but a symbol of strength and realization for those who have never experienced it. When writing this essay I tried to pull out the top 3 literary devices that stood out to me once I understood the main message, those three things were imagery, direct tone, and his overall perspective on the topic.