A Poem For Myself

A Poem For Myself by Ehteridge Knight is another poem in the great line of early 20th century African American poets. As a white man growing up in the late 20th century and early 21st century sometimes it is tough to realize what it was like for a minority growing up in the early 20th century. The thought of blatant racism and segregation is one that is tough for me to realize however poets such as Knight really bring it to life. In this poem Knight talks about leaving behind his mother and father to head north. During the early 20th century Mississippi was a very tough place to get ahead if you were a black man. Knight decides to move to the north to try to do that but Mississippi is always in his heart. He vows to return to Mississippi either a free man or a dead man.