Dinosaurs in the Hood revised

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Dinosaurs in the Hood
Smith’s poem, Dinosaurs in The Hood, addresses the contentious issue of racism in present-day America. Though he does not tackle racism directly, he utilizes literal techniques to assist readers to reach a conclusion that the works are really tackling racial discrimination against African-Americans.
In the poem, Smith’s tone seems to be very informal, even though passionate and evoking. Smith starts by telling that a movie titled Dinosaurs in The Hood be made, “There should be a scene where a little black boy is playing…” (Smith 242). Here, Smith uses the word “hood” to refer to a given locality also known as “the ghetto,” which is usually occupied by individuals of the lower class or even those living below the line of poverty. In America, the individuals living in the ghetto such as Blacks and Latinos are usually categorized as the minorities and often viewed as the American society’s threat. Smith is longing for a “normal” film about Latino, Asian, and Black people. He argues that Hollywood’s portrayal of the black individuals is not realistic or accurate. According to Smith, the movie should not be directed by Tarantino as he is used to showing black boys play with guns and endanger their lives, an image of their dads. Through his tone, he expresses his annoyance towards the portrayal and counters it with, “Fuck that, the kid has a plastic Brontosaurus or Triceratops & this is his proof of magic or God or Santa.

” (Smith 242), to show that like any other kid, a black kid also led a normal childhood. Smith goes ahead to suggest how the film should be fixed: by a black character, Viola Davis.
. In the fifteenth line, he says, “This movie is about a neighborhood of royal folks- /children of slaves & immigrants & addicts & exiles- saving their town/from real-ass dinosaurs.” (Smith 242). The statement offers to mean to the poem. Usually, the hood is the home to individuals barred from their home countries, slaves’ children (African-American kids), and immigrants. According to Smith, it is the same individuals living in the hood that will only be able to save the hood from “real-ass dinosaurs”- a symbol for the individual who does not fit in his categories. The term, “real-ass dinosaurs,” is a metaphor for the Americans who do not reside in the hood and despise the minorities. Even though the line is stated in a casual tone, it might be considered the strongest throughout the poem. The line backs up Smith’s main motive of indirectly demonstrating his subject of Racial discrimination.
The poem’s structure also plays a major role in getting across the concept of racism. Repetition dominates the structure of the text. In the final stanza, Smith employs repetition and his aggressive-like tenor as a warning to those used to killing black teens. The statement “& no one kills the black boy.” (Smith 243). Is repeated severally to emphasize on the killings of black children. Throughout the text, Smith appears to be very demanding, emphasizing on the seriousness of the issue of racism. Towards the end of the poem, Smith states, “the little black boy on the bus with a toy dinosaur, his eyes wide & endless his dreams possible, pulsing, & right there.” (Smith 243). The final phrase, “…his dreams possible, pulsing, & right there” (Smith 243), is placed separately, detached from the rest of the poem in a manner it can easily capture reader’s attention and drive in the message of racism.
Work Cited
Smith, Danez. “Dinosaurs in the Hood.” Poetry 205.3 (2014): 242-243.