It is sadly possible that many Americans might not be terrified that what the nation’s youth poet graduate creates is little different from what an automatic generator of trite expressions and cheap allegory can produce. The dilemma is that when cliched art is celebrated as profound and meaningful, and is made mainstream and institutional by the public endorsement, that means that (political) ideas are also cliched. To a lesser extent, everyone is also entitled to its own ideas about art. It is understandable that American hearts may need reassurance and guidance after years of darkness and chaos - yes, the poem does provide those.īut if one strips the poem of its envelope of powerful oral delivery, colourful cloths, ethnic jewels, identity politics associated with the author and the specific context of delivery, one is left with a bunch of cliched verses that could be taken straight from a 10th grade assignment: “Write something symbolic and solemn about Thanksgiving Day”.Įveryone is entitled to its own feelings when it is about art. The poem is verbose, unimaginative, condescending, self-indulgent, didactic and - what is worst - cliched.
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