Types of Eulogy

The poem A Poem for Black Hearts by Amiri Baraka is written in free verse and is consisting of 27 lines which , in a way construct and epitomize an image of Malcolm X . The poem commemorates him and his stature as the black god of our time ' while subsequently persuading African American men to continue the fight for civil rights . Malcolm 's essence is made fragmented by the speaker for each part of his body is given high significance so as to create an image of a fallen leader who became an icon

for all black men . At the same time as the poem is not only for those who have black hearts , as it is also intended to be for Malcolm 's eyes which have the capability to break the face of some dumb white man ' by challenging his authority . The speaker emphasizes that the poem is also for Malcolm 's words , which were described and symbolically renamed `fire darts ' to emulate that his flaming words including the rhetoric of war and were carefully aimed at the enemy

The speaker feels that Malcolm was assassinated , believing that Malcolm was murdered for voicing out his outrage against racism and encouraging the people to conduct political action when it is deemed necessary . In addition , the poem is for Malcolm 's heart , for his love for his fellow black men and his pleas for the African American dignity , life , and education . Finally , the poem is intended to be for all of those people like him [Malcolm] who are dead and all of him remembered which clings to African American political and cultural rhetoric

The speaker incites that he intended his readers particularly the black men to quit stuttering and shuffling , whining and stooping ' and to look up . Instead of accepting their defeat , black men should raise their heads with dignity and see Malcolm as their greatest example of African American pride , masculinity , and political activism . In the closing lines , the speaker , challenges the black men to let nothing in [them] rest ' until Malcolm 's death has taken vengeance . He furthers his promise of retribution by showing his word of honor as that if we fail to avenge Malcolm 's death , let us never breathes a pure breath ' At this point , the speaker wanted the black men to look deeper into Malcolm 's eyes , words , heart , and dignity as well as his desire to change the world so that the voices of black men can continue to speak and act within the space Malcolm helped create

On the other hand , Michael S . Harper 's public elegy entitled Dear John Dear Coltrane serves as an elegy to a jazz musician and the legacy which he was able to share through his music . The poem mimics the form of Coltrane 's jazz novelty through depicting his image of bodily death . The elegy focuses on the man 's death and the progress of his music from immediate and alive to reproduced and commodified from the time...