BEING BLACK IN AMERICA: THE ANALYSIS OF RUDY FRANCISKO'S POETRY THROUGH THE PRISM OF RACE, DOUBLE IDENTITY AND POSTCOLONIAL CRITICISM

Abstract

The poetry of contemporary American-Belizean poet Rudy Francisco carries one new and, we could say, quite personal view on the position of black people in America. The aim of this work is the analysis of Francisco’s poems, which talk about the identity of this minority in the USA and race politics, which greatly affect the status of black people. While referring to the work of the forerunners who paved the way for research in the area of postcolonial criticism and the studies of the identity of black people such as Frantz Fanon, Jacques Lacan, Du Bois and others, this work will display the connection between the selectively chosen Francisco’s poems and the ideas of postcolonialism. During the interpretation of the particular poems, the effect of the BLM (Black Lives Matter) movement, which continues to this day, will be felt significantly. We will also analyse the role of white police officers in the battle for the equality of black people. When all of the above-mentioned research subjects of this paper are taken into account, it is evident that the work of Rudy Francisco gives a certain freshness to the study of the identity of black people.

Keywords

• Poetry, Black Lives Matter, Rudy Francisco, Postcolonial Criticism, Identity.