There It Is by Jayne Cortez

According to research the poet Jayne Cortez was a founder of the Black Arts Movement, wherein she constantly wrote about oppression of black people; people of third world countries who are exploited in aspects of labor or of their property and also women who are raped or undergoing abuse. The poem There it is by Jayne Cortez is a perfect example of Cortez’s beliefs towards the lives of her subjects. In this poem she mainly gives predictions about the outcomes of the oppressed if the injustices they face are not changed. She begins the poem by saying, “if we don’t fight/ if we don’t resist” which seem to be a call for a revolt against the powers of the superior, that control and oppress those viewed to be inferior. Cortez is basically saying that if no one takes action against the society then there are certain circumstances that will follow. It is important to see that she also mentioned being organized and unified which shows that her beliefs are not only for a call of upheaval but her words suggests that in other to be successful those individuals should be united; having the same mindset towards achieving their freedom from oppression. Cortez believes that those individuals should have the right and the power to control their own lives (4).  She then goes on to describe what will happen if the oppressed refuse to stand up or resist. For example she says, “Then we will wear/the exaggerated look of captivity/ the stylized look of submission/the bizarre look of suicide/the dehumanized look of fear/and the decomposed look of repression (1-6).” Her use of these words such as exaggerated, stylized, bizarre and dehumanized is to prove that this condition of oppression will be prolonged until those people submit and succumb to the oppression; to the point where their attitudes towards it will become ridiculously passive hence the reason why she said, “ Forever and ever and ever.”

The use of the word “wear” implies that Cortez is comparing these oppressions to clothes. However this may mean that change is possible just like changing clothes is. However Cortez may believe that individuals will be forced to “wear” those expressions or more so find themselves in those situations if they do not do anything about it. The last line “And there it is” is ambiguous because it can definitely be interpreted in various ways. She may be saying that this may be the end to the rights of oppressed people if they’re not serious towards achieving change. It can also mean that this has already happened; as in people are continuously oppressed because they refuse to stand up for their rights. Overall the theme of change and unity is highlighted throughout Cortez’s poem.