


Being part of the American Sonnets and fighting for the black Americans is ironic for the author. Themes of conflict and violence are experienced throughout the two poems as expressed by the author. He condemns the hatred toward black Americans by celebrating figures such as Baldwin and Maxine Waters (Burt 30). Through the poem “Why Are You Bugging Me, You Stank Minuscule Husk,” Hayes shows the black man’s oppression and need to deliberate him from the assassin. The poem’s theme of freedom is evident when the author states that the bird would rather be free than constricted in a dreary Cage.

This hinders the black Americans from exploring the wild terrains like racism that has constrained them for a long. The poet explains that though the bird is giant, it has been suppressed that it only mimics a ball and cannot fly wildly (Hayes 18). The poem “Inside Me Is a Black-eyed Animal” uses metaphors to compare the black-eyed animal to the voice of a repressed individual. The oppression of black Americans and racism have been deeply explored in both poems. The opening of the poem “American Sonnet for My Past and Future Assassin” contradicts the central message of how the poet feels and the conflict of being a black American. The sonnet was written after the 2016 US election and is directed at the violence experienced against American racism (Burt 14). The author addresses the theme of contemporary society in America and its politics. This paper will develop an analytical discussion of how theme, diction, imagery, and tone have been employed in the “American Sonnet for My Past and Future Assassin.” This will be based on the poems “Inside Me Is a Black-eyed Animal” and “Why Are You Bugging Me, You Stank Minuscule Husk.” Main body

His anthology of poems has won different awards and continues to receive tremendous applause for the traditional way Hayes expresses himself. In his writing, Hayes creates formal constraints and employs the theme of popular culture, music, race, and masculinity. He was born in Columbia and earned an MFA from the University of Pittsburgh. Terrance Hayes is one of the most prominent poets in the history of American sonnets.
