Dance with Me: A Collection of Dramatic Poetry

By Solomon Quaynor

Dance With Me takes its name from one of the poems in this collection. The title serves as a metaphor for the interaction of the different characters and the diverse ways they relate to each other. It also portrays my continuing growth and development as a poet. The most efficient method I have to describe the way the characters interact is by looking at how the manuscript is divided thematically. I will address this issue first and subsequently look at how the work as a whole depicts my development as a writer in general and specifically as a poet.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Partridge Publishing Africa
• Release date: Aug 27, 2015
• ISBN: 9781482808827

Solomon Quaynor

Solomon T Quaynor comes from both a scientific and artistic background with an M.A. in English and an M.S. in Biostatistics from Oklahoma State University and University of Pittsburgh respectively. He writes about growing up in an African culture and living with a disability.

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Copyright © 2015 by Solomon Quaynor.

ISBN:      Softcover      978-1-4828-0883-4

               eBook            978-1-4828-0882-7

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Critical Introduction

The Title

Influences

Literary Influences

The Prologue

Chapter I   Recollections Of A Little Boy & Sojourns On The Beach

So You Want Subversive Eh?

Outdooring—A Naming Ceremony For An Eight Day Old

Respect

Not So My Brother?—A Tribute

Last Day

The Man On The Beach

Life Through The Eyes Of A Ten Year Old

A Mango Thief

Searching

Water Hyacinth

Chapter II   Work Ethic

Adinkra Symbols

A Vagrant

The Drum

The Son Of A Coffee Farmer

Hands Of An Amish Man

Kente Weaver’s Secret

Recollections: The Ramblings Of A Disappointed Old Man In A Rocking Chair

This Is No Fireside Chat—Discussion About American Life

Chapter III   Imperfections

Different Shades Of Clay

Imperfections

Chaos

Vibrations: Words To My Husband

Listening: Observing A Mute

Give Him Eyes That He May See

Chapter IV   Renaissance Women

Harriet Tubman Would Have Been Proud

Renaissance Woman

Dipo: A Coming Of Age Ritual

Brother Gets More Meat

Daughter Of Kuwait City

Home Executive: Secrets Of A Woman Of Grace

Chapter V   Dance With Me

The Lady Behind The Counter

Words To A Woman Of Grace

Bus Stop Reflections

Spinning Wheels

Dance With Me—Please

Embrace

Favorite Nurse

The New Dance

Bibliography

CRITICAL INTRODUCTION

I. DANCE WITH ME: AN OVERVIEW

So, what are you going to name your thesis? This is a question I am often asked as I put finishing touches to this manuscript. Eyebrows slowly arch when they hear the title and I get a few Oh I sees and That sounds interesting and curious looks that seem to say What an unusual name for a poetry thesis. So I wait for the inevitable follow up —What did you say it was about again? I proceed to tell them that Dance With Me is a collection of dramatic poetry linked together by a set of themes. Naturally my goal is to pick a title that shows the unifying nature of the collection. The themes addressed in this work are diverse and might initially appear disjointed. However, when viewed under the overarching umbrella that the title provides, the thematic unity of this manuscript becomes more evident. In order to show how the entire work fits together, I will discuss the following issues: the title choice, the themes reflected in the poems and the experiences and other writers, not only poets, who have influenced these themes. I will also look at my style or poetic form and compare it to other writers who write in the same vein or poetic genre.

The Title: Dance With Me takes its name from one of the poems in this collection. The title serves as a metaphor for the interaction of the different characters and the diverse ways they relate to each other. It also portrays my continuing growth and development as a poet. The most efficient method I have to describe the way the characters interact is by looking at how the manuscript is divided thematically. I will address this issue first and subsequently look at how the work as a whole depicts my development as a writer in general and specifically as a poet.

Themes: This thesis is divided into six sections:

The Prologue: Here the reader is provided with a brief synopsis of the entire collection as a sort of road map for ploughing the way through the thesis. It describes, in a very general sense, the different themes illustrated in the poems. This allows the poems to stand alone and saves the reader from the undue influence of an outside voice.

Recollections of a Little Boy & Sojourns on the Beach: The first section of poems are a set of dramatic monologues and character poems spoken either in the voice of a little boy or a