Poetry · Chapter
To Certain Intellectuals explained
The speaker directly addresses intellectuals who have dismissed them due to their poverty, race, and perceived lack of education, asserting that such prejudice makes them no friend at all.
What happens
The speaker directly addresses intellectuals who have dismissed them due to their poverty, race, and perceived lack of education, asserting that such prejudice makes them no friend at all.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
The emotional peak occurs in the final line, "Tell them to leave you alone!..."—a raw, defiant outburst that s…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Racial Identity and Oppression
The speaker's identity as 'Black' is central to the rejection they experience from intellectuals.
- Poverty and Class Struggle
The speaker's poverty and perceived ignorance are cited as reasons for exclusion by the intellectual class.
Characters to notice
- Unknown
The speaker who declares themselves poor, Black, ignorant, and slow, rejected by intellectuals.
Key passages
“You are no friend of mine / For I am poor, Black, / Ignorant and slow— / Not your kind, / You yourself / Have told me so— / No friend of mine.”
You have made it clear that because I am poor, Black, and uneducated, I do not belong among you, so you are no friend to me.
The speaker directly confronts the intellectual's prejudice and rejection.
