Read more about Phillip Brian Harper: On "SOS"
Content and form blend effectively in this poem. The radio transmission asks blacks to "come / on in." The final line break calls attention to the word change, thereby emphasizing the message. This word change has at least two connotations. On one level, the phrase invites readers into the book of poetry. In this sense it is a fitting opening poem. On another level, it cajoles blacks into claiming their share of the American political, social, and cultural systems on their own terms.
From "Poetic Style in Amiri Baraka’s Black Art," in CLA Journal, December, 1988. Copyright © 1988 by the College Language Association.
Read more about Jay R. Berry: On "SOS"