Posted by Sara Dastoum (24.10.25.68) on July 5, 2005 at 9:33:44 p.m.:
Sara Dastoum
English 301
Jeanne Guerin
Essay #3
7/5/2005
“Mr. Z”
P1 In M. Carl Holman’s poem “Mr. Z,” Holman is able to capture the reader’s interest from the very beginning of the poem; the title. Holman cleverly uses the title “Mr. Z,” as a double-edged tool in gaining a reader’s attention. Through the title alone, Holman allows the reader to be aware of the focus of the poem. In this case, the poem’s focus, or subject, is Mr. Z. However, Holman also uses the title to allow the reader to feel a sense of anonymity. In reading the title “Mr. Z,” the reader can no more associate such significance as one would with the name Mr. X, or John Doe. Although Holman’s poem goes into great detail in explaining Mr. Z’s character, it is the anonymity interlaced in the title that allows the reader to capture the poem’s main focus in explaining the consequence leading up to becoming just another nameless subject.
P2 In the first stanza, it is easy to infer that Mr. Z was not of White descent. “Taught early that his mother’s skin was the sign of error.” It is likely that Mr. Z’s father was probably White, while Mr. Z’s mother was not of White descent. Since Mr. Z was taught that both he and his mother’s skin color set them apart from others, Mr. Z took it upon himself to become like the others. That is, he tried to take on his father’s skin color as his only color. “[and] when he could not cleanly skirt dissension, / [he] faced up to the dilemma [and] firmly seized / whatever ground was Anglo-Saxonized.” To Mr. Z, the Anglo-Saxon race was above all the other races present. Mr. Z clearly made careful choices in trying to assimilate himself with the White race. “He dressed and spoke the perfect part of honor; / won scholarships, [and] attended the best schools.” Not only did Mr. Z try to fit in with the White race, but he also tried his hardest to become a role model citizen.
P3 In trying to become the perfect White role model, Mr. Z loses his sense of culture that he had inherited from his mother’s side. This view is clearly realized in the second stanza of Holman’s poem. “Expert in vintage wines, sauces, and salads, / His palate shrank from cornbread, yams and collards.” It is known that the White culture emphasizes vintage wines and salads in the culinary world. Dishes such as cornbread, yams, and collards are more known throughout the African American community. Through this stanza, one can now infer that perhaps Mr. Z was born of a Black and White mix. It is the connotation of Mr. Z losing his taste in such dishes like cornbread and yams, which gives the reader a foreshadowing of the other losses in relation to the African American culture that Mr. Z will soon give up.
P4 In the third stanza, Mr. Z is quite determined to continue his desire in becoming the perfect White citizen, that he even married a woman who “kept her blue eyes; an Episcopalian.” The fact that Mr. Z’s wife carries the attribute of blue eyes tells the reader that she is probably of White descent. An Episcopalian, according to Dictionary.com, is someone who is a member of the Anglo-Catholic church. With the perfect trophy wife in tow, Mr. Z continues to play things safe. The diction in the next two lines of the poem also plays a large role in determining Mr. Z’s character. “[they were even] less anxious to be asked dine / where hosts catered to kosher accent or exotic skin.” It is one thing for Mr. Z to feel as though he wouldn’t be accepted if he played anything but the role of a Caucasian man, but it is another when the reader realizes that Mr. Z chooses to stay away from such situations even when people are accepting.
P5 The fourth stanza is the last stanza that brings forth the poem’s main focus. “And so he climbed, unclogged by ethnic weights, / an airborne plant, flourishing without roots.” Mr. Z continued to live his life successfully, carefully avoiding any ethnic or racial situations. The rhyme scheme between these two lines is less rigid than in comparison to the other lines in Holman’s poem. It is this rhyme scheme that allows one to truly notice the value of these two lines. The words in question here are “ethnic weights” and “roots.” True, Mr. Z didn’t have any worries in ethnic issues weighing him down, but at the same time, he didn’t have any roots to keep him grounded. More specifically, Mr. Z didn’t have a sense of culture. Due to the lack of culture, or roots, Mr. Z did not have a true identity.
P6 The last line of the fourth stanza rings of irony, though it is unfortunate that it was left on Mr. Z’s obituary. “‘One of the most distinguished members of his race.’” It is this irony that brings the reader back to the title of the poem, “Mr. Z.” Mr. Z was anything but a distinguished member of his race. He assimilated himself to the Anglo-Saxon race so well, that he never stood out. By the end of his life, Mr. Z was just another nameless man. It is this sense of insignificance that brings readers back to the anonymous title.
P7 Holman’s poem does a great job in detailing who exactly Mr. Z was. The reader learns the lesson of assimilation and its consequence. When a person tries so hard to fit in, the outcome is that the person doesn’t ever stand out. However, without the title of “Mr. Z,” the symbol of anonymity would not have struck readers so hard. The meaning of the poem would have felt different had Holman used a title such as “Mr. Zinfandel,” or some other name. In effect, it is the title and the last line of the poem that serves readers an awareness of both the message and the irony that Holman leaves his readers; Mr. Z, one of the most distinguished members of his race.