Summary Of My Jump Shot By Clint Smith

Identity vs. Societal Pressures: What defines identity? Who defines the identity of the person? Can I even define my own identity? Clint Smith provides a profound perspective on these 3 complicated questions. Smith uses many non-discussed topics that need to stop being overlooked, such as the concept of code-switching and tokenism. Smith discusses how he has experienced and is still experiencing these terms in his life. Through these, topics, he writes about his identity as a black male, growing up in a society where accepting that we’re not perfect and not fitting in is disregarded and discouraged. “My Jump Shot,” by Clint Smith, conveys how the speaker’s broken jump shot is utilized as a metaphor for self-acceptance, the complexities of his black identity, and the black community as a
He points this out because he feels a level of embarrassment playing basketball because he feels the judgement from others whenever he makes an effort to become a better player. The usage of phrases such as “the leftovers you don’t really want to eat.” (10), “the sour milk in your cereal.” (14)and “old spaghetti.” (18) are all clever examples of Clint Smith trying to be relative to a younger audience who are also struggling with self-acceptance and identity. Since the audience can relate to these everyday quibbles, they can empathize with Smith’s feelings and connect more profoundly with the themes of self-acceptance and identity in the poem. As he slowly begins to let out more emotion and true feelings, he lets out more of his emotions, “My jump shot be/getting picked last by the other jump shots.” (16) This quote distinguishes the other metaphors because readers can connect to this quote more clearly. Smith conveys his feelings of being overlooked or undervalued in comparison to others through this