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A CONFIDENT BLACK MAN

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A CONFIDENT BLACK MAN
3 October 2013
A Confident Black Man
Dudley Felker Randall born in Washington, D.C., January 14, 1914. The Randall’s moved to Detroit when Dudley was nine years old. Randall’s earliest recollection of composing a poem was when his mother took him to a band concert. Randall 's poetry is illustrated by simplicity and realism. Randall’s date of birth was January 14, 1914 in Washington D.C. He was the son of Arthur George Clyde a (Congressional Minister), and Ada Viola a teacher Randall. Randall’s family moved to Detroit from Washington D.C. in 1920, married Ruby Hudson in 1935, Mildred Pinckney in 1942, and Vivian Spencer in1957. Dudley known as the other Berry Gordy in Detroit received a Poet Laureate in 1981 by Mayor Coleman Young. Randall died on August 5, 2000 in Southfield, Michigan (Story; Madgett). A Different Image is a little shorter than “The Ballad of Birmingham, “but both represents some form the civil rights movement. In the studies of “A Different Image” the structure is different and so unusual in a good way. The poem is about recreating the image of the black man. According to research he composed it in 1968 during the end of the civil rights movement. Randall knew that black men and women had to learn how to see things differently to excel in life. Randall shows lots of compassion for things that occurred during the time of the civil rights movement, this is where motivation came into being. President Obama made the statement “time for change,” that changed the atmosphere and made Americans push forth to make it happen. To create an image means that things will not happen on its own, people must create a different image and reconstruct the mask. Dudley saw the rebirthing of a nation and the only way to explain it was in the writing of poems. Reconstruct the mask means getting rid of the sad faces be proud of being part of the black race. When Randall saw the change of the black man coming he highlights upon by saying “Shatter the



Cited: Randall, Dudley. A Different Image.

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