The B Network

The B Network by Haki R. Madhubuti

Definitions:

Bodacious- An adjective meaning outstanding or remarkable

Braggart- A person who brags or is boastful

Bountiful- liberal in bestowing gifts, favors, or bounties

Annotation:

“be-bop”

Be-bop is a style of jazz that rose during the 1940s. This style of music is known for its fast-tempo and improvisational melodies. This style came from swing music, which was popular at the time, but unlike swing music be-bop was not danced to. Be-bop musicians used the blues and harmonic framework of swing music to create more complex melodies.

“locked up and chained insane by crack”

Crack is a freebase form of cocaine that can be smoked. It appeared throughout cities across The United States in the late 1980s. The “crack epidemic” hit low-income neighborhoods the hardest because of its addictiveness and low cost. During this time many black communities experienced an increase in crime in their neighborhoods. Murder rates and drug related arrests increased during this time.

Explication:

Haki R. Madhubuti’s poem, “The B Network,” is a plea directed towards African–American males asking them to be better people and to strive for greatness. Madhubuti uses this poem to break away from stereotypes associated with young, Black males. He centers his poem on the letter “B” to give readers a better understanding of what being Black means. This poem can be seen as motivation for Black males.

Madhubuti employs many literary devices to get his message across in his poem. Alliteration is used throughout the entire poem with the letter “B.” He begins his poem with, “brothers bop & pop and be-bop…”(Poetry 207.) This is important because the title of the poem is “The B Network” which prepares readers for the use of “B” words. So starting with that phrase helps the structure of the poem. Madhubuti continues to say, “…in cities locked up and chained insane by crack and other acts of desperation computerized in pentagon cellars producing boppin brothers boastin of being better, best, & beautiful.” He seems to be referring to black males using drugs and doing criminal acts in the cities across the country. Madhubuti uses alliteration of “b” words to show how those words can be associated with being black. He talks of the problems black men face and how it’s kept alive through society. By referring to the pentagon, he shows that he thinks government creates this breed of black males that do drugs and criminal acts. The importance of using “b” words is seen in this first stanza. Madhubuti is attacking the “boppin brothers boastin of being better, best, and beautiful.” He wants to show readers that even though these words have the same sound they should not be associated with being black.

The next stanza says, “ if the boppin brothers are beautiful where are the sisters who seek brotherman with a drugless head unbossed or beaten by the bodacious West?” In this stanza Madhubuti uses repetition to get his point across. He repeats “boppin brother” in this stanza to reinforce the idea that that type of black male is not ideal for society because black women do not seek them. He continues to doubt this type of black male in the third stanza by saying, “in a time of big wind being blown by boastful brothers, will other brothers beat backwardness to better & best without braggart bosses beatin butts, takin names and diggin graves?” Madhubuti continues to use repetition and alliteration. He is trying to say that these particular “brothers” are telling lies that they will improve themselves. He wants to know if “other brothers” will listen and follow them. Madhubuti is trying to say that black men should not follow the ways of the “boastful brother” because that will not lead to advancement for the black race. Madhubuti’s word choice is important as he uses “backwardness.” He thinks this is what black men need to fight against.

Madhubuti continues to use repetition in the fifth stanza by saying, “brothers bop & pop and be-bop in cities locked up and chained insane by crack and other acts of desperation computerized in pentagon cellars producing boppin brothers boastin of being better, best, & beautiful.” This is how the first stanza begins, but he ends the fifth stanza differently. He ends it by saying, “…and definitely not Black.” He does this to show that he doesn’t believe these people define what being black means.

Madhubuti begins to describe what being black means to him in the sixth stanza.  He says, “…brothers better be the best if they are to avoid backwardness/ brothers better be the best if they are to conquer beautiful bigness.” These lines are interesting because he repeats words like “brother”, “better”, “best”, and “backwardness.” He does this to show the difference between the two types of black males he describes throughout the poem. He talks about what being black really means using the same words. This shows that the problem facing blacks is how they think. Madhubuti thinks blacks are giving in to the stereotype that blacks boast about becoming better without actually accomplishing anything. Instead blacks should take more action in regards to becoming better.

Madhubuti believes that if the mentality of blacks change it will lead to prosperity for the race. He ends the poem by saying, “While be-boppin to be better than the test, brotherman. better yet write the exam.” This means he wants blacks to strive towards becoming better. He wants to change the mentality of many blacks across the country. Madhubuti is motivating black people with this poem. The alliteration and repetition in this poem show that changing the way black people think can be key to their success as a race. He uses many of the same words and sounds to describe in the poem yet two different types of black people are described. This shows how a certain perception is important for advancement.