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“Hoodie” by January Gill O’Neil is a poem the central topic of which is a mother’s concern about the safety and wellbeing of her teenage son when she sees him walking in the street. At the same time, in order to understand this work to the fullest extent, it is necessary to define the speaker and circumstances under which the poem was written. January Gill O’Neil is an African American woman who moved with her biracial children to a relatively safe neighborhood after divorce (Kaufman). Thus, the speaker is afraid of any incident or tragedy that may occur if someone sees danger in her son perceiving him as a stranger from another, more dangerous neighborhood: “I fear for his safety—the darkest child/ on our street in the empire of blocks” (O’Neil). At the same time, she cannot understand how it is possible to “mistake him for anything but good” (O’Neil). Thus, this poem addresses racial issues, discrimination, and the concerns and fears of all Black mothers in relation to their children’s safety.
From a personal perspective, the author marvelously connects her inner feelings with what she sees. For instance, in my favorite line, “I see the partial eclipse of his face/ as his head sinks into the hand-dark/ and shades his eyes,” readers understand that the child’s head is partly seen by his mother due to his hoodie. At the same time, these words reflect danger in a polarized society that is real for a child who leaves the safety of his home. At the same time, the hoodie refers to a piece of clothes used to protect from rain and people’s eyes, and simultaneously, it is a symbol of the mother’s love who is afraid of being unable to protect her child from an accidental tragedy. On the basis of this investigation, it is possible to conclude that this poem’s tone is emotional, sincere, sad, and fearful – a mother worries for her beloved child. This and other works of January Gill O’Neil are highly recommendable as they address highly significant modern issues through comprehensive images.
Works Cited
Kaufman, Jill. “Daily Life, Divorce, Race in New Collection by Massachusetts Poet.” New England Public Media, Web.
O’Neil, January Gill. “Hoodie.” Poets.org, 2015, Web.
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