Amiri Baraka Dead Lecturer Analysis

Intertwining “The Politics of Rich Painters,” “Substitute for the Dead Lecturer” and “The Liar” from Jones’s series The Dead Lecturer, brings light to his mental state during his time of transition. They give introspective insight on his motives for wanting to transition. They point out the fact that his prior works were absent of Black American Liberation. These poems allow him to openly share his conviction for his responsibility to be a voice for Black people through his art. They are his platform, where he exclaims that he no longer wishes to be the Black man amongst white people speaking to white people about their white lives. The anger, sadness and enlightenment captured in these three poems provide a snapshot of Leroi Jones during the Transitional Period—a man afraid of dying not knowing who he is and without a cause—a man afraid of dying as just another poet of the Beat period. These three poems speak to each other in a way that suggests that Jones is thinking aloud and justifying his reasoning for transitioning from the Beat Period to the Black Nationalist—making them the foundation of the transitional phase.

In “The Politics of Rich Painters,” Leroi Jones expounds upon the idea that he is beginning to see art as constituting a battle of rank with an overall goal of financial gain, instead of a voice for progression and true thought. He struggles with the lack of aesthetics in the arts during the Beat Period and even considers it insignificant. “Just their fingers’ prints staining cold glass, is sufficient for commerce, and proper ruling on humanity, says Jones. He raises the question of whether or not such occurrences constitute art and consciousness. Throughout the poem Jones expresses the disgust in his newfound understanding of how weak the current state of art actually is—making him a part of the opposition. Jones opens his mind and lets the reader see what strikes these feelings of disregard towards the arts in the Beat Period and what causes him...