"Sure You Can Ask Me a Personal Question" by Diane Burns

Burns

Summary: The speaker is asked a series of questions which are not listed, but can be easily deduced by the reader to be pertaining to her ethnicity and culture. The speaker has clearly been asked these questions many times.

Problems: I don't really see there being any problems. The only issue is clear stereotyping, but the poem seeks to disagree with the use of stereotypes and encourages the reader to see past them.

Purpose and Educational Significance: This poem would be helpful at the beginning of the multicultural lit section of the course. It opens up the discussion about stereotypes. I think that, no matter where you are from, the community as a whole will has some bias (or biases) about one or more groups, whether those are racial, gender, sexual orientation, etc based. To make sure that the class can respectfully discuss cultures and ideas, I want to flesh out the idea of stereotypes, bring them out in the open, and have the students aware of their own blind spots. I don’t expect them to necessarily change their world view, but I do expect them to acknowledge them and be able to think critically about their ideas. (Although if they have large biases, I would hope they at least reconsider.)

Stylistically, I think this is a unique poem. It’s fun and easy to read & I would hope my students would enjoy it. Again, since it’s so easy and fun, it makes for a gradual introduction to this unit. Some of the other works in this anthology have some really difficult scenes, like Beloved. This will introduce them to the concepts we will be exploring without shocking them to death right away.

To read Burns’ obituary, click here.

For a prezi presentation that analyzes the poem by stanza and has a discussion of theme, diction, and Burns’ life, click here.

Burns