What_Its_Like_To_Be_A_Black_Girl

What Its Like To Be A Black Girl An Explication: From transition to disappointment. An explanation in its purest form of “What it’s like to be a Black Girl (for those of you who aren’t)” by Patricia Smith, is just that, an explanation. From the first three syllables “First of all,” the author gives a sense of a story being told. She also uses irregular sentence structure and strong dynamic language to present the reader with the seriousness of her topic. Smiths poem gives the audience an insider’s view into a young black girl’s transition into black woman-hood at a time where both being a black girl and a black woman was not as welcomed. Puberty is usually defined by the biological changes a young boy or girls body undertakes around the age of 9 up until about 14. “It’s being 9 years old and feeling like you’re not finished,” writes Smith, “like your edges are wild, like there’s something, everything, wrong.” (Smith, 4) These thoughts have run around the minds of almost all puberty stricken youngsters. However, Smiths subject seems to also have the added pressures of a racially jagged society. This “black girl” she refers to in her poem is feeling the awkwardness of black, smith, young, girl, woman, poem, white, it’s, women, transition, being, you’re, story, something, society, reader, just, hair, gives, girl’s, feeling, body, author, around, about, 14, writes, wearing, until, think, tells, tall, smiths, racial, puberty