Poem about My Rights

One of the most conspicuous aspects of this poem is its length and lack of stanza breaks; this analysis section uses various narrative turns to determine sections of the poem. Additionally, though, while the poem does not explicitly name June Jordan as the speaker, this is implied by the description of “My Rights” in the title as well as the first person perspective used throughout. This guide refers to the speaker or speaker of the poem; other analyses could engage with a reading of the poem interpreting it as an autobiographical piece by Jordan.

In Lines 1-20, the speaker enters a direct stream-of-consciousness narrative. While this style is largely retained throughout the poem, it is most pronounced in this section as the speaker uses repetitive phrasing to build the intensity of ideas. The straightforward tone in this section is enhanced by multiple negative statements: The speaker “can’t go out” (Lines 2-3), “can’t do what I want / to do” (Lines 7-8), and “could not go” (Line 15). Building on this is the speaker’s use of other descriptors like being “the

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