Analyzing "The Blue Terrance" by Terrance Hayes

Introduction: Racism and the Poetry of Terrance Hayes

In the 1970s, racism was a pervasive issue in American society. African-Americans experienced widespread discrimination due to their skin color. There were designated toilets, buses, and schools for Black people, who were also forced to live in segregated areas. Because of such discrimination, African-Americans cultivated their own culture through music — including the blues and funk — and produced a tremendous body of literary work describing the sorrow and suffering of Black life. "The Blue Terrance" by Terrance Hayes is one example of such literature. Hayes reflects briefly on his own life and expresses his thoughts and feelings through the poem. Throughout "The Blue Terrance," Hayes uses title, structure, form, and the metaphor of the color blue to speak not only of sorrow, but also of freedom.

Hayes uses the color "blue" in the title to convey his pathos about racism. "Blue" is commonly used as a metaphor for gloominess, and in this context it signals that Hayes's life was marked by melancholy and loneliness. The source of that gloominess was likely his skin color and the treatment he received as a result. Terrance Hayes was born in 1971 in South Carolina. Both before and after his birth, racism was among the most severe social problems in the South. South Carolina maintained racist policies well into that era, including bans on interracial dating (The Associated Press). Three men were killed in racially motivated violence in 1968, and such murders were not uncommon at the time (Krajicek). The writer must therefore have endured a difficult childhood shaped by discrimination, contributing to a lasting sense of disconsolation.

The Title and the Color Blue as Metaphor

Additionally, by placing "The" before "Blue Terrance" — a phrase that refers to Hayes himself — the poet creates distance between the author and the speaker, "I," allowing him to view his own life more objectively. Hayes lets the speaker "I" recount the writer's experiences and inner feelings. Through this technique, the title both signals Hayes's sadness and establishes a distinct poetic speaker.

The structure and form of the poem — a lyric poem written in terza rima — help Hayes illustrate the unique experiences of his own life and the lives of other African-Americans. A lyric poem is one in which the speaker expresses strong personal thoughts and feelings. The poem recounts Hayes's life story, with the speaker "I" communicating the writer's feelings and experiences. It opens with Hayes describing his early struggles with racism. He enumerates a series of small indignities inflicted upon him by the world:

If you subtract the minor losses,
you can return to your childhood too:
the blackboard chalked with crosses,
the math teacher's toe ring. (Hayes)

As a Black child, Hayes was someone "not even the buck- / toothed girls took a liking to," possibly because of his skin color. He also conveys the narrowness of the opportunities available to him: "I remember what the world was like before / […] How long has your door been closed?" (Hayes). Both the "closed door" and the "dirty rag" he could claim after wiping the sweat from a righteous woman function as metaphors for the constrained realities of African-American life in the 1970s.

Structure and Form: Lyric Poetry in Terza Rima

To describe that harsh life more effectively, Hayes employs the closed form of terza rima — a three-line stanza using chain rhyme in the pattern a-b-a, b-c-b, c-d-c, d-e-d. Terza rima is one of the most demanding poetic forms, requiring strict adherence to its rhyme scheme, and Hayes uses this formal rigidity to mirror the restricted lives of Black Americans. Structure and form thus work together to reflect his experiences of discrimination.

"Blue," however, does not only evoke gloomy images or feelings. "Blue" also refers to "the blues," a music genre created by African-Americans at the end of the 19th century following emancipation. The blues expresses the sorrow and pain born of racial discrimination. Hayes draws on this tradition to give voice to his own sadness stemming from the pervasive racism he encountered. He also incorporates "funk," another African-American music genre that blends soul, jazz, and rhythm and blues: "the match box, these bones in their funk / machine," and "Suppose you were nothing but a song / in a busted speaker?" (Hayes). Hayes fuses his personal grief, his experience of discrimination, and his cultural heritage into the poetry through the metaphor of "blue."

Yet Hayes does not confine himself to sorrow — he also speaks of freedom, a freedom that allows him to connect with all people. Hayes acknowledges that he is "in trouble" like any other human being. He writes: "Especially if you love as I love / falling to the earth. Especially if you're a little bit / high strung and a little bit gutted balloon" (Hayes). The sensation of free-falling as an escape from constraint, and the contrast between a tightened and a loosened balloon, are feelings any person can recognize regardless of race. Blues and funk help Hayes endure his pain, but the freedom he finds — a freedom he can share with others — lifts the poem beyond a simple account of racism.

Conclusion: The Lasting Relevance of 'The Blue Terrance'

Krajicek, David J. "Racism at South Carolina Bowling Alley Led to Three Men's Deaths in 1968." Daily News, 11 Feb. 2018, http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/racism-south-carolina-bowling-alley-led-3-killings-1968-article-1.3813476.

Hayes, Terrance. "The Blue Terrance." Wind in a Box. Penguin Books, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

The Associated Press. "South Carolina: Apology for Racist Policies." The New York Times, 21 Nov. 2008, http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/22/us/22brfs-002.html.