A Study Guide for Ishmael Reed's "Beware: Do Not Read This Poem"

By Gale and Cengage

A Study Guide for Ishmael Reed's "Beware: Do Not Read This Poem," excerpted from Gale's acclaimed Poetry for Students. This concise study guide includes plot summary; character analysis; author biography; study questions; historical context; suggestions for further reading; and much more. For any literature project, trust Poetry for Students for all of your research needs.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cengage Learning - Gale
• Release date: Aug 19, 2016
• ISBN: 9781535819398

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Beware: Do Not Read This Poem

Ishmael Reed

1970

Introduction

Beware: Do Not Read This Poem was included in Ishmael Reed’s first volume of poetry, Catechism of d neoamerican hoodoo church: Poems, written by the end of 1968 but first published in 1970. The poem was then reprinted in Reed’s second volume of poetry, Conjure: Selected Poems, 1963-1970 (1972), which was nominated for a National Book Award for poetry in 1973, the same year his novel Mumbo Jumbo (1972) was nominated for the National Book Award for fiction. What one critic has said about Reed applies exceedingly well to Beware: Do Not Read This Poem: "Ishmael Reed’s importance to contemporary literary studies stems in part from his ability to channel his encyclopedic historical, political, and cultural knowledge into syncretic poetry and prose that resonate with the voices of diverse ethnicities, locations, and