Mr. Z
By: M. Carl Holman
As a poem about one man's goal to create his own identity, separate of race, one sees how such a dream can be ironically attained yet never fully achieved. For, Mr. Z, implied as a biracial minority who's life goal is to be seen unconnected from race becomes "One of the most distinguished members of his race (Holman, Page 848)." This simple phrase, initially presenting the idea that Mr. Z attains his dream by becoming a distinguished human ironically displays that the dream of personal identity is never achieved as Mr. Z is still seen as a "member of his race." For, Mr. Z is "An airborne plant plant, flourishing without roots" as presented in the metaphor in line 22. This phrase suggests that such a goal of escaping race is like taking away the roots of Mr. Z. These roots are his heritage, his culture, and part of his identity. In the poem, the irony presented leaves the phrase "I am...?" unfinished for Mr. Z. While he has become a distinguished member of his race, his identity as an individual still remains unclear.
In Mr. Z by M. Carl Holman, society is satirized through the use of irony. From the diction to the use of metaphors in lines 16 and 22, the irony of society and its influences on individuals is presented through the characterization of the unnamed and mysterious Mr. Z. Irony, thus, becomes a crucial literary technique directing the full meaning of the poem.
As a poem about one man's goal to create his own identity, separate of race, one sees how such a dream can be ironically attained yet never fully achieved. For, Mr. Z, implied as a biracial minority who's life goal is to be seen unconnected from race becomes "One of the most distinguished members of his race (Holman, Page 848)." This simple phrase, initially presenting the idea that Mr. Z attains his dream by becoming a distinguished human ironically displays that the dream of personal identity is never achieved as Mr. Z is still seen as a "member of his race." For, Mr. Z is "An airborne plant plant, flourishing without roots" as presented in the metaphor in line 22. This phrase suggests that such a goal of escaping race is like taking away the roots of Mr. Z. These roots are his heritage, his culture, and part of his identity. In the poem, the irony presented leaves the phrase "I am...?" unfinished for Mr. Z. While he has become a distinguished member of his race, his identity as an individual still remains unclear.
In the poem, Holman uses metaphors, diction, and irony to satirize society and its classification of people by qualities rather than individual characteristics. Additionally, it satirizes individuals as people searching for identity, but denying it in their past. With such irony, the idea of identity as an element of both past, present, and future qualities and aspects is fully presented.
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