Arbor for Butch 
The History in Things
Terrance Hayes’s pecha kucha, “For Brothers of the Dragon,” and Jason McCall’s series of tercets, “roll call for michael brown,” merges speculative historical events with narration to convey abandonment in many different appearances. Each poem empowers the audience to think in two different dynamics, through an extended metaphor and hypothetical narrations. In "For Brothers of the Dragon," the speaker is telling a story of what took place after a tragic event. The poem contrasts the relationships between Malcolm X’s and his brothers as well as the relationship between the speaker and his brother. In “roll call for michael brown,” it rationalizes what might take place in a classroom due to Michael Brown’s death and how self-absorbed people may respond. Death and abandonment can have positive outcomes although it they are two very negative characteristics. OR These poems not only empower the readers to think, but they also empower the speakers in each poem to come to a realization about how others may think in specific situations.
In “For Brothers of the Dragon," Terrance Hayes allows the speaker to relate to historical encounters by the speaker imagining what his brother’s tragic experience was like in correlation to Malcolm X's brothers' reaction to their brother's death. "If I were in their story, / I would have run down the assassins and remove their eyes," (9-10). The speaker is pointing out how Malcolm X's brothers abandoned Malcolm X instead of going to his funeral to show love and support as he wanted to do for his own brother. The speaker’s relationship with his brother seems to be abandoned as well. “One brother will want, at first, redemption; one brother will want, / at first revenge,” (30-31). This implicates the separation between the two. One brother strives to be rescued, while the other brother focuses on payback. They have abandoned each other through being single-mindedness and not taking time to understand one another.
Terrance Hayes’s pecha kucha, “For Brothers of the Dragon,” and Jason McCall’s series of tercets, “roll call for michael brown,” merges speculative historical events with narration to convey abandonment in many different appearances. Each poem empowers the audience to think in two different dynamics, through an extended metaphor and hypothetical narrations. In "For Brothers of the Dragon," the speaker is telling a story of what took place after a tragic event. The poem contrasts the relationships between Malcolm X’s and his brothers as well as the relationship between the speaker and his brother. In “roll call for michael brown,” it rationalizes what might take place in a classroom due to Michael Brown’s death and how self-absorbed people may respond. Death and abandonment can have positive outcomes although it they are two very negative characteristics. OR These poems not only empower the readers to think, but they also empower the speakers in each poem to come to a realization about how others may think in specific situations.
In “For Brothers of the Dragon," Terrance Hayes allows the speaker to relate to historical encounters by the speaker imagining what his brother’s tragic experience was like in correlation to Malcolm X's brothers' reaction to their brother's death. "If I were in their story, / I would have run down the assassins and remove their eyes," (9-10). The speaker is pointing out how Malcolm X's brothers abandoned Malcolm X instead of going to his funeral to show love and support as he wanted to do for his own brother. The speaker’s relationship with his brother seems to be abandoned as well. “One brother will want, at first, redemption; one brother will want, / at first revenge,” (30-31). This implicates the separation between the two. One brother strives to be rescued, while the other brother focuses on payback. They have abandoned each other through being single-mindedness and not taking time to understand one another.