Satire: Mr. Z

"Not one false note was struck-- until he died:
His subtly grieving widow could have flayed
The obit writers, ringing crude changes on a clumsy phrase:
'One of the most distinguished members of his race.'"

This poem was both somewhat sad and somewhat angering to me. While I feel bad for Mr. Z who lives in a society where he is looked down upon for what he is, another part of me wants to scold him for not even trying to make a difference. He completely relinquished his entire background and person for social acceptance, which is something that many people do which angers me. However, the poet uses the story of Mr. Z in order to satirize society for its lack of vision beyond skin color. Mr. Z played the perfect part of a white man. He gave up all cultural associations that he had with the African American community and rather adopted white culture. He clung to the "Anglo-Saxonized" ground rather than that of his own race. He strove to be as "white" as he possible could and even considered the status of the woman he married so that he may not even be judged by that. But, even through all his efforts, through all his accomplishments and every assimilation to white society that was possible for him, in his death, he was only seen as an accomplished black man. He was not just a distinguished member of society but rather "one of the most distinguished of his race".