Poetry · Chapter
Arbor Day explained
A short, satirical poem that twists the celebration of Arbor Day into a darkly humorous threat against a School Director, suggesting the planted trees will one day bear his hanged body.
What happens
A short, satirical poem that twists the celebration of Arbor Day into a darkly humorous threat against a School Director, suggesting the planted trees will one day bear his hanged body.
Themes in this chapter
Political Satire
The poem uses the innocent tradition of Arbor Day to mock authority figures, implying violent retribution against a School Director.
Key passages
“Hasten, children, black and white— Celebrate the yearly rite. Every pupil plant a tree: It will grow some day to be Big and strong enough to bear A School Director hanging there.”
Children of all races, hurry to observe Arbor Day by planting trees that will eventually become sturdy enough to hang the School Director.
The poem subverts the environmental message of Arbor Day with a macabre fantasy of execution.