"High On The Hog"

Poetry? What can I possibly say about “poetry”? Is it the tone that attracts you in? Or maybe it’s just something you have to do. Whatever it is for you; poetry is food for the soul. The poem “High On The Hog” by Julia Fields is no exception. The main focus of this poem is reality. She covers three aspects of that through out her literature. I know you can’t wait; so let’s begin!

Julia Fields describes how she wants more to life by using the word “enough” repeatedly through out the poem. She’s stating how she has been through the struggle and now she deserves to be “high on the hog”. A painted visual of slavery begins when she states “…had strong black beaten backs long enough, …from dragging the cotton sack on bended knee.” This gives the readers a picture of she wants to rise above.

The reality of “high class vs. low class” is described in the poem. Numerous visual pictures are painted into the readers mind when she mentions food. Many people just like her are tired of “black-eyed peas and the grits, the high blood pressure chops and gravy sops”. The wanting of “caviar shrimp soufflé and sherry champagne”, “take her share of soul food, I do not wish to taste of pig”. Food is an extremely good way to connect to readers.

Emotional aspects of reality are also represented in this poem. Especially when she brings racial background into everyone’s minds. Fields states “been lynched enough, slaved enough, dried enough, died enough”. Violence triggers multiple emotions; it resurfaces memories of hurt and pain. “I’ve been hired last enough, I’ve sugar watered my thirst enough”. People have emotional stories of their own of not being hired for the job that they really needed.

In Conclusion I believe that Julia Fields isn’t just speaking for herself when she says that she wants to be “high on the hog”. Which then she speaks for many individuals and their struggle. Many people find the voice that they’ve kept silent in this poem. References of reality are represented in this poem; beginning with how she wants more to life, high class vs. low class, and emotions. Now could you create a poem like this, you wish you were “high on the hog”, don’t you?