52 pages • 1 hour read
Bronx Masquerade
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Chapters 27-34Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 27 Summary: “Devon”
Devon is in the cafeteria, and he and Tanisha nod to each other. After a past Open Mike Friday, they bonded over “being put in a box” (82). They relate to each other, even though their boxes are different.
In the cafeteria, Devon encounters Mike, a basketball teammate. Devon is reading Preface to a Twenty Volume Suicide Note, a 1961 volume of poetry by Amiri Baraka. Mike asks why he’s reading it, and Devon decides to tell the truth: He’s reading it because he wants to. Mike makes fun of him, but Devon still decides to carry the book with him to their basketball game later that day. He’s not afraid to show the team who he really is.
Using boxes as a metaphor for “superficial judgments,” Devon’s poem, “Black Box,” describes all sorts of boxes, most of which are full of nothing. The poem addresses Mike by name. He ends the poem by saying he’s human and doesn’t belong in any kind of box.
Chapter 28 Summary: “Tyrone”
Tyrone reflects, “The brotha’s right. I look around this class and nobody I see fits into the box I used to put them in” (85). He even reflects on his assumptions about Mr. Ward, who he used to view as “a lightweight do-gooder who would last about five minutes in this neighborhood” (85). He realizes Devon is not only “okay” but also smart.
Chapter 29 Summary: “Sterling S. Hughes”
Sterling’s nickname is “Preacher,” though his goal is to become a teacher. Sterling isn’t afraid to share his Baptist faith, and he plays guitar in church on Sundays. He’s bringing that talent to Open Mike Fridays, playing music to accompany some classmates’ poems.
Sterling is in the cafeteria, and Leon “accidentally” bumps into him and pours honey all over his new shoes. Despite his anger in the moment—he compares himself to Samson—Sterling calms himself down and reminds himself “to return good for evil” (87). He kisses Leon on the cheeks, hugs him, and forgives him. Leon and his friends are freaked out and leave Sterling alone.
Sterling reflects on all the times guys at school have bullied him for his faith. There’s nothing they can do to change who he is. He reflects on seeing his mom pray and her prayers being answered. He returns to cleaning his shoes and the bell rings, indicating it’s time for English. He wishes he had more time to prepare his poem. Lately, he’s enjoyed reading Harlem Renaissance writers, and he’s glad that Mr. Ward told him about a contemporary poet, Pedro Pietri.
Sterling’s poem, “D-Train,” depicts a young man getting on a subway train. The young man wants cocaine and attempts to rob another passenger. God enters the train and “sing[es] anyone caught without / a robe of righteousness / across his back” (90). The young man catches on fire and burns until Sterling wakes up. This dream compels Sterling to be good and remain good in the eyes of God.
Chapter 30 Summary: “Tyrone”
Tyrone appreciates the complexity of Sterling’s poem. It makes him think about his own goodness, too.
Chapter 31 Summary: “Diondra”
Diondra is preoccupied with an art project she wants to get started on, but at lunch, Tanisha keeps talking about how thrilled she is that Mr. Ward invited Pedro Pietri to visit the class. Tyrone interrupts their conversation and Diondra rushes to Mr. Ward’s room to start her project: a portrait of her father.
She is drawing as the bell rings, and Sterling is peering over her shoulder. Raul is also painting, and Diondra shares that if it weren’t for him and Tanisha, she wouldn’t be so open to others seeing her artwork. A few days ago, Mr. Ward showed her portrait for the women of the Harlem Renaissance project to the class. She was embarrassed, but Raul was impressed with the way Diondra drew the eyes. After he complimented her, she looked back at her drawing and thought it was good, too. Raul compliments her new drawing as he walks past her desk, and she smiles.
Diondra’s poem, “High Dive,” uses swimming imagery, describing the kiddy pool, dog paddling, the breaststroke, and “the stench and sting of chlorine” (96). The speaker is leaving that learning behind, and moving on to the high dive, a new challenge. Atop the high dive, the water is transformed into a palette of swirling colors, a place for her dreams to take shape and come true. The poem ends with a jump into the unknown.
Chapter 32 Summary: “Tyrone”
Tyrone pitches the idea of hosting a school poetry slam next year. If he can get Diondra on board—the shyest in the class—everyone else will agree to it. He notes that Diondra isn’t so shy anymore. He wants to pitch the idea to Mr. Ward and fantasizes about their class beating Bronx Science, an elite public school, in a poetry battle.
Chapter 33 Summary: “Amy Moscowitz”
Amy describes herself as short in stature, but not soft. She is tough. She gets that from her father; since her mom left, he doesn’t show affection or support in the way she’d like him to. By contrast, Mr. Ward is friendly with his daughter, who goes to the same school. They regularly have lunch together. She wishes her father was more like Mr. Ward and feels jealous when she sees Mr. Ward and his daughter together.
Sterling warns her against jealousy, and Amy admits that she envies her classmates and their friendships. Sterling says she can make friends if she reaches out and stays true to herself. She admits that she’s not sure she wants anyone to know who she truly is—when her mom left, the desire for closeness left, too.
Amy’s poem, “Ode to Stone,” utilizes stones as symbols to describe who she is and how she feels. She‘d rather be stone so she can withstand the sun and ocean. If she is stone, she can remain “intact.”
Chapter 34 Summary: “Tyrone”
While surprised by Amy’s desire to be stone, Tyrone understands the sentiment. In moments of pain and hurt—his father’s funeral, a girlfriend leaving him for a friend—he also felt like he wanted to be stone because he didn’t want to feel pain.
Chapter 27-34 Analysis
Sterling is introduced in this section and is very different from the other students because of his faith. While the other students struggle more with their place in the world and the way their peers perceive them, Sterling’s faith in his religion, family, and church community makes him sure of who he is. Through Sterling, Grimes demonstrates the power of Embracing Racial and Cultural Identities and how a strong, supportive community can provide positive examples for living. Sterling doesn’t mask who he is and is unafraid of being ridiculed. Instead, he learns to “return good for evil” (86). Instead of dwelling on the hurt others cause, Sterling passes on something good—in his confrontation with Leon, the bully, Sterling responds with a hug and kisses on the cheek, paralleling Christian ideas of love and forgiveness rather than turning to violence.
Amy is another new character, though she has been mentioned in other sections. Her classmates note how she never speaks, and thanks to The Power of Art, she finds a way to express herself in Mr. Ward’s class. Her poem is an extended metaphor in which stone represents emotional strength. She references marble, limestone, and granite, building stones that are noted for their strength and beauty, showing that her desire to deaden her emotions is practical, even if it’s not good in the long run. Her poem also contains a biblical allusion to Lot’s wife, who turns into stone because she disobeys God’s command not to look back when fleeing Sodom and Gomorrah. Amy declares “Forget the pillar of salt / I’ll look back at the count of three” (101), reflecting her inability to move on from her grief over her parents’ divorce and distant relationship with her father.
The power of art resonates through Devon and Diondra’s reprises. Showing growth since her first poem, Diondra is exploring new parts of herself and her art. She is less afraid to create and share her creations. While her first poem focused on her insecurity and fear of showing her true self, she ventures to the high dive in her second poem and leaps off, excited for the future’s mystery. Similarly, Devon reads out in the open and dismisses derisive comments, content to be himself and pursue his passion. As these stories develop, Grimes sets in motion multiple trajectories for her characters. Whether it’s family dynamics, personal understanding, or finding connection, the students are tasked with the sometimes heavy though welcome burden of Self-Discovery and Community Building.
There are literary allusions to more contemporary poets in these sections with the inclusion of Amiri Baraka and Pedro Pietri. Amiri Baraka was a Black poet who lived and worked in Greenwich Village for much of his life, working with the Beat poets and participating in the Black Arts Movement. Pedro Pietri was a cofounder of the Nuyorican (New York Puerto Rican) movement and the Nuyorican Poets Café in New York City’s East Village. The inclusion of these poets allows the characters to see in themselves and their work both the past and the future. The students in Mr. Ward’s class are part of a legacy of poetry, place, history, and identity. Pietri’s presence in the narrative is an important link for the text’s many Puerto Rican characters, representing another facet of New York’s diverse literary history. Grimes’s inclusion of allusions also allows for her work to be a part of that legacy and provides an avenue for youth to see themselves as the makers of history.
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By Nikki Grimes
