Colour of god
Meaning of words used in the poem (synonyms)
quipped (line 4): remarked, commented, joked
assured (line 6): guaranteed, sure, convinced, ensured
emerald (line 14): a transparent, bright-green precious stone
damask (line 15): deep-pink or rose colour
aquamarine (line 15): a transparent, bluish-green colour Issues the poem raises
1. The poet questions the divisions among believers in God. In some cases, people hide behind religion to destroy others who don’t belong to their sects.
2. Belief in God is not a western concept of religion.
3. Those who think that God can fit into their own narrow mentality should think again.
4. Since God is without colour, why should we divide him into colours to satisfy our own selfish ambition?
Theme
1. Unity, peace, and social cohesion may be achieved if we see God as one.
2. Religious tolerance and the abolition of racism ought to be our goal.
3. All human beings are equal: no matter our race, for God created us all.
Form or structure/style of the poem
The conversational form helps to understand and appreciate the argument among the characters. These characters are inanimate. The poem is a free verse, which means it doesn’t rhyme. It is not broken into stanzas, but is one stanza running throughout. In a way, that symbolizes the closeness of the argument – no breathing space, just like people arguing non-stop over something that interests them. “If you doubt me ask the rainbow!” The mention of rainbow adds colour to the beauty of the poem: there are seven colours of the rainbow, and God is in all the colours:
Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet. Except for Indigo and Violet, the poet had virtually mentioned the rest of rain
bow’s colours.
Diction
Diction refers to the language, expression, and words used by t poet to convey his message. This poem is simple, easy to rea and uses words and phrases that are easy to understand.
Literary devices in the poem
Imagery: The poet uses the image of colours to convey his message. By painting pictures of the various colours, we feel the sense of appreciation. Note the use of colourful imagery in these lines:
Even rose and emerald, yeah,
And damask and aquamarine
If you doubt me ask the rainbow!
Personification: By giving personality to objects such as the colours mentioned, the poet helps us to interact with them. We are told to rainbow (last line) about the colour of God. Note the interesting progression of the various characters and their attitude towards their argument: Rose laughs, Blue vows, Red assures, Green quipped, Black says. These are all examples of personification.
Commentary/analysis
The poet describes the people of the earth and the colours of their skin: white people, black people. They all come from different backgrounds despite the colours of their skin. God created us differently, but no one is greater than the other. Note the wide variety of colours the poet mentions: black, white, blue, damask, aquamarine.
How wrong you are! (line 7) the narrator strongly disagrees with anybody who thinks that God belongs only to their geographical area or race. By addressing the reader “you, he uses the second person narrative and therefore draws in the reader to pay attention. The tone of the poem sounds conversational, as if the contenders are there arguing over how to describe God. Put in drama form, we could have the following dramatic scene:
Black Man: (God) must be black
Green Man: Of course not! He’s got to be green.
Red Man: But that cannot be. He must be red.
Blue Man: How wrong you all are. He sure is blue
Rose (laughing): How silly man is.
Rose (which is a flower with many colours) points out an important factor in the argument. God has no colour and God is all colours. The poem seeks to unify humanity, not to bring about divisions by arguing over something that we
cannot prove. All the colours the poet mentions are found on earth, and God created all these colours, making everything so beautiful.
Why should He be black or white Or green or yellow or even red? Of course He is all these and more Can’t you see? He is Even rose and emerald, yeah, And damask and aquamarine If you doubt me ask the rainbow!
Thus everybody tries to see or “explain” God through eir own ethnic background or belief. No matter how you terpret God, says the poet, “How wrong you all are”!
The poem advises people against racial discrimination, where the colour of people are used against them. But the poet shows how it matters not the colour of one’s skin, but character more important. In the late Martin Luther King Jnr, predicted in his “I have a Dream” speech, that someday people would not be judged by the colour of their skins but by the content of their character.
Without saying so openly, the poet indirectly expresses the existence of God, quite unlike some poets who try to say that there is no God. Besides, God is for all people. not only for one race or the other. God is colourless, so he is raceless
Discussion Questions
For classroom work with your teachers or in a group discussion:
1. What is the major theme of this poem? Support your answer with a line or two from the poem.
2. What argument has the poet given to show that God is colourless?
3. Name two literary devices used Huin the poem and explain them using examples.
4. What role does “Rose” play in the poem? 5. What is the colour of God? Use the arguments from
the poem.
6. What is the structure and form of this poem? 7. What image does the mention of rainbow create?
8. Why is the content of a person’s character more important than the colour of his skin?
Objective Questions
1. According to the poem…
a.
b.
God is black, white, and blue
C.
God is rainbow of many colours God is all colours and more
d.
God has no colour at all 2. Who laughs, saying, “How silly man is”?
a.
b.
Black
Rose
C.
Rainbow
d.
Yellow
3. The most appropriate theme of the poem is …
The equality of all humanity b. Nobody should colour God
a.
C. God cannot be green or yellow d. Rainbow is a beautiful colour
What dominant literary device is in the following
4.
extract from the poem? He sure is blue, vows the blue one
How silly man is, laughs the rose
a.
Simile
b. Metaphor
C.
Personification
d. Imagery
5. Who thinks God’s colour must be green?
a.
The green boy
b. The green woman
The green girl
d.
C. The green man