In “Hip Hop Ghazal” Patricia Smith uses sound devices, repetition and slang to emphasize the sensual power and spice of dancing African-American women.
Patricia’s use of sound devices helps to bring character and liveliness to the women mentioned in the poem. As the title states, the poem is a Ghazal, a genre of poetry that has a set number of verses and typically has a repeated rhyme. Most of Ghazals ride on the theme of love, and accompany music. “Hip Hop Ghazal” perfectly embodies that definition. Most of the lines hold 14 syllables, and the topic of women dancing and wooing men can fit in with the theme of love. Patricia also uses many hard consonants like “bassline, cracking backbone”(4) which mimics drum beats. They provide a continuous
