Amiri Baraka and Allusion
In his poem “In Memory of Radio,” Amiri Baraka uses allusion to pass criticism on the modern American culture. Baraka mentions several cultural figures, particularly those that could be heard on the radio during the time he was writing his poetry.
The first stanza includes three different radio figures: “Who has ever stopped to think of the divinity of Lamont Cranston? / (Only Jack Kerouac, that I know of: & me. / The rest of you probably had on WCBS and Kate Smith, / Or something equally unattractive” (340). Lamont Cranston is the alter ego of a character called The Shadow, originally created on a radio program of the same name. Later in his poem, Baraka even includes the introductory line from the program: “Heh, heh, heh, / Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows” (340). Importantly, this character had the ability to read the thoughts of other people or control their perception. Just looking at the first stanza of Baraka’s poem, we can see how Baraka sets himself and Kerouac apart from those who listen to “unattractive” programs, such as the news or popular American singers. Like The Shadow, Baraka can pierce the minds of men and see what really lies inside their heads.
The third stanza is particularly striking in that Baraka sharply criticizes those who rely only on outside influences, such as the radio, to form their opinions and perceptions of the world around them. “Am I a sage or something? / Mandrake’s hypnotic gesture of the week? / (Remember, I do not have the healing powers of Oral Roberts… / I cannot, like F. J. Sheen, tell you how to get saved & rich! / I cannot even order you to gaschamber satori like Hitler or / Goody Knight” (340). What I’m most interested in with this stanza is Baraka’s mentions of televangelists. It’s significant that he lumps them in with figures such as Hitler and Mandrake, a magician. These corrective allusions create negative associations in the minds of readers. The things that Oral Roberts and F. J. Sheen preach are merely illusions, no more than magic tricks. This is expanded on when Baraka writes, “& Love is an evil word.” The Americans that listen to the people and programs that Baraka has alluded to cannot think for themselves–they would let themselves be ordered to gas chambers if an influential figure told them to start marching. And the “love” that preachers and bishops on the radio talk about can be weaponized. The “love” that Christianity is rooted in can be tweaked or completely redefined by human beings with ill intentions, and that is why it is an evil word.
Baraka, Amiri. “In Memory of Radio.” The Portable Beat Reader, edited by Ann Charters, Penguin Books, 1992, pp. 340–341.
Wikipedia contributors. (2023, March 6). The Shadow. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shadow
