"Mr. Z" by M. Carl Holman

"'One of the most distinguished members of his race.'" Line 26

      What a truly remarkable poem. This Mr. Z appears to be a man who refused to be tied down by racial discrimination and insensitivity. He lived his life cautiously, being careful to present himself in a respectable image to all. Even in what he ate and who he kissed, along with who he married, all was planned out. He was compared to an "airborne plant", implying that although the entire society, the world's way of life, was against him, he refused to be kept down and in fact flourished as a man and a character. He was honest and reliable, in that "Not one false note was struck- until he died:" However, the true irony lies in the inscription on his gravestone, "'One of the most distinguished members of his race'". The entire work of Mr. Z's life was to tear down the walls of racial discrimination, and yet even after his remarkable life, his death was overshadowed by that horrible phrase. They classified his life based on his race. This defeated his entire life's mission and goal, showing that even despite radical influences such as this man, the road to equality was a lengthy and difficult one.