It's not hard to admire someone who had the courage to stand up for not only her own rights, but for the rights of all African-Americans. And while taking into account what stake the author might have personally in the subject matter can be problematic for many reasons, Dove's admiration for Parks could be intensified because she is also an African-American woman. She is living in the wake of Parks's heroic actions. But to be safe, we can take race and gender out of it, and we can still say that Dove is a person living in the wake of Parks's heroic actions. Just like any of us, Dove feels some serious admiration for one of the bravest women in American history, and rightly gives this hero her props in "Rosa."
Questions About Admiration
- How do you think the speaker shows admiration for Parks?
- Besides the speaker, are there any other people in the poem who seem to be admiring her? If so, who? How can you tell?
- What, if anything, does admiration have to do with courage? Why do you feel that way?
Chew on This
Rita Dove's race and gender has no effect on her admiration for Parks. A white man is equally as capable of feeling the same admiration. Everybody digs (or should dig) on Rosa.
The main purpose of this poem is to admire and celebrate Parks. That's why there is very little factual information, and much more focus on Parks's small (seemingly insignificant, yet super-amazingly important) gestures.