Mr. Z by M. Carl Holman

M. Carl Holman's Mr. Z tells of a biracial man who shuns his heritage. The speaker first implies that Mr. Z is a minority, stating "his mother's skin was the sign of error" (Holman). He continues to allude to Mr. Z's ethnicity, and his reluctance to accept it. He states Mr. Z disowns classic African American culture, such as jazz and a diet of yams and cornbread. When Mr. Z marries a women who shuns her Jewish heritage, he uses a metaphor, calling them both chameleons for integrating themselves in a different culture.

The last paragraph of the poem displays amazing irony. When Mr. Z dies many people called him "One of the most distinguished members of his race" (Holman). I found this terribly ironic, because instead of mentioning his exemplary education, diet, or marriage, they instead merely commented on his race. Mr. Z worked all his life to expel himself from the African-American culture, but at the end of his life, that is still all people saw. However, I do not believe the author was rebuking Mr. Z for his tireless attempt to change himself. Rather, I believe the author is rebuking a society that encourages people to shun their ethnicity in favor of the majority.