Bronx Masquerade: Student Stories & Poems
Bronx Masquerade: A Story of Self-Discovery Through Poetry
Bronx Masquerade, by author Nikki Grimes, tells the story of a group of high school students in an English class.
Their teacher, Mr. Ward, is teaching them about the Harlem Renaissance. To put what they are studying into practice, he assigns them an essay. One student, Wesley Boone, known as the “bad boy,” asks if, instead of writing an essay, he can write a poem. When he completes his poem, Mr. Ward asks him to read it aloud to the class. This inspires other students to also write poems, leading to the creation of “Open Mike Fridays.” One student in particular, Tyrone, is very excited about this activity because he aspires to be a rapper and songwriter.
Unveiling Personal Lives Through Poetry
The book reveals a little of the life of each student and their poem:
- Lupe expresses feeling lonely and wants to have a baby to love.
- Gloria, a young mother, enjoys motherhood but admits she is very young.
- Janelle shares her insecurity about her weight and how she is bullied.
- Steve dreams of working in Hollywood.
- Porscha is angry because her mother died of a drug overdose.
- Leslie’s mother died of cancer, leading her and Porscha to become friends.
Through this activity, Tyrone gradually gets to know his classmates better, as he realized he knew very little about them.
At the end of the book, an article is published in the school newspaper about this activity, and poems are read aloud at an assembly in front of the entire school.
From Classroom Activity to School-Wide Event
In conclusion, what started as a simple activity became an opportunity for students to share their stories and get to know each other. They realize they are not so different after all, and all care equally about their futures. The book is organized so that each student shares a bit about themselves, followed by their poem, and then Tyrone’s thoughts. This pattern is repeated for each student.
Initially, the students have minimal interaction and do not know each other well. Thanks to the activity, they are able to connect and learn more about each other.
Personally, I didn’t fully enjoy the book because it felt repetitive to me. Some students’ stories were interesting, but many were not. That’s my opinion because I prefer action or romance books. However, I found the author’s intention and the final lesson interesting.
Character Development and Importance
All the characters have the same importance, as they are all students in a class sharing personal experiences. However, we can distinguish Tyrone as the main character for his personal growth and hearing all his opinions. Then, the rest of the students and Mr. Ward, the teacher, can be considered secondary characters.
Story Structure: Introduction, Climax, and Resolution
The introduction of the book would be when Wesley Boone and Tyrone speak, explaining what they are studying and what “Open Mike Fridays” are. The climax of the book would be when all the students come forward, share their experiences, and recite their poems. Finally, the resolution is when they mention that at the end of the book, an article was written in the newspaper about this activity, and poems were read aloud at an assembly in front of the entire school.