Wanda Why Aren't You Dead

The poem “Wanda Why Aren’t You Dead” conveys a general picture about a black woman called Wanda. This picture is further colored with the analysis of sound, speaker and diction. With these elements, I was able to appreciate her character and empathize with her situation.

The overall poem has a derogatory tone and can be noticed through the repetition of “wanda” at the beginning of most sentences. Furthermore, there are many question words such as “when”, “why”, “how”, “what”. Both the repetition of “wanda” and these question words creates a nagging sound. One can imagine being pestered by all these judgmental comments. These are comments because there are no question marks which further emphasizes the disapproving sound of the speaker. The repetition of the phrase “wanda why are you so angry” supports the critical judgments made to wanda which in turn supports the derogatory tone. However, repetitions of many of the same words suggest a weakness in the character. The stammer of “I’m sorry I didn’t remember that that that that that that was so important you” reveals a flaw in the speaker and alters the tone of the poem completely to a more uneasy tone. It then ends with a calm tone: “why ain’t you dead”. This reveals a certain aspect about the poem or rather, now understanding the sound throughout the poem, it could be understood to be a rant or imitation of someone with a defeated purpose as observed in the end. 

At first, it can be easily concluded that the speaker is perhaps Wanda’s boyfriend because someone is addressing her in the beginning of nearly every line. However, with the new knowledge that this poem is a rant, it can be concluded that perhaps the speaker is Wanda herself; the inner corrupted Wanda hater. This prediction can be supported with the absence of question marks. There are no question marks yet the poem comprises of many questions; the reason to this could be that Wanda already knows the answers to these questions. The inconsistent anger portrayed throughout this rant conveys to readers that Wanda is very self-conscious about her image and position in society. We can also understand that she is very defensive through the line: “wanda you’re ALWAYS on the attack”. The capitalized “ALWAYS” emphasizes her resistance. 

The diction that Coleman uses not only is the source of the derogatory tone but also allows readers to understand Wanda much better. The language used portrays her low social status: “why ain’t you rich”. The word “ain’t” and the grammar in that sentence clearly shows her low education. Moreover, words like “hell hole” which is an example of an alliteration exaggerates her poor living condition. The repeated phrase of “tell me” suggests that Wanda has insecurities and is controlled by her inner corrupted self. Lastly, the critical comments mentioned throughout the poem like “how come your feet are so goddamn big” and “wanda, that’s a whore’s name” confirms the immense negativity she puts upon herself. 

Overall, Coleman’s poem uses sound, speaker and diction to convey the situation of a black woman. Most of the poem is spoken through a derogatory tone yet ends with a defeated one. This is expressed through the last line: “why ain’t you dead” suggesting that her obsession over her flaws is her tragic flaw that leads to her death.