The speaker is totally plugged into the New York City arts and cultural scene. He also follows the latest global trends, such as experimental French theater and the up-and-coming African literary movements. It's ironic that he would name all of these examples of "high culture" in a poem about a so-called "popular" art form – jazz. The poem seems to make the case that Holiday's work belongs right up there with the big players of world culture.
Questions About Art and Culture
- Does the speaker agree that there is a distinction between high and low culture?
- How is jazz treated differently from other art forms in the poem? How are the speaker's reactions different?
- Would you trust the speaker to give you a good book recommendation? Why or why not?
- Do the artistic allusions in the poem actually mean anything, or are they just coincidental?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
The speaker is a slave to the fads and trends of high culture.