Analysis Of Danez Smith's Dinosaurs In The Hood

The making of movies, or the concept of it, has been around since the beginning of the 18th century. The lens of the camera has captured some of the most beautiful things, but also the most prejudice. Stereotypes of races, ethnicities, and gender have always been around but were widely considered acceptable in the films of that era. Almost as long as there have been people filming, there have been people fighting for equality to be presented on the big screen. Danez Smith is one of these modern fighters in his free verse poem “Dinosaurs in the Hood.” As Smith uses his words to create a poetic trailer for this stereotype-free movie, he tells the story of a young African American boy. Rather than being focused on his color, he focuses on his

Smith goes on in the fourth stanza to say this is the story of minorities that save themselves standing next to the addicts, exiles, and children of slaves. It is the broken people that are the heroes of this story. A shift is noticeable beginning in the fourth stanza because the poem changes from what the poet wants the movie to be to what elements the movie is prohibited to have. Danez Smith claims he does not want a “hmong sexy hot dude” to save the day with “a funny yet strong, commanding black girl buddy-cop” then uses Will Smith and Sofia Vergara as an example. The preceding lines go on to say there will be grandmas taking out Raptors while sitting on her porch and for once a movie will not obsess over violence, race, and status, only normal people doing amazing

Smith says there are no stereotypes of “chicken jokes” in his movie and no more familiar bullets in the hero. Perhaps the most uncommon motive in this movie is “nobody kills the black boy, and nobody kills the black boy and nobody kills the black boy” (Smith, Dinosaurs in the Hood, 32). The repetition of this strong phrase and the poet’s insufficient punctuation creates an energy of passion that speeds up so the reader feels the intensity of the message being portrayed. Lastly, Smith ended this poem by recalling the only reason he wanted to make this movie was for the beginning scene anyway. A young African American boy not bound by stereotypes and whispered worries of who he will be, endless possibilities sparkle in his eyes.
Danez Smith empowers readers and challenges one of society’s oldest issues in “Dinosaurs in the Hood,” a free verse poem about change. Perhaps one day this movie could hit theaters worldwide and alter the lives for children of color everywhere desperately trying to find themselves. Even better, let there be a sequel made challenging the stereotypes of women, LGBTQ, and other minority groups desperately waiting to save the