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Summary Of A Letter To My City By Troy Wiggins

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The article, “A Letter to My City” written by Troy Wiggins for the Memphis Flyer in July of 2017 expands on the issue of the increasing number of deaths of black people in the city of Memphis. Wiggins is a life-long Memphian who is not only concerned with the issue, but also lives in fear of the issue himself. Because Wiggins lives within the city, he is exposed to the white supremacy and police brutality that is taking place in Memphis every day and uses his writing to share his opinions on the matter. Over seventy five percent of the deaths within Memphis (which already has a higher than average death rate) every year are black men. Wiggins writing in “A Letter to My City” effectively uses repetition, compares the issue at hand to millennial trends, and expresses his ideas by using everyday sights for Memphians.
Throughout the article, Wiggins uses repetition to express his concern for Memphis. Memphis is often associated with homicides; the rate increases every year, yet very little is being done about it (The Commercial Appeal). Wiggins shows this concern by repeating “There are dead and dying black people everywhere” (Wiggins). The repetition of this statement really focuses on the main idea that he is trying to …show more content…

Millennials of Memphis are the future of the city and need to care about the things that occur, yet they do not. Wiggins compares his life to avocados and Charleena Lyles’ life to avocado toast. The idea that he has to question “How many avocados is my black life worth?” when in a situation with the police is disappointing (Wiggins) ¾ the city of grit and grind is disappointing. Millennials focus on making their avocado toast and guacamole when there are people that fear for their lives. This comparison between food and an actual human being shows that Memphians value their millennial trends over a human life simply because they feel superior to those

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