The first few pages of the introduction already told my that this anthology is going to make me think critically. In the two pages the author uses a metaphor to compare trees and the authors; each being their own distinct species in their respective forest. Originally in my personal close reading pondered if the authors were grouped in a specific way; it wasn’t until we discussed it in our groups that I found out each forest represents a timeframe for which the aforementioned authors existed. Rita Dove knows that by writing this anthology that she was attempting aa task that was near impossible to complete, and it wasn’t because of just the work load. R. Dove also understands that some literary work has to be left out because of her lack of monetary capital.  Rita reinforces that the civil war is still affecting society because racism is being passed down from the survivors and individuals who were alive during that time. While reading I found it intriguing to see how the environment influenced each author differently and how it showed in their work.  The majority of the poets that laid the framework for modern poetry were born in different decades for the most part. Looking into that further it was mostly white men using white patriarchy to their advantage. I think we may have had a different foundation for American poetry if women, specifically black, were able to have just a little time in the spotlight in the earlier days of poetry.  Is it the individual that makes the style of the work, do authors follow a format and make it their own, or is everyone’s style unique because each individual is unique? Is Wallace Stevens saying that the poet speaks what’s on people mind, and that’s why people may relate but get different meanings? What is reality if it isn’t truth? Are we living a lie? It seems like Stevens lived in the moment instead of planning everything like society makes us do. The “image” is more complex than we make it seem; it doesn’t consist of one idea or concept. Ezra Pound also made me realize that our new era has changed the way we believe things. Mass communication really brought a new era of information in; its easier to fact check everyone. The only way we know what we want is if we say it aloud and write it down. What creates speech patterns and what does it say about that person’s character and background? Cummings seems to like the chaos that nature authentically gives off, including interactions in the moment. Are humans naturally self – centered? Is poetry and arts the key to dismantling white patriarchy? I hate that women always have to “ride in the back seat’ when it comes to anything involving power. Europeans have really infected the African American community with a toxic mindset that needs to be dismantled. Until there is equality in sex, we will never see equality in race. The “negro” isn’t operating at their best because we are using a European worldview to operate our lives. I wish the black community as a whole could look to our ancestors and be inspired. It’s sad that war and conflict creates the conditions to unify the African – American community. It seems that the second world war really messed with the collective consciousness of the poets in that era. The Black arts movement was began a progressive era for African Americans. Baraka seems to have been shining the bat symbol for blacks across the nation. This era seemed like the most progressive for African Americans. “African American poets now we’re not only describing and reflecting upon the peculiarities of their place at America’s table – they were upturning the benches and walking off to eat by themselves.” I like the metaphor used here; it shows African Americans’ rage and proactiveness in the era.The African American poets during this time seemed have been making poems for only other African Americans to read; they used slang only found in our neighborhoods. as blacks progressed white seemed to have tried to infiltrate the African American community. I believe sometimes we are too cautious and that we cannot let our white counterparts raise suspicion where it is not needed; it causes unnecessary division.