Abstract

Hossain dissects an anthology written by Alexis Gumbs, named “Dub: Finding Ceremony”. She makes a connection between the animals and speakers in the poems with black women finding their identity and honoring ancestry. She explores the environmental theme portrayed within the collection and finds similarities with the Ghibli film, Princess Mononoke. 

The Piece: Gods

Writer, professor, and activist Alexis Gumbs, in her book Dub Finding Ceremony, published in 2020 by the Duke University Press, discusses ideas of self-healing, identity, and persecution. Though the poems Commitment, Opening, and Instructions all share ideas of reforming yourself by disposing of societal conceptions, finding a connection in nature to find answers, and seeing the perspectives of black people, they approach the topic differently by discussing issues like mental health and environmentalism. This difference is significant because it shows the author’s intentions of what they want the reader to experience. 

The poem, “Opening”, describes the action of gathering the ones that live in you and are a part of you, sometimes recognizable and sometimes not, arguing that these beings, our ancestors, unravel us and are evidence of our history. She supports this claim by using rhyme (“gather the thread. collect your dead”), repetition of “tell them”, and diction (e.g. “unclaimed fathers”) that implies lost family. Using a demanding tone, she wants us to understand the importance of our ancestry, that they are our identity. We wouldn’t understand what freedom is without it. One of Gumbs’ ancestors are the Shinecock natives. The article “The Original Long Islanders Fight to Save their Land from a Rising Sea” by Somini Sengupta and Shola Lawal, published in 202, talks about the perils of climate change causing sea levels to rise, further eroding the land of the Shinnecock Nation in Southampton, New York. Some of  the discussed topics are what the beach looked like in the past through the firsthand experiences of the Shinnecock, current projects that approach the issue with natural solutions, and the success of such projects giving life to the beach. Like what the natives have always believed in and had a deep understanding of, Gumbs wants to use nature as a safe space to find answers.

Another poem in the collection, “Commitment”, describes the relationship between the speaker and audience, the speaker making promises for the purpose of your own benefit. This is asserted by the repetition of the speaker saying “we promise”, the subject matter of ‘commitment’, and the lighthearted mood of supportiveness. Gumbs’ purpose is to make you feel that you’re not alone, even if the commitment isn’t mutual. The tone of the poem is inviting, as if it’s from a companion. The speaker of the poems remains consistent as she uses voices from her/our ancestors, the ones who are spiritually close to us, as she navigates the topic of healing and healthy mechanisms.      

Lastly, the poem “Instructions” asks the reader to disassociate themself from normal life on land and connect with oceanic life through use of literary devices such as imagery of shells and symbolism of whales, the assertion being that connection with our living and nonliving counterparts gives us knowledge and understanding. But throughout this harmony between the animals and speaker(s), there’s a symbiotic relationship. She describes turtles to be creatures that humans exploit, that the “armor” they have is taken from them and used as a resource. The whales can be perceived to be not just guardians and companions but presumably gods. They taught humanity of evolution and have an existence greater than manmade innovations: “they breathed sometimes bigger than the boats” (Gumbs, line 14). This symbolism of whales (particularly, the personification of their singing) is used to represent black women, that they’ve always been using their voices to get acknowledgment of their existence. Many of their practices are culturally significant in today’s society, particularly in the west and their impact on pop culture. However, the treatment of each is different; although whales get exploited just like most non-humans, they’re loved and seen as nonviolent creatures of the sea. But black women aren’t viewed as such even though they take part in constructing and directly influence the world we live in. We take from them and discredit them. The speaker is giving voice to their story, to state that they’ve always been there like the whales and corals in the poem.

The film “Princess Mononoke” shows the perspectives of two parties: the “gods” living in the forest and the humans that have their own economic warfare going on. After the Iron Town people try to take over the land for their economic benefit by killing the forest spirit, they realize they can’t win because the forest spirit will take away their land until it gets back what was stolen from it. Themes of environmentalism were portrayed, similar to Instructions. While the film focused on preserving the environment, the poem made you think in a perspective that’s connected to nature, that you needed to imagine yourself in this setting in order to do what the author instructed. 

The three poems in Dub: Finding Ceremony share ideas of rebuilding yourself, finding a connection in nature to find answers, and seeing the perspectives of black people. They approach the topic differently by discussing underlying issues in society. Gumbs writes this collection to discuss the discovery and pride in her heritage/ancestry, the newfound freedom she links it with. Although the speakers of the poems are all ambiguous and anonymous, it can be assumed that she is using the voice of her ancestors to honor them and reach the hearts of other black women. 

Revision of the Piece

Writer, professor, and activist Alexis Gumbs, in her book Dub Finding Ceremony, published in 2020 by the Duke University Press, discusses ideas of self-healing, identity, and persecution. The poems Commitment, Opening, and Instructions all share ideas of reforming yourself by disposing of societal misconceptions, finding a connection in nature to find answers, and seeing the perspectives of black people. Each one, however, approaches the topic differently by discussing issues like mental health and environmentalism, which allows the reader to consider the importance of heritage, healthy lifestyles, and connection to the environment in their own life.

The poem, “Opening”, describes the action of gathering the ones that live in you and are a part of you, sometimes recognizable and sometimes not, arguing that these beings, our ancestors, unravel us and are evidence of our history. She supports this claim by using rhyme (“gather the thread. collect your dead”), repetition of “tell them”, and diction (e.g. “unclaimed fathers”) that implies lost family. Using a demanding tone, she wants us to understand the importance of our ancestry, that they are our identity. We wouldn’t understand what freedom is without it. One of Gumbs’ ancestors is the Shinnecock natives. The article “The Original Long Islanders Fight to Save their Land from a Rising Sea” by Somini Sengupta and Shola Lawal, published in 202, talks about the perils of climate change causing sea levels to rise, further eroding the land of the Shinnecock Nation in Southampton, New York. Some of the discussed topics are what the beach looked like in the past through the firsthand experiences of the Shinnecock, current projects that approach the issue with natural solutions, and the success of such projects giving life to the beach. Like what the natives have always believed in and had a deep understanding of, Gumbs wants to use nature as a safe space to find answers.

Another poem in the collection, “Commitment”, describes the relationship between the speaker and audience, the speaker making promises for your benefit. This is asserted by the repetition of the speaker saying “we promise”, the subject matter of ‘commitment’, and the lighthearted mood of supportiveness. Gumbs’ purpose is to make you feel that you’re not alone, even if the commitment isn’t mutual. The tone of the poem is inviting as if it’s from a companion. The speaker of the poems remains consistent as she uses voices from our common ancestors, the ones who are spiritually close to us, as she navigates the topic of healing and healthy mechanisms. Sometimes we rely on the people who lived longer than us, searching for their wisdom and advice. We have trust in them because they are most likely family, or at least people who have no ulterior motives. They don’t have the foolishness and immaturity as we do. Gumbs wants us to imagine getting this affirmation from someone similar.     

Lastly, the poem “Instructions” asks the reader to disassociate themself from normal life on land and connect with oceanic life through the use of literary devices such as imagery of shells and symbolism of whales, the assertion being that connection with our living and nonliving counterparts gives us knowledge and understanding. But throughout this harmony between the animals and speaker(s), there’s a symbiotic relationship. She describes turtles to be creatures that humans exploit, that the “armor” they have is taken from them and used as a resource. The whales can be perceived to be not just guardians and companions but presumably gods. They taught humanity about evolution and have an existence greater than manmade innovations: “they breathed sometimes bigger than the boats” (Gumbs, line 14). This symbolism of whales (particularly, the personification of their singing) is used to represent black women, that they’ve always been using their voices to get acknowledgment of their existence. Many of their practices are culturally significant in today’s society, particularly in the West and their impact on pop culture. However, the treatment of each is different; although whales get exploited just like most non-humans, they’re loved and seen as nonviolent creatures of the sea. But black women aren’t viewed as such even though they take part in constructing and directly influencing the world we live in. We take from them and discredit them. The speaker is giving voice to their story, by stating that they’ve always been there like the whales and corals in the poem.

The film “Princess Mononoke” shows the perspectives of two parties: the “gods” living in the forest and the humans who have their economic warfare going on. After the Iron Town people try to take over the land for their economic benefit by killing the forest spirit, they realize they can’t win because the forest spirit will take away their land until it gets back what was stolen from it. Themes of environmentalism were portrayed, similar to Instructions. While the film focused on preserving the environment, the poem made you think in a perspective that’s connected to nature, that you needed to imagine yourself in this setting to do what the author instructed. 

The three poems in Dub: Finding Ceremony share ideas of rebuilding yourself, finding a connection in nature to find answers, and seeing the perspectives of black people. They approach the topic differently by discussing underlying issues in society. Gumbs writes this collection to discuss the discovery and pride in her heritage/ancestry and the newfound freedom she links it with. Although the speakers of the poems are all ambiguous and anonymous, it can be assumed that she is using the voices of her ancestors to honor them and reach the hearts of other black women.

Works Cited

Gumbs, Alexis Pauline. “Opening.” Dub: Finding Ceremony, Duke University Press, Durham, 2020. 

Gumbs, Alexis Pauline. “Instructions.” Dub: Finding Ceremony, Duke University Press, Durham, 2020. 

Gumbs, Alexis Pauline. “Request.” Dub: Finding Ceremony, Duke University Press, Durham, 2020. 

Gumbs, Alexis Pauline. “A Note.” Dub: Finding Ceremony, Duke University Press, Durham, 2020. 

Lawal, Shola. “The Original Long Islanders Fight to Save Their Land From a Rising Sea (Published 2020).” The New York Times, 22 April 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/05/climate/shinnecock-long-island-climate.html. Accessed 3 October 2023.

Miyazaki, Hayao, director. La Princesa Mononoke = Princess Mononoke Película: Vol.4. Studio Ghibli, 1997.