The poem “The Liar” by Amiri Baraka, is a complex, elaborate, and confusing poem full of puzzling words. The title immediately caught my attention warning me of the distrust that will unravel. The layout of the sentences adds to the theme of distrust as the words occupy the left side of the page, but as the poem unravels, it takes space on the right side of the page until it decides to lay in the middle. Analyzing this layout makes me conclude that even though the turbulence of “the liar” is deviated to the left, ultimately the sentences should fixate to the middle, staying safe from the liar because in the middle, the common ground does not conclude anything-there is no right or wrong so therefore there can not be a lie.
Rereading this poem numerous times, I conclude that the speaker has to be Amiri warning the inquisitive audience about the liar. There are constant contrasts and conflicts throughout the entire poem. Yet none of these questions or inquiries are answered. Instead, the suspense just keeps building like a never-ending mystery. Moreover, Amiri never says who “they” are in this poem. I think the “they” are liars. The tone is bewildered as Amiri explains how the liar threatens him with “fear” and is “hideous” and even “erases familiarity” from his face. Consequently, informing the reader about the liar takes Amiri through so many twists and turns that as the reader, I feel like I am on a rollercoaster.
There is vivid imagery interwoven in this poem that I had to carefully dissect and decipher. Interestingly, the most stunning imagery is the shadow of a tree, and this imagery starts with an open bracket that never closes. I imagine this tree as a wicked, angry tree full of twisted branches, no leaves, no fruit, as its shadow of crooked branches and roots wraps around this unknown chair. I do not know why a chair is by the tree but I conclude that this is the chair is the throne of a king.The tree has a shadow that is “winding around a chair”, yet shadows do not wind like that, they are linear, and I find it peculiar that this tree can place its shadow around the perimeter of a chair. In addition to the imagery are numerous metaphors, like the “frozen birds rattling” that sound bizarre because the birds are frozen. So how are they also moving since if the birds are genuinely frozen in their bodies, then they are dead and dead birds do not make any noise. I hypothesize the birds are frozen because they are stuck, they can not fly, and they can only be heard. I concluded that this is because a lie can be heard, but a lie does not give the birds freedom. Instead, it strips away their power and forces the birds to freeze and only speak what is rattling noises because rattles are not clear; it is just noise, not words.
As I kept rereading this poem, I recognized more paradoxes and contrasts embedded in vivid imagery and strong metaphors. This poem seems to have both a superficial meaning and a deep inner meaning with each stanza. I noticed discussion about the supernatural when the poem talks about body or flesh and “the spirit” hiding inside. I also recognized the paradox between “comforts of the body” being “hideous”. Reading birth as being “loud” seems to imply that Amiri is crying to the world at birth. I noticed the paradox of how Amiri claims that he “predicted them” which does not make sense because as humans we can not predict the future. I conclude that he is referring to his life being thrown into the wrath of a lie.
Interestingly, I noticed a focus on religion. The Bible represents religion and is often the polar opposite of greed and money, so putting the Bible in this poem is confusing. While the Bible is a Book of God, how can the “chanting” possibly “erase his face” because when people read the Book, they are Blessed, not cursed. I concluded that a lie is where the effects of the Bible do not exist because the Book of truth can not talk about a lie so if Amiri has a face built by the lies of society, it will take the hymns of the Bible to erase these falsifications off his face.
Moreover, Amiri never says what “the answer” is when he mentions the word answer because this poem is about what is a lie and there are never clear answers with lies, only confusion and chaos. Also I think it is time that is “counting” the minutes and warning Amiri he is closer to death. Who is “Roi”? I know “Roi” stands for King in French, so Amiri talks about how the king is dead. This makes sense if the king is greedy, a king who makes others’ lives miserable for his own gains, and thus the king’s life is a lie. However, Roi is also similar to his former name LeRoi Jones. The only thing this king could be is either Amiri reaching death or the death of the liar. However, if Amiri is the king who dies, then is it not Amiri who is the liar? Does this mean that the twists and contradictions are the same contradictions that place Amiri into the category of not being truthful, but rather the consequences of living the life of a lie? I understood that this poem is the turbulence of Amiri’s life living a lie, through the use of metaphors, imagery and religion.
Hi Adam. First of all, very interesting choice for a poem. On my first read, I was very confused as to not only what the poem was talking about, but the way in which it was structured, so that fact that you answered that in the very first few lines was very helpful for me. I really like the interpretation of “unraveling” the truth and meaning as the poem continues, but I also feel like the “lie” that gets discussed in the poem gets more convoluted as the poem goes on, so the unraveling structure could also perhaps indicate that the truth gets more spread out and nonlinear. I also really like your focus on the religion of the whole thing. I think that another path that the poem could have taken beyond what you have analyzed and interpreted with the dead king is perhaps that the king means Jesus or God, as you mentioned with the throne being barren and empty, perhaps this poem is a critique or a personal view expressed by the speaker about the nature of religion and Christianity. But I also really like the idea of frozen birds and how the lie being told strips life of its freedom. Overall, great poem and analysis.
Hey Adam, very intriguing post. Immediately, your choice of poem caught me off guard, with is unorthodox structure and seemingly ambiguous statements. But you went through its breakdown very well and simplified it in an understanding way. I found your interpretation of the tree quite interesting, as you dove beyond the hints and clues planted by the poet and assumed what its appearance could potentially be in the context of the poem’s themes. On a different note, I completely agree with your analysis on te significance of this barren chair in relation to “Roi”, as a bare and decaying throne for a sort of false king makes sense to me in relation to the meaning of the piece, with the king’s life essentially being a lie, as his supposed greediness killed any grandness or royalty a king should be entitled to, leading to the death of “Roi” and any respect, displayed by this “wicked” tree and deserted throne. Additionally, I liked your conclusion regarding the meaning of the poem’s structure. I agree with it, as its buildup seems to become more sporadic in nature, jumping from left to right, but ultimately settling on the middle in the last stanza, signifying a sort of understanding or as you said, “common ground”, describing a place immune from the liar. But overall, very interesting selection and great analysis!
Hi Adam, I found the poem you chose very interesting. I didn’t really see the title when I first saw the poem, so it didn’t catch my attention as it did for you. However, when reading the poem, I noticed how the text was slowly shifting to the right, and then suddenly going back to the left. It seemed like the poem had a mind of its own, going in a random direction until the poet or speaker set it back in place. Honestly, that kind of reminded me of a typewriter, in which you move to the right when you type, but then instantly go to the left when going to the next line. I was also confused about what “Roi” was, but after reading your blog, I got a bit more information on it. Perhaps the poem has something to do with a king facing his anxieties. First off, I hadn’t yet concluded that Amiri was the speaker, but that also helps your analysis on how his old name ties in. Overall, I think you did a great job analyzing the poem using poetic techniques, and I liked how you emphasized the connection to the Bible, and the significance of the imagery of the tree’s shadow.