Ishmael Reed

Unlike many of the other authors in our readings, Ishmael Reed expresses skepticism and criticism and for the Black Arts Movement. His biggest qualm with the movement seems to be that it is ‘mono-cultural.’ This sort of criticism is a great expression of the sort of ideals and views that Reed sought to put forth with his writings for the African American Community, challenging it to a more international approach of expression. He often uses parody in an effort to defamiliarize the cultural assumptions that have come to be taken for granted within the community, thereby forcing his readers to question the norms of the time. “Introducing the Black Caligula, who performs a strip tease of the psyche,” Reed writes. This line seems emblematic of precisely what his particular style seeks to accomplish.