A Small Needful Fact Summary & Analysis
by Ross Gay

Question about this poem?
Have a question about this poem?
Have a specific question about this poem?
Have a specific question about this poem?
Have a specific question about this poem?
A LitCharts expert can help.
A LitCharts expert can help.
A LitCharts expert can help.
A LitCharts expert can help.
A LitCharts expert can help.
Ask us
Ask us
Ask a question
Ask a question
Ask a question

"A Small Needful Fact" was written by American poet and professor Ross Gay in response to the death of Eric Garner, a Black man killed by a New York City police officer in 2014. Footage of the incident, which was ruled a homicide, along with a grand jury's decision not to indict the officers involved spurred widespread protests against police brutality, while Garner's last words, "I can't breathe," became an anti-racist rallying cry. Gay's poem alludes to these words as it discusses the "small needful fact" that Garner was once a horticulturist—and that the oxygen-producing plants he nurtured in life may have made it easier for others to "breathe."

Get
Get
LitCharts
Get the entire guide to “A Small Needful Fact” as a printable PDF.
Download