The Full Text of “This Is Not a Small Voice”
The Full Text of “This Is Not a Small Voice”
-
“This Is Not a Small Voice” Introduction
-
"This Is Not a Small Voice" is a poem by writer and activist Sonia Sanchez, published in her 1995 collection Wounded in the House of a Friend. The poem celebrates the power of Black individuals and communities, whose collective "voice" is like a sweeping "river" spreading love, healing, and creative "Genius." In addition to recognizing Black resilience in the face of oppression, the speaker also praises Black talent, ambition, and generosity of spirit.
-
-
“This Is Not a Small Voice” Summary
-
The speaker says that the collective voice you hear rising up out of our cities isn't some soft, quiet sound, but rather something loud and powerful. This voice belongs to people like LaTanya, Kadesha, Shaniqua, Antoine, Darryl, and Shaquille. This voice moves like a strong river, rushing through the school corridors and bursting into every nook and cranny of our cities. And this river of voices is doing more than just spilling out words of remembrance for the dead.
Black love isn't something minor or marginal; it's a big, intense love filled with passionate desire both to kiss and to learn. This love, the speaker says, makes hands and feet touch, nurtures, and perceives the surface it moves across. It heals children and tucks them into a shared past, where they celebrate more than just the body, where they ingest the skeleton of the alphabet and cough up any part of it that doesn't serve them. This love, the speaker continues, is made of both strong metal and beautifully delicate fabric. The name of this love is Black Genius.
The speaker reiterates: the voice you're hearing isn't soft, quiet, or trivial.
-
-
“This Is Not a Small Voice” Themes
-
The Power and Beauty of Black People
“This Is Not a Small Voice” celebrates Black voices and Black communities. Rejoicing in Black pleasure, talent, and success, the poem’s speaker makes it known that, despite the racism and oppression they’ve faced, Black people have a unique strength and beauty—and those qualities are built on a foundation of love and collaboration.
Black communities, the speaker declares, aren’t just a “small voice” in a crowd but a powerful chorus. Being Black, the speaker suggests, means feeling like part of a tight-knit, affectionate, and proud community. The poem’s references to “our schools” and “our cities” indicate that Black strength is built on solidarity and mutual support. That support becomes even clearer when the speaker lists the names of individual community members. Some of those names carry particular associations (“Shaquille,” for instance, calls to mind the basketball star Shaquille O’Neal, whose success boosted the name's popularity), and all are names associated with Black American communities at the time the poet was writing. In this way, the poem implies that every Black person forms an important part of their community, and every one is part of a strong collective “voice.”
The power of this collective Black voice, the poem goes on to suggest, stems from a legacy of love and connection. The speaker says that Black people’s “passion for kissing” and “learning” is evidence of their love for each other, as is their commitment to “nourish[ing]” and “mending” their children, and “fold[ing]” those children “inside [their] history.” In other words, Black people nurture each other out of a deep sense of community and a desire to help each other succeed. Their voice is strong because their love is.
Black love, the speaker concludes, is “colored with iron and lace,” suggesting that it consists of both strength and beauty, persistence and grace. In this way, the poem argues that Black people aren’t just defined by what they’ve survived (or haven’t survived)—nor does their "voice" convey only the “epitaphs” of those they’ve lost to racist violence and oppression. Instead, they’re part of a community that takes its identity from beauty, talent, aspiration, joy, and love. These are all aspects of “Black Genius,” the brilliant spark that makes Black communities what they are.
Where this theme appears in the poem:- Lines 1-27
-
-
Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “This Is Not a Small Voice”
-
Lines 1-3
This is not ...
... of these cities.The poem begins by contrasting two ideas (in an example of antithesis):
This is not a small voice
you hear this is a large
voice coming out of these cities."These cities" doesn't specify a setting. However, the subsequent lines (containing names associated with Black American communities at the time the poet was writing), as well as the poet's history of affiliation with the Black Arts movement, strongly suggest a focus on Black populations within American cities. The parallel statements "This is not a small voice" and "this is a large / voice" imply that, while individual Black voices are often silenced or ignored, Black communities as a whole make themselves powerfully heard.
The caesura created by the gap in line 2 (between "hear" and "this") is less subtle than the pause that would exist after a comma or even a period. It compels the reader to actually consider that empty space, to listen to the voice the speaker is describing. And by pushing "you hear" to the second line and isolating it with a visual gap, the poem almost demands that the reader "hear" (i.e., acknowledge the "voice coming out of these cities"). In fact, "you hear" is sometimes used colloquially to emphasize something one has just said. In all these ways, the speaker drives home the point that this collective "voice" is not to be ignored.
-
Lines 4-7
This is the ...
... Darryl. Shaquille. -
Lines 8-12
Running over waters ...
... their river mouths. -
Lines 13-16
This is not ...
... on its face. -
Lines 17-19
This is a ...
... mends the children, -
Lines 20-23
folds them inside ...
... out closed vowels. -
Lines 24-27
This is a ...
... you hear.
-
-
“This Is Not a Small Voice” Symbols
-
The River
Lines 8-12 use a river to symbolize the powerful, collective "voice" of Black communities.
In the speaker's description, these "Running over" (or overflowing) "waters" pass through the schools where Black children learn and into the farthest "corners" of the cities where they live. This suggests that the voice coming out of these communities is unstoppable; like a river connecting the disparate places it passes through, this unified voice is made of countless incredible individuals from all over, each of them contributing to a powerful flow that's only gaining strength.
The speaker also says that "no epitaphs spill out of their river mouths." A "river mouth" is the part of the river that opens into the sea or some other large, open body of water. By describing the mouths of Black people as "river mouths," the speaker suggests that the collective voice of Black people is moving towards something bigger and better; it's building a future marked by joy and success rather than sorrow and mourning.
Where this symbol appears in the poem:- Lines 8-12: “Running over waters / navigating the hallways / of our schools spilling out / on the corners of our cities and / no epitaphs spill out of their river mouths.”
-
-
“This Is Not a Small Voice” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
-
Parallelism
The poem uses a lot of parallelism (and, more specifically, anaphora) to build rhythm and momentum and also to draw attention to certain ideas.
Take a look at the first stanza. First of all, there's anaphora with the repetition of "This is" and "This is the voice of":
This is not a small voice
you hear this is a large
voice coming out of these cities.
This is the voice of LaTanya.
Kadesha. Shaniqua. This
is the voice of Antoine.These repetitions are bold and insistent, much like the collective voice the speaker is describing. They also add a noticeable rhythm to the poem, giving it musicality and momentum, much like the powerful river the speaker uses to symbolize the voice of Black communities in lines 8-12 ("Running over waters [...] their river mouths.") The anaphora in lines 17, 24, and 25 ("This is a love") is again insistent, impressing upon the reader the importance that love plays in Black communities.
Parallelism can also draw attention to the connection (or contrast) between images and ideas. Take the phrase "This is not a small voice" vs. "this is a large voice." This is an example of antithesis, and the parallel structure of these two phrases adds emphasis to the speaker's point: that this voice is decidedly not soft and quiet, but rather loud and bold.
Meanwhile, the parallelism of the phrase "This is not a small love / you hear" at the beginning of stanza 2, which mirrors the lines "This is not a small voice / you hear" at the beginnings of stanzas 1 and 3, suggests that the "voice" and "love" of Black communities are inextricably intertwined.
Where parallelism appears in the poem:- Line 1: “This is not a small voice”
- Line 2: “you hear ,” “this is”
- Lines 2-3: “ a large / voice”
- Line 4: “This is the voice of”
- Lines 4-7: “ LaTanya. / Kadesha. Shaniqua. This / is the voice of Antoine. / Darryl. Shaquille.”
- Line 13: “This is not a small love”
- Line 14: “you hear,” “this is a”
- Lines 14-15: “ large / love”
- Line 17: “This is a love”
- Line 24: “This is a love”
- Line 25: “This is a love”
- Line 26: “This is not a small voice”
- Line 27: “you hear.”
-
Enjambment
-
Caesura
-
Allusion
-
Imagery
-
Metaphor
-
Asyndeton
-
-
"This Is Not a Small Voice" Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- Navigating
- Epitaphs
- Closed vowels
-
(Location in poem: Line 9: “navigating the hallways”)
Traveling carefully; negotiating.
-
Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “This Is Not a Small Voice”
-
Form
The poem is made up of three stanzas of varying lengths. Like many contemporary poems, it doesn't take a traditional form and instead moves more organically and freely.
Visually, the poem undulates between shorter and longer lines. The second stanza is generally quite a bit wider than the first; the movement from narrow lines in the first stanza to the more swollen second stanza echoes some of the poem's metaphors. For instance, the speaker's description of Black peoples' "river mouths" in line 12 and their "spit[ting] out closed vowels" in line 23 both suggest a widening of the mouth that correlates with the "large" voice the speaker is describing. The poem's widening form is thus another, subtle way of evoking the immensity of this collective voice.
-
Meter
The poem is written in free verse and therefore doesn't stick to any regular metrical pattern. Instead, lines vary in length, and, as a result, the poem's rhythm feels more intimate conversational.
While most contemporary poetry tends to be written in free verse, it's worth noting the specific reasons free verse feels like an appropriate choice here. This particular poem is celebrating the rise of a "voice" that has been historically silenced. It alludes to the fact that Black people have historically been spoken over or spoken on behalf of rather than given the chance to speak for themselves. The poem's lack of traditional meter might subtly suggest that the rules and conventions of the past no longer apply; just as the poem is free to take whatever shape and rhythm it pleases, so too are Black people making themselves heard in ways that feel authentic to who they are.
-
Rhyme Scheme
The poem doesn't use a regular rhyme scheme. This lack of rhyme scheme adds to the poem's direct and conversational tone. It also helps the poem feel more authentic and intimate—unadorned with rhymes that might feel too cutesy or strict. The directness of the poem's language speaks to the intensity and urgency of the message "coming out of these cities."
-
-
“This Is Not a Small Voice” Speaker
-
The speaker of this poem identifies as part of the collective Black "voice" being described. They see themselves reflected in the talent and ambition of other Black people, as well as in the shared "history" of Black communities Most importantly, the speaker feels the same "love" felt by other Black people, a "love colored with iron and lace"—in other words, a love that is not only strong and resilient but also intricate and beautiful.
The speaker of this poem doesn't need to be interpreted as the poet herself, though it's certainly inspired by Sanchez's own experiences as a Black activist and professor.
-
-
“This Is Not a Small Voice” Setting
-
There isn't a particular setting for "This Is Not a Small Voice." The poem celebrates Black talent, community, love, and "Genius" any and everywhere, and it isn't bound to any one specific place. In fact, the metaphorical description of Black voices as a river that "spill[s] out" in every direction suggests that Black brilliance can't be contained. It connects what's happening within the "schools" with what's happening in every "corner[]" of the cities.
-
-
Literary and Historical Context of “This Is Not a Small Voice”
-
Literary Context
“This Is Not a Small Voice” was first published in Sonia Sanchez’s 1995 collection, Wounded in the House of a Friend. As the title suggests, the poems deal largely with emotional wounds and betrayals, exploring experiences as devastating as rape, infidelity, and racism with an eye towards personal growth and liberation.
In the 1950s, when Sanchez was earning a post-graduate degree at New York University, she founded the “Broadside Quartet,” a poetry group whose members would go on to become important figures of the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and '70s. Among them were Nikki Giovanni, Haki Madhubuti, and Etheridge Knight (whom Sanchez would later marry and have two children with). Born out of the Black Power Movement, the Black Arts Movement more or less began with the murder of Malcolm X in February of 1965. Politically inspired, the movement stressed the importance of Black autonomy and promoted the preservation and celebration of Black culture in the face of rising pressure to integrate. Poets of this movement crafted language informed by Black music and vernacular, experimenting with forms and rhythms to better exemplify a growing sense of pride in their Black identity.
In other words, Sanchez wanted to replicate the voices of real Black people in her poetry. In doing so, she secured her place as one of the pre-eminent voices of the Black Arts movement. She has won countless awards for her work.
Historical Context
Sanchez (1934-present) is known for directly addressing the United States’ history of racial and gendered oppression in her poetry. This poem works on the associations that lists of Black names may have for American media consumers; for example, in the United States, such lists have often commemorated Black individuals killed by police or subjected to racist hate crimes. Large swaths of America—and white Americans in particular—are more likely to hear about what’s happened to Black people than about what Black people themselves have accomplished. They may also consume media that covers Black individuals and communities through a condescending or racist lens. This poem seeks to correct that imbalance, celebrating the significance of brilliant Black individuals as well as the inherent worth of every Black voice.
Sanchez herself was inspired by the voices of Black people in her community. For example, she was influenced by the love she felt listening to her grandmother speak "Black English." This love for people who talked and looked like her, and who had experienced similar forms of oppression, led her to join the mid-20th-century civil rights movement, in which she became an important figure.
Initially, she joined the Congress for Racial Equality (a group that used nonviolent methods to support the fight for equal rights); later, she was persuaded by Malcolm X’s more radical and confrontational activism to join the Nation of Islam (which she later left due to its poor treatment of women). By the time she published “This Is Not a Small Voice” in 1995, Sanchez had spearheaded a Black Studies curriculum at various universities and created the first course on Black women and literature in the United States. She is considered a major figure of Black intersectional feminism, which views all forms of oppression (racist, sexist, classist, etc.) as inextricably intertwined.
-
-
More “This Is Not a Small Voice” Resources
-
External Resources
-
The Poet "Uncensored" — A 1991 episode of Writers Uncensored that features Sonia Sanchez and fellow poet Lucille Clifton.
-
Interview with the Poet — A 2021 Boston Review interview with Sanchez.
-
The Poem Aloud — A reading of the poem by Peyton Ball.
-
Video Q&A with the Poet — A video interview with Sanchez, courtesy of Stony Brook University.
-
An Introduction to the Poet — An introduction to the life and work of Sonia Sanchez, via the Poetry Foundation.
-
-
