“Oh, why are you men so foolish –
You breeders who breed our men
Let the fools, the weaklings and crazy
Keep breeding and breeding again?
The criminal, deformed, and the misfit,
dependent, diseased, and the rest –
As we breed the human family
The worst is as good as the best.
Go to the house of some farmer,
Look through his barns and sheds,
Look at his horses and cattle,
Even his hogs are thorough breds,
Then look at his stamp on his children,
Low browed with the monkey jaw,
Ape handed, and silly, and foolish –
Bred true to Mendel’s law.”
DeJarnette’s poem subtitled, “A Plea for a Better Race of Man,” starts with these two stanzas. This poem much like many others contains verses as parts of its multiple stanzas this is what gives it its distinctive look. This poem however does differ from man of the poems that most people associate with the genre, it contains minimal or no rhyme scheme at all, making it a free verse poem. This excerpt from DeJarnette’s poem fits in perfectly with my over all theme, Eugenics. It’s twisted out look on how humans should and should not be allowed to reproduce and pass on their DNA to the next generation is mirrored perfectly by the grim movements centered around this theory over the past few centuries. This references to those that the author deems not fit to reproduce as live stock is a common theme through out the genre, it is just another attempt by these authors to get the read to believe that it is not morally reprehensible to do this to people by taking away their humanity. And just as with most other pieces of literature in this genre you need to read it and think about it as if it is referring to you so that you can fully feel what the author is trying to convince you of and coming to the conclusion that it is wrong on your own.
Citation for the poem:
“Influence of Virginia’s Eugenical Sterilization Act.” Eugenics: Three Generations, No Imbeciles: Virginia, Eugenics & Buck v. Bell, exhibits.hsl.virginia.edu/eugenics/4-influence/.