It's Not Just a Movie

 What if a black boy could just be a kid? What if he could dream, play, and see himself as a hero without the fear of tragedy? In the poem "Dinosaurs in the Hood" by Danez Smith, the answer to these questions is simply to let the boy do what he wants. But in reality, black boyhood is often faced with stereotypes. This is the reason why this poem is not just about a dinosaur movie, but about reshaping black masculinity and the pursuit of happiness. 

At the beginning of the poem, Danez Smith uses imagery when describing the scene where a little black boy is playing with a toy dinosaur on the bus and looks out the window to see the T. Rex (Smith 3). This scene is a moment of magic, possibilities, and excitement. In the following stanza, Smith says "Don't let Tarantino direct this. In his version the boy plays with a gun" (Smith 6). Smith rejects the idea that black boys are associated with violence and instead replaces the gun in the hands of the boy with a plastic dinosaur, symbolizing his innocence. 

This vision of black boyhood is powerful because it resists the usual metaphor of extinction and suffering often associated with blackness in media. Smith says "This movie can't be dismissed because of its cast or its audience. This movie can't be a metaphor for black people & extinction. This movie can't be about race." (Smith 25-27). Oftentimes, stories about black men and boys reinforce a cycle of trauma. But Dinosaurs in the Hood tells a different story, where they are not killed, not in pain, and not associated with violence. 

In A Doll's House, when Nora says to Torvald "I've been you doll-wife here, just as at home I was Papa's doll-child." (Ibsen 145). Similar to how Nora realizes the sacrifices she made to fit into societal expectations and step out of the mold others made for her, this poem rejects the stereotypes forced onto black boys and insists that they be seen as people with dreams, excitement, happiness, and agency. This idea is also present in The Barbie Movie, especially in the scene where Barbie says "I don't feel pretty anymore. I don't feel like Barbie." This scene reflects how societal expectations shape identity, just as Barbie realizes that she has control over herself and is not an object of perfection, this poem demands black boys to be seen beyond stereotypes. 

Additionally, the structure of Dinosaurs in the Hood allows the poem to give the readers a sense of urgency. The repetition of "& no one kills the black boy. & no one kills the black boy. & no one kills the black boy." makes the poem fast-paced and makes it feel as if its demanding action from its readers (Smith 32). Just as Nora slams the door to her "doll's house", the poem rejects the narrow roles imposed on black masculinity. 

So why does this matter beyond poetry? It is because the way media portrays certain groups of people influences how society treats them. This poem is not just about a movie but it's a message about who gets to dream, live with excitement, happiness, and agency.