They Feed They Lion

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1972

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Symbols & Motifs

“They Lion”

While Levine credited the phrase “they feed they lion” to a coworker’s observation of zoo meal, it works in symbolic fashion in the poem. “They lion” (Lines 5, 11, 18, 25, 29, 30, 33) is used both as the noun “the lion” and as a verb to suggest human action mimicking that of the animal. Lions are the kings of the jungle due to their size, skill at hunting, and fierce roar. Here, oppressive surroundings have given the Black citizenry no other recourse but to aggressively act to protect their own. Levine seems to the rationale behind this and uses “they lion” to also call to mind mythological, historical, and religious links.

African folklore discusses human beings shifting into lion form and back again. Levine was likely aware of the Ancient Roman practice of feeding prisoners to wild animals, including large cats. The animals were often starved before set upon the prisoners. The lion is often used to represent a messiah of redemption within Jewish faith, and Jesus within Christianity. The lion is said to align with Christ’s courage and foreshadows his second coming where he will judge humanity and rid the world of evil. The refrain “they lion,” first put forth in the title, enhances Levine’s themes of how destruction may be necessary to bring about realignment.

“Car Passing Under the Stars”

One of the many images readers have noted is the switch in the fifth stanza to the first-person perspective. Levine likely does this to highlight the privileges of middle-class white American, which he personally enjoys. Levine suggests the workers' resentment comes “[f]rom my car passing under the stars” (Line 28). Here, the “passing” (Line 28) of the vehicle indicates a freedom of movement the Black workers do not have. They do not have the economic means to own the automobiles they make. They cannot live in the suburbs their white bosses inhabit. Their children do not have the same benefits and opportunities children in white suburbs do.

The automotive industry was built on the backs of the African American employee. While compensated for their work, they were paid much less than white workers, and were rarely given positions beyond the assembly line. Due to unfair housing costs in Detroit, they had barely enough for the cheapest food such as “black beans” (Line 2) and pork hocks. The speaker notes that their “acids of rage” (Line 3) come out of “bearing butter” (Line 1) and “creotene, gasoline, drive shafts” (Line 4). While Black people sacrifice, the white populace with “its sins forgiven” (Line 27) can drive its “car […] under the stars” (Line 28) without concern and insure that white “children [will] inherit” (Line 29) the good fortune of upward mobility.

Five Arms

In the fifth stanza, the speaker implies that the anger of the people comes “[f]rom my five arms and all my hands” (Line 26). This is the first line in which the first person is used. While it is tempting to think this is Levine speaking of himself or his own greed, the “my” (Line 26) may belong to a personified Detroit. While a person might have two “arms” (Line 26), the “five arms” (Line 26) here may refer to Detroit’s growth outwards from its downtown center into suburbs where the middle class and wealthy fled the city’s poverty and Black population. Due to the vast immigration that came into the city, it annexed several municipalities so that its borders moved from a star-like pattern into tentacled outlines. Inside, city neighborhoods were divided into sections based on ethnicity. Greek, Polish, Jewish, African American, and Caucasian enclaves made up distinct parts of the city. Levine alluded to this in his collection of five poems, which included “They Feed They Lion,” called 5 Detroits. Racism, unfair wages, and a shortage of housing relegated Black people to the poorest section.

The “five arm” (Line 26) reference might also be an allusion to the Great Lakes with “all my hands” (Line 26) symbolizing the various tributaries, locks, and dams. Detroit’s industrialization would have been impossible without its position on Lake Erie. At one time, the Detroit River was the busiest commercial shipping hub in the world, which made Detroit one of the largest and most prosperous cities in the United States at the time.