A Coin Toss
America by Henry Dumas, a poem that speaks about freedom and what it means to be American. Henry Dumas gives imagery of a coin being flipped in the air where one can see the American eagle flying in the air but not leaving the coin. This could be read as a metaphor for how liberty is controlled by money and how capitalism is what controls the United States of America. We already discussed this in class though… I was interested in the larger picture. What does the coin flip represent? I researched that Henry Dumas, before he himself was killed by police brutality, was an advocate for those of his own race that were being killed unjustly. It seemed like it was just a wrong place at the wrong time or being where the right racist cop was the feeling his right sentiments. While it may be premeditated or instinct for the killer there is nothing that the victim can do. The coin toss that is described in the poem can represent the seemingly odds-based way that the murders are committed. A c