<P> In "When I Think About Myself", Angelou presents the perspective of an aging maid to make an ironic statement about Blacks surviving in a world dominated by whites, and in "Times - Square - Shoeshine - Competition", a Black shoeshine boy defends his prices to a white customer, his words punctuated by the "pow pow" of his shoeshine rag . Her poems, such as "Letter to an Aspiring Junkie", in this and other volumes deal with universal social problems from a Black perspective . African - American literature professor Priscilla R. Ramsey, when analyzing the poem "When I Think About Myself," states that the first - person singular pronoun "I", which Angelou uses often, is a symbol that refers to all her people . Ramsey calls this "a self - defining function", in which Angelou ironically views the world as an outsider, resulting in the loss of her direct and literal relationship to the world and providing her with the ability to "laugh at its characteristics no matter how politically and socially devastating". Scholar Kathy M. Essick discusses the same poem, calling it and most of the poems in Diiie, Angelou's "protest poems". </P> <P> According to critic Harold Bloom, in his analysis of "Times - Square", the first line of the fourth stanza ("I ain't playing dozens mister") is an allusion to the Dozens, a game in which the participants insult each other . The game is mentioned in later poems, "The Thirteens (Black)" and "The Thirteens (White)." According to critic Geneva Smitherman, Angelou uses the Thirteens, a twist on the Dozens, to compare the insults of blacks and whites, which allows her to compare the actions of the two races . Bloom compares "Times - Square" to Langston Hughes' blues / protest poetry . He suggests that the best way to analyze the subjects, style, themes, and use of vernacular in this and most of Angelou's poems is to use "a blues - based model", since like the blues singer, Angelou uses laughter or ridicule instead of tears to cope with minor irritations, sadness, and great suffering . Hagen compares the themes in "The Thirteens (Black and White)" with Angelou's poems "Communication I" and "Communication II", which appear in Oh Pray My Wings Are Gonna Fit Me Well, her second volume of poetry . </P> <P> Neubauer analyzes two poems in Diiie, "Times - Squares" and "Harlem Hopscotch", that support her assertion that for Angelou, "conditions must improve for the black race" She states, "Both (poems) ring with a lively, invincible beat that carries defeated figures into at least momentary triumph". In "Times - Squares", the shoeshiner claims to be the best at his trade and retains his pride despite his humiliating circumstances . "Harlem Hopscotch" celebrates survival and the strength, resilience, and energy necessary to accomplish it . Its rhythm echoes the beat of the player, and compares life to a brutal match . By the end of the poem, however, the speaker wins, both the game and in life . Neubauer states, "These poems are the poet's own defense against the incredible odds in the game of life". </P> <P> Essick also analyzes "Times - Square", stating that the language and rhythm used by the poem's subject, especially the repetitive onomatopoeia ("pow pow") that punctuates the end of each line, parallels the sound of his work . The shoeshiner relies on the rhythm and repetition of his song to maintain his pace and to relieve his boredom . It also provides a way to help him brag about his abilities and talents . The shoeshiner takes on the role of the trickster, a common character in Black folklore, and demonstrates his control of vernacular language, especially when he refers to the Dozens . </P>

Just give me a cool drink of water 'fore i die poem