Select the correct answer.

The Black Man's Plea for Justice
Hear me, statesman,

I am pleading to defend

The black man’s cause.

Will you give me the protection

to outline your laws?

Will your lawyers plead my cases

in your courts?

Am I not a citizen?

I pay dear for transportation

over all your railroad track.

I come up to every requirement

and I will always pay my tax.

And when I don’t fill in blanks correctly,

will you kindly teach me how?

Ruling power of this nation,

will you give me justice now?

I prepared your wedding supper

and I dug your father’s grave.

I did everything you asked me

just because I was your slave.

I helped build your great bridges

and I laid your railroad steel.

Oh, I been a mighty power

in your great financial wheel.

And when I don’t do jobs correctly

will you kindly teach me how?

Ruling power of this nation


How does the poet’s use of syntax impact the poem?

A. He uses a series of questions to emphasize the need for justice.
B. He use sentence fragments to highlight his frustration.
C. He uses simple sentences to emphasize his desperation.
D. He changes tenses to highlight a shift in tone.