A question stuck with me after reading through "Minor Miracle": why "minor?" The poem definitely carries a positive message with its twist at the end: a gangly white guy apologizing for his racial slur. The staging for the twist is wonderful, what's with the description of the guy as strong and combative and the brilliant three-word line "The afternoon froze." After all this, how can this just be a "minor" miracle? The first thing that came to my mind was the association with "minor" racial groups. My second guess was that "minor" was a play down of the miracle and it added to the suspense of the surprise. The alliteration of these two words creates an echo in readers' minds, so that might be one of the reasons. In the end, though, I can't help but think that "minor" might indicate a broader and more somber view on the problem of racism: maybe this "miracle" was just a "minor" spark in the darkness of racial prejudices. In this sense, "Minor Miracle" is positive yet realistic on its outlook on a problem.
~Huong T.
I cannot help it but to agree with you. To think that this is actually a "miracle" is really sad. No one should express such comments to other people, what more towards children. To have the protagonist (as a child), to think that this is a "miracle" shows that even children have ideas embedded to them that these comments are normal, whereas the apology is not. In reflecting the irony in this poem, I cannot help but to call it a satire.
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