80 pages • 2 hours read
Kwame AlexanderBlack Star
Fiction | Novel/Book in Verse | Middle Grade | Published in 2024A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Dreams
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of racism, including racist violence.
Many poems are titled “In This Dream,” emphasizing the significance of dreams as a recurring symbol that supports the themes of Dreams and Determination and Generational History and Self-Discovery Through Family Legacy. Dreams serve as vessels for answers, relief, premonition, and truth. Although Charley’s dreams initially seem strange, they offer insight into her life, as Nana Kofi explains:
No such thing as a bad dream, just one that you ain’t figured out the good in yet.
[…] [N]one of them make any sense [I say].
Dreams are today’s answers for tomorrow’s questions.
[…] [W]e dream to heal our memories or to face our truths (130).
Nana believes that dreams are never inherently bad but are often misinterpreted, urging the dreamer to uncover their true meaning. By analyzing dreams, individuals can process memories, heal from past wounds, and find clarity to resolve their deepest questions—which will offer them relief.
For Charley, dreams often convey truths that she struggles to grasp while awake. The subconscious mind becomes active during sleep, forging meaningful connections. Her dreams explore themes like her love for baseball, family legacy, and racism:
[B]ut dawn is coming
and it’s on a white horse
galloping
across a field—no, a park
a great park
with purple flowers
and a diamond (51).
Flowers and the white horse are a few examples of symbolic imagery. For instance, the white horse represents white supremacy and foreshadows the white boys who incite violence. Through this subconscious symbolism, Charley’s dreams guide her to interpret her experiences. Dreams help her make sense of the structural oppression of her time—such as racism and sexism. They uncover clarity and offer healing, just like Nana advises.
Dreams also serve as premonitions of an uncertain future. For instance, Charley repeatedly dreams of a baseball diamond, her confrontation with Cecil, and a sense of losing her way. These dreams foreshadow both her triumph in the game and the emotional and physical toll it will take. One vivid dream even causes Charley to wake up mid-asthma attack, struggling to breathe. This dream-induced asthma attack is a harbinger of the stress and chaos that follows her victory against the white children. Though sometimes abstract, her dreams often predict the violence and turmoil she later experiences.
Charley’s Baseball Mitt
The baseball mitt symbolizes female empowerment, resistance to sexism, and hope. Given to Charley by her older sister, the mitt is more than just a tool for the game; it represents the possibility of women excelling in professional baseball:
HER? What do you mean? I ask […]
The man in the shop said it belonged to a woman baseball player.
[…] Something about colored women […] not being allowed to play in other professional leagues, so they—
They started their own?
Yeah (92).
The mitt’s significance is amplified by its history, as it once belonged to L.G., a Black female baseball player who achieved success when other women, especially Black women, faced limited opportunities in sport. L.G.’s success in overcoming both sexism and racism to achieve her dream proves that Charley, too, can fight for equality and reach her goals. Since Charley’s passion is baseball, this connection gives her encouragement and inspiration regarding her Dreams and Determination. Thus, the mitt strengthens her resolve against those who doubt her, like Cecil, or those who dismiss the viability of the sport, like her mother.
As a tangible representation of her dreams and perseverance, the mitt becomes Charley’s most prized possession. It embodies her belief in female strength and faith in a brighter future. With the mitt as a source of inspiration, Charley delivers an exceptional performance during the game against Cecil’s team and later against the white boys. Because of its importance, Charley fights to protect the mitt during the confrontation with the white boys, and Willie sacrifices his bat to safeguard it. Later, when violence looms, Charley risks her and her family’s lives to retrieve the mitt:
I remember something
in my room
that I cannot forget.
[…]
DADDY DARTS OUT
the front door
clutching my Lucky Girl glove
under his arm (352-54).
Her insistence on recovering the mitt underscores its symbolic weight; she can’t leave behind the item that connects her to L.G.’s legacy and her aspirations. Despite the danger and risks, her family recognizes the mitt’s significance and supports her decision to return for it.
Language and Grammar
Language and grammar serve as a recurring motif. This motif creates a dichotomy between “proper English” and more casual dialects, highlighting tension and growth in Charley’s understanding of communication. As a teacher’s pet, Charley has a passion for learning and adhering to the rules of language. She excels in her studies and prides herself on speaking properly, often expecting the same from others like Willie: “Yes, sir, I suppose we does. / We DO. / I just said that, Charley” (123). Her frequent corrections of Willie’s grammar reflect her fixation on this motif, underscoring her belief in the importance of precision in language. In contrast, many of Charley’s family members and friends speak with informal grammar, a trait that frustrates her—especially when compared to the articulate speeches of Mrs. Mary Bethune:
When she talks, she pronounces EVERY word. It sounds real eloquent…
I shall say to you. Today.
That the true. Worth.
Of. A society.
Is measured.
By the opportunities.
It offers. Its children (196).
Mary’s eloquence motivates Charley and starkly contrasts with the incorrect grammar of others.
Mary Bethune’s success as a human rights activist also showcases this motif. She underscores the power of eloquent speech. Through Mary’s talk, Charley recognizes that speaking clearly and effectively is a tool for enacting change, particularly regarding Courage Against Racial Injustice. When Charley articulates her questions and ideals, she impresses Mary, further solidifying language as a form of empowerment. Precise, professional language becomes a way for characters like Mary and Charley to command respect, share knowledge, and inspire progress amid structural racism.
Language and grammar further connect to the theme of Generational History and Self-Discovery Through Family Legacy. Nana Kofi’s stories are rich with imagery and wisdom, serving as a bridge to the family’s history and cultural heritage. Each chapter begins with one of his tales, offering insight and influence on Charley’s journey. These stories from his past are vivid and meaningful, often leaving Charley with questions and a sense of wonder. Though Nana’s advice is sometimes cryptic, Charley’s desire to interpret his “riddles” reflects her value of language. She believes that words are a vessel for knowledge. Whether through Nana’s wisdom, Mary’s activism, or Charley’s academic pursuits, the characters use language to guide, inspire, and resolve conflicts, emphasizing its power to them.
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