about human elements, such as the songs and the
language of the subject. Very few readers would
miss the point that the things she says about
cockroaches echo the things that people say
about other races and cultures.
To make the comparison to human preju-
dice complete, Rukeyser brings up the issue of
color in a few places. In line 11, she says that her
ignorance of the other is limited to recognizing
its darkness. Most cockroaches are in fact dark,
but heightened awareness of skin tone is also a
standard of racial prejudice around the world;
thus, the darkness together with the fear and
anger that she was taught to view the cockroach
match elements of racial prejudice perfectly. In
line 24 she says that upon paying attention to
individual cockroaches for the first time in her
life, she notes a difference in skin tone from one
to another. She is overcoming the tendencies to
group all members of a race or culture together
and to assume that they will all act the same and
all have the same wants and needs, which are at
the core of prejudice.Mysteriousness of the Unknown
Perhaps the fact that the poet grew up in a place
without cockroaches, or without people from
different ethnic or racial backgrounds, enables
her to push on beyond the prejudices she has
been taught simply in expanding her world.
While other people raised in the same circum-
stances might remain in place, carry on with the
same narrow views, and pass them along to their
children, this poem shows a person who views
something or someone unfamiliar to her as a
mystery to be explored.
The poem begins with the speaker’s admis-
sion that she does not know the subject that she
is talking about, and for about three-fourths of
its length she lists things about this other that are
not familiar to her. The climax of this catalog of
mysteries occurs when, in line 21, she expands
her ignorance to include all of those in her social
class by switching the subject towe, the plural.
As soon as she acknowledges that her whole
group, not just herself, finds the others a mys-
tery, she sets about in line 23 to correct the sit-
uation by demystifying the cockroach. For the
most part, this is a poem about a speaker who
recognizes what she does not know and feels
drawn to what is unfamiliar, even though she
has been told it is dangerous.Seeking Insight
By the end of the poem, Rukeyser’s speaker has
not gained any real insight into the life of the
cockroach that has captured her attention. The
insight that she has gained by the last line is
about how much knowledge she lacks. Having
been fooled by her prejudices for most of her life
into believing that she knew all that she needed
to know about others, she is just beginning the
process of breaking through the wall of igno-
rance that surrounds her.
Just as the speaker of the poem starts to pay
serious attention to others, the poem ends.
Readers are not told anything about the specific
observations she makes regarding cockroaches or
regarding people from different races or cultures.
The insight is not about what she learns: it is about
the need to learn. Over the course of the poem she
has gained enough insight to know better than to
view the world the way she has all her life.TOPICS FOR
FURTHER
STUDY Choose an insect or animal that you do not
like and research it. Afterwards, identify the
attributes that you find admirable, and write
a poem about the creature.
Research the Catholic Church’s criteria for
sainthood. In a class presentation, explain
how the standards that must be met could be
applied to the cockroach.
This poem references the cockroach’s songs
and language. Present a diagram of cock-
roach anatomy to your class and explain
how cockroaches communicate.
According to legend, cockroaches will survive
long after mankind is destroyed by atomic
radiation. Write a report that explains how
this myth started and its basis in reality.
Make a list of the strange things that people
from outside your culture, race, or gender
believe or might believe about the people in
your culture, race, or gender. If possible,
note why and how these beliefs could have
come into being.St. Roach