Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s poem "Baseball Canto" is a vibrant celebration of baseball as a metaphor for cultural revolution and the breaking down of traditional barriers. By blending the excitement of a baseball game with literary and historical references, Ferlinghetti creates a commentary on the shifting cultural landscape of America.

The poem begins by setting the scene of watching baseball "sitting in the sun, eating popcorn, / reading Ezra Pound," juxtaposing the leisurely act of enjoying a game with highbrow literary pursuits. The narrator expresses a playful wish that Juan Marichal, a legendary pitcher for the San Francisco Giants, would "hit a hole right through the / Anglo-Saxon tradition in the first Canto / and demolish the barbarian invaders." The reference to Pound’s "Cantos" and the Anglo-Saxon tradition establishes a contrast between the traditional literary canon and the diverse new voices emerging in American culture. Marichal, as a symbol of non-Anglo-Saxon heritage, becomes a figure capable of disrupting this tradition.

The scene then shifts to the San Francisco Giants taking the field as "everybody stands up for the National Anthem," and "some Irish tenor’s voice [is] piped over the loudspeakers." The players stand still, while "the white umpires like Irish cops in their black suits and little / black caps pressed over their hearts" strike a solemn pose, reminiscent of "some funeral of a blarney bartender." The imagery of a funeral underscores the rigid ceremonial nature of the event, hinting at a kind of cultural death looming over the game.

All the players face east, "as if expecting some Great White Hope or the Founding Fathers to / appear on the horizon like 1066 or 1776." This expectation of a "Great White Hope" or the "Founding Fathers" reflects a longing for an idealized past dominated by Anglo-Saxon values. However, instead of these figures, "Willie Mays appears instead, / in the bottom of the first." Mays, a Black baseball legend, disrupts this vision, representing the new face of American culture. His heroic performance as he "clouts the first one into the sun" and "takes off, like a footrunner from Thebes" signifies a triumphant challenge to the traditional order. His athletic prowess transcends the "Anglo-Saxon epic."

The poem continues with the introduction of "Tito Fuentes," who "comes up looking like a bullfighter / in his tight pants and small pointy shoes." The right field bleachers erupt in support of Fuentes, as "Chicanos and blacks / and Brooklyn beer-drinkers" cheer for him. Fuentes embodies the multicultural spirit of the game, and the crowds shout, "Tito! Sock it to him, sweet Tito!" In response, "sweet Tito puts his foot in the bucket / and smacks one that don't come back at all." His running around the bases "like he's escaping from the United Fruit Company" is a clear metaphor for liberation, as he "beats out usury, / not to mention fascism and anti-semitism."

When Juan Marichal steps up to bat, "the Chicano bleachers go loco again." Marichal "belts the first ball out of sight" and keeps running, "rounds first and keeps going / and rounds second and rounds third," ultimately "hits paydirt / to the roars of the grungy populace." The enthusiasm of the crowd reflects a growing cultural revolution, where traditional Anglo-Saxon dominance is challenged and replaced by a new, diverse America.

Despite a "nut press[ing] the backstage panic button / for the tape-recorded National Anthem again, / to save the situation," the anthem cannot halt the revolution. The players and crowd continue "their revolution round the loaded white bases," signifying a transformation in American society that cannot be stopped.

In "Baseball Canto," Ferlinghetti uses baseball as a metaphor to illustrate the cultural shifts in mid-20th-century America. By incorporating diverse voices and celebrating the triumphs of non-Anglo-Saxon players, he critiques the rigid traditions of the past while highlighting the emergence of a more inclusive, multicultural society. The poem stands as a testament to the power of sport and art in challenging and reshaping cultural norms.

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