Prejudice against people with a skin color other than white was rampant in London during the 60's and 70's. The poem "White child meets black man" depicts a scene about an encounter in London experienced by a black man. In this incident, a young white girl met this black man on the streets. The black man tried to go, but was halted when the girl stood and stared at him with curiosity. The man looked back and greeted the girl. However, she just walked around the black man and scrutinized his body carefully, until her mother came and pulled her away with a look of horror on her face. The poet, James Berry, raises the topic of prejudice through a simple poem, at the same time hopes to eliminate it.

To create a poem that is easy to understand, the Berry extensively uses...