Composite Pops

“Composite Pops” is in some ways a definition essay. A definition essay chooses a word or concept and sets out to define it. In this case, Mitchell Jackson’s essay builds a definition for the word “father.” The definition is intentionally specific to the black community and is also in many ways specific to him. Definition essays typically make an overarching argument that encompasses the definition and then gives several examples to support that definition. Jackson’s definition of father is a composite of loving, well-intentioned, focused and flawed black men. For Jackson, father, or pops, is not defined by one person. It is a collection of people who all bring different skills, values, and strengths to his life. Jackson’s essay also underscores an important part of the definition of father: fathers are necessary. “This is my beating heart: boys need their fathers” (180). Jackson also mentions that girls need their fathers as well. He also notes that so often the burden of parenting falls on the shoulders of single mothers. Some of these single mothers are doing amazing work, but they still cannot be both mother and father. “And if a boy is not blessed with a father or gifted with a dynamic stand-in then he must find ways to make one. He must identify the fatherish men in his life, find what he needs from them, and compose one” (180). This part of the essay suggests that fathers, by definition, are not born, they are made. What’s more, they can be composed by a child in search of what he needs from the world. Jackson’s essay is a multi-layered definition essay in which the examples are all structured similarly.

The structure of each section in “Composite Pops” is akin to fables. Jackson starts each example section with an introduction to the subject of the example. For instance, he introduces Ant saying, “My maternal uncle Ant wore some version of a Jheri curl well past the great epoch of Jheri curls” (183). This gives readers not only context for how Jackson knows Ant but also a vague picture of the man. Then, after the introduction, Jackson gives a story that encapsulates what that man means to him and the role he plays in the composite Pops. For instance, Jackson writes about how Sam took him in when he needed a place to go and some direction. He provided not only shelter and food but also discipline and love. Wesley pushes a tentative Jackson into the pool. He does not help him swim but instead forces him to figure it out for himself. At the end of each section, Jackson summarizes the value or lesson he learned from that man. For example, at the end of the Uncle Henry section, Jackson says, “Though I never made hundreds of thousands nor had the misfortune of being the local drug kingpin, Uncle Henry’s lecture and legacy helped convince me that I had hustle in my blood, and please believe me when I tell you, I’ve been a hustler ever since” (186). This ending line acts as a kind of moral to neatly end the section. Overall this structure is very similar to the way fables are structured: introduction, story, and moral. Fables are usually very clear about the lesson or moral they are trying to convey. They are simple and easy to understand, which is why they are often used to teach children. By adopting a similar structure, Jackson is also making his definition of father/pops clear and easily accessible.

Jackson is keenly aware of how black men are perceived in the world, and this perception is an undercurrent in his essay. This is evident by how Jackson’s composite challenges the stereotypes of black men. Sam is an example of a strong, hardworking, dedicated black man. While a stereotype would say black men always abandon their families, Sam stays in his daughter’s life, lives in the same house until his wife dies, and then continues to live in that house with a new wife. Sam takes in boys who are like family, but not blood, because they need it and provides a father figure. He also cares for his grandchildren financially and spiritually. He is the opposite of the runaway father figure. Jackson even manages to turn the image of the drug-dealer on its head. The stereotype would suggest black men who are drug dealers are morally bankrupt criminals who have nothing positive to offer. However, Jackson’s Uncle Henry teaches him an incredibly valuable lesson, one that is important not only to his financial and psychological success but also for his very physical survival. Another stereotype of black men is that they are only good at athletics and not capable of much more. One way to perceive Jackson’s uncle Ant is that he is one of those stereotypical athletes. Instead Jackson shows how Ant was a caring, emotionally supportive uncle who helped his nephew feel publicly victorious, an important emotion for all children but especially those who are usually disempowered. Wesley could have been reduced to the standard runaway father stereotype, but Jackson finds a way to show his humanity. Even though he was gone for the first decade of Jackson’s life, he did show up and teach him valuable lessons. Even Jackson’s own admission that he is “trying [his] all-out damnedest” to be the best father possible for his children, shows a layer of vulnerability that defies stereotypes. This shift away from how black men are usually perceived feels intentional. In a way, these stereotypes are present in the essay but only as a force to be subverted in Jackson’s journey to define pops.