The Blindness of the Powerful

A major theme in “Riot” is the ways in which those in power, in particular wealthy white men, are actually blind to the world. To John Cabot, the riot that storms his home seems to come out of nowhere. In fact, he claims that the rioters acting out of ignorance, for they “know now what they do” (30). The ultimate irony is that Cabot is the one who remains blind by the end of the poem, still not understanding why poor African Americans would not to rise up.

Cabot is not only blind to the conditions around him which would spark a riot, he is also blind to that which might save his own life. The first stanza demonstrates Cabot’s attachment to property, listing his many frivolous possessions he had “almost forgotten”: his liquor, car, art, and pies. Despite clinging to his...