Blues Ain't No Mockingbird

Dialect is a particular variety of language that is specific to a social group or region. Bambara uses dialect in her stories and novels to imbue her narratives with authenticity and to give credence to the unique rhythms, culture, and history of African American English. In “Blues Ain’t No Mockin Bird,” the narrator tells the story in her own words, using grammar unique to her spoken voice. Rather than being simple documentation of events, the story is an experiential whole—a personal experience—and it unfolds the way it would if it were spoken aloud, which lends the story realism and depth.

Additionally, that this young girl is the story’s narrator gives her authority over it. White culture has long dominated arguments over grammar and proper English, and by the late 1800s, Black writers began incorporating their dialect into their work as a form of sociolinguistic commentary on cultural and racial issues. Their stories’ use of dialect not only provided realism but also showed resistance to the pressures of the dominant, white culture, and used subversive voices to affirm experiences that fell outside white ideals. Through her authentic young narrator, Bambara demonstrates that a complex, meaningful story can be told in its own way.