Themes and message

The themes of the poem “please don’t take my air jordans” by Reg E. Gaines are materialism and violence as a means to an end in a dehumanized, superficial world. A side theme to the poem is that of peer pressure. The author’s message and intentions with the poem have often been debated. Some argue that the poet praises a shallow attitude, or at least accepts it as it is. Others, however, claim that the poem is meant to be critical, and raise awareness to the consequence of the combination of peer pressure and materialistic culture for poor people.

Materialism

The theme of materialism and superficial material concerns is central to the poem. In the text, material culture is depicted among African-Americans and hip-hop culture through the symbols of the Air Jordan sneakers and all the other clothing items mentioned. In the poem, the speaker seems to be obsessively concerned with his outfit as the only way to feel good about himself. All other aspects of life are disregarded, as the only thing he cares about is getting a n...