The field of interpretation needs to be more aware of and sensitive to the contributions of black culture and consciousness. The interpreter wishing to perform black poetry, for example, needs to recognize that the black aesthetic has its roots in African culture and traditions and does not always share the assumptions of the European or Euro-American literary traditions. Oral tradition, with frequent religious and musical overtones, influences all areas of black culture and art and exemplifies the collective nature of black expression. It creates an art form that is rhetorical and demands response. Rising from oppression, African and Afro-American literature have never accepted art for art's sake but have always worked to fulfill a function: to move the emotions, to become part of the dance, or to make one act. The oral tradition is evident in the black poetry of the 1960s--its musicality demands that works be read aloud. As part of an effort to devote more serious attention to black poetry, critic Stephen Henderson developed three broad categories for defining the black aesthetic: theme, structure, and "saturation," (in general terms, the communication of the black experience). (MM)