The Dozens

Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory

Black compares his argument with White to the dozens. What're the dozens? We'll let play explain:

WHITE: What's the dozens?

BLACK: Its when two of the brothers stands around insultin one another and the first one gets pissed off loses…

WHITE: I don't get it.

BLACK: You aint supposed to get it. You white. (72-73)

But Black and White aren't really trying to insult one another. In a way, they're trying to go even deeper, to cut each other in an even more profound sense in their efforts to undermine each other's worldviews. Although Black doesn't lose his faith, he basically loses the dozens since he runs out of things to say, and is reduced to tears, while White storms off to commit suicide. It's an ironic victory, though, since what it actually means for White's is his own death.

For the record, if you're a fan of hip-hop, people playing the dozens helped give birth to rap. All the diss tracks out there—from Jay-Z versus Nas to Kendrick Lamar versus Everybody Else—are descended from the dozens.