In the poem, Imagine, by Saul Williams, difficult conditions are described within less privileged areas. Through allusions of Martin Luther King and Willy Lynch, enjambment of various sentences, and the repetition of the word “imagine”, Williams portrays the difficulty of overcoming harsh conditions within impoverished communities. A reference to the famous civil rights activist, Martin Luther King is presented. In King's famous speech he uttered, “We shall overcome” (Williams 10), phrasing what specifically black communities were progressing to. As a believer in peace, King believed the blacks went through struggles which could be overridden. The reference is used as a question and a reminder of the promise to overcome, and how arduous the task was in current situations. It is used to push forward the message to fight for better conditions no matter how hard. The idea to overcome the harsh situations was proving difficult as the blacks were continuously reduced from status whether economically or socially. Williams poses the reference to ask the people what happened to the promise and the loss of sentiment to this progression. Willy Lynch, a known slave owner who pitted blacks against blacks, provides another allusion. The reference parallels to the impoverished communities within the text. In turn, where Lynch made blacks go against blacks, the current struggle was gang and drug violence self indulged to attacking each other, that they forget their own cause. It also presents the incriminating government due to the inactivity present within the communities. This reference is to show people how Lynch was the winning man in the current event because he succeeded to put them against each other as their own enemies, and how the people needed to overcome that. The continuation of sentences beyond a pause has been represented within the poem. The phrase, “What's a young boy to do...” (Williams 24), shows the confounding issues