The dinner table in Mali’s “What Teachers Make” serves as the setting for the opening of his poem and, as a symbol, represents a place where people talk, exchange ideas, and debate. The poem opens with Mali’s speaker describing the “He” (Line 1) who expresses strong ideas about the occupation of teaching. This person directs the conversation, sharing a viewpoint that they believe others agree with. For instance, this person “reminds the other dinner guests that it’s true / what they say about teachers” (Lines 5-6); here, the dinner guest speaks for the other guests, as though they all share the same opinion. Establishing this setting, Mali establishes his position to argue against the dinner guest, in favor of teaching.

Mali chooses to open the poem at the dinner table for many reasons. First, Mali recognizes that talking about worth and money are controversial topics (“Because we’re eating, after all, and this is polite conversation” [Line 11]), which are often avoided at dinner parties. Second, by deciding to engage with the dinner guest who singles him out, Mali decides to stand up for what he believes in, rather than bow down to someone who knows nothing about teaching.