After reading the "Slim Greer in Hell," identify, as specifically as possible, what you see as one core reversal in the poem. What expectations—of Slim, St. Peter, Heaven, Hell, "Dixie," The United States, intelligence, or whatever else strikes you—are reversed in Brown's poem? How are they reversed? Point to textual evidence here. Then, reflect on the point of the reversal. How does the reversal present the world differently?

"Slim Greer in Hell" by Sterling A. Brown portrays the titular character's journey into Hell at the request of St. Peter. Once Slim arrives in hell, he is shocked by what he sees: there are bloodhounds chasing African Americans, rowdy cabarnets, a preacher with a brown-skinned woman on each knee, and, most tragically, a giant furnace in which black folks are thrown in. The poem reads:

Den he took him to de furnace
Dat somem devils was firing,
Hot as Hell, an' Slim start
A mean presspirin'.

White devils with pitchforks
Threw black devils on,
Slim thought he'd better
Be gittin' along.

It is interesting to note that while the African Americans are being burned, the white folk continue to have fun.
After Slim returns to heaven to brief St. Peter on his experience in Hell, Slim seems perplexed that he was simply sent to the racist antebellum South. In a shocking reversal of expectations, St. Peter denies Slim entrance into heaven not for a lack of virtues, but for a lack of what he considers intelligence. He insults Slim by saying,

Git on back to de yearth,
Cause I got de fear,
You'se a lettle too dumb,
Fo' to stay up here.

This depiction of St. Peter is a far cry from the solemn figure that guards Heaven's gates and decides who is morally and spiritually fit to enter. In "Slim Greer In Hell," he seems to discipline Slim for his ignorance. This, of course, mirrors the false ideas that existed during the time of this poem's inception that African Americans were inherently less intelligent than whites. Brown seems aware of this stereotype and plays with it, including it in his satirical vision of heaven.
Another important thing to note in "Slim Greer In Hell" is the way the characters speak to one another. The poem uses a style of stereotypical African American speak (also seen in other works of the time, such as Huckleberry Finn and the "Goophered Grapevine"). This style can be seen in any line of the poem. In the beginning of the poem, St. Peter speaks to Slim,

You been travelin' rascal
In yo'day.
You kin roam once mo';
Den you come to stay.

Compare this to the traditional image of St. Peter, particularly his manner of speaking. In religious circles, St. Peter is quoted as saying, "Man's salvation and perfection consist of doing the will of God, which he must have in view of all things and at every moment of his life." Thus, Brown's image of St. Peter speaking colloquially with Slim Greer seems at odds with the typical idea of how St. Peter spoke.
The core reversal in "Slim Greer In Hell" is an interpretation of Hell and Heaven as an extension of racist America. Hell is the South in the days of slavery, the Devil is a racist white sheriff, and St. Peter spites Slim because of his inability to recognize the South as Hell. Brown seems to satirically suggest that Slim Greer is mired in not only a racist country and racist world, but also a racist universe, with Satan and St. Peter himself participating.
Of course, this poem presents the entire world as being a hellish, racist place. It is far different from many poems and art forms that glamorize it (even those that glamorize the slavery-era south): "Slim Greer In Hell" confidently has something to say about the way the world works. Even those in power were frequently racist, and Brown extends this idea to include Heaven and Hell.
https://poets.org/poem/slim-greer-hell

https://www.openbible.info/topics/st_peter_at_heavens_gates