Poems Of Slavery Essays Examples

Jane Doe

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The paper will explore the significance of three poems, to expand the understanding and symbolism common in poetry. The three poems are Her Lips are Copper Wire, Mulatto, and Outcast.

Her Lips are Copper Wire

The first poem that will be dissected to discover the beauty and depth of poetry, Her Lips are Copper Wire by Jean Toomer. The first several times of reading the poem do not reveal much, it is rather vague in the typical way that poems can be. The poem is actually about the passion of a man for a woman he loves. The narrator of the poem likens the attraction to the woman with objects like the lamp posts, glowing lights of the city, and the electric lines that provide power to the city. These objects that provide energy and light depict the intensity of his desire to be with the woman.
One of the lines in the poem, “telephone the power-house that the main wires are insulate,” portrays this message of the man wanting to be insulated by her warmth and energy. The reference occurs very sensual and of a strong sexual nature. The second line that stood out strong in the delivery of its message was “then with your tongue remove the tapeand press your lips to mine.” The idea that the woman has the power to liberate him by the touch of her lips, to free him from his suppression, is the idea that comes to mind.
The poem is a formal piece, however could easily fall into the category of a free verse poem. A strong use of metonyms is present with the use of objects to represent a strong passion waiting to be unleashed.
The poem is complex, and it seems the primary use of the poem was for the writer. Because of the heavy symbolism, it was not an easy read, which further confirms to me that it was meant for the writer of the poem.

Mulatto

The second poem, Mulatto by Langston Hughes is a powerful interaction between a child born to a slave woman by a white man. The main theme of the poem is about a dialog between a mulatto child and a white father during the slave era. The mulatto is declaring to his father, “I am your son, white man!” as the ‘white man’ responds, “You are my son! Like hell!” As the poem develops the white man makes it clear to the mulatto that his mother was a worthless object that he used as a ‘toy’.
The poem has two speakers, the white man and the mulatto child. The poem is a dialog that builds on each other’s response between the two individuals. The structure of the poem allows for easy interpretation of the conflict that exists between this slave owner and his illegitimate son. The story of the poem is taking place in Georgia during slave times. The display of hatred and disgust is made extremely evident in the verses that represent the response and denial of the white man towards this mulatto child. The poem captures the image of the sad and upsetting nature of the relationship of what the child born to a black woman and white father during that period may have experienced.
Mulatto is a poem that is meant for all its readers. There is history to be told through the poem, which is powerfully painful for many individuals of African American descent. A strong tale is told of one the most shameful periods in American history, which is captured in a highly emotional display through the use of poetry.

Outcast

The third poem studied and explicated in this essay, is Outcast, by Claude McKay. The title of the poem signifies the central theme of the meaning of the piece. An individual born unto slavery expresses the sense of disconnect felt from his native land. The intimate picture of what it feels to be an outcast is well depicted in the use of words to portray the image and sentiment of life for the slave. The complete loss of self and freedom is sternly stated in the line “While to its alien gods I bend my knee.”
There is a tone in the poems that amplifies the loneliness felt by the narrator of the poem. Outcast is the perfect word to describe the experience that the individual is experiencing from the beginning till the end of the poem. I literally felt a melancholy come over me as I read and re-read the poem. Even the closing of the poem relays the sense of hopelessness and resignation of the narrator in the final four lines of the poem.
And I must walk the way of life a ghost Among the sons of earth, a thing apart; For I was born, far from my native clime, Under the white man's menace, out of time (McKay, 1922).

The three poems that I read and studied were exemplary pieces of work that uniquely

displayed the power of poetry. Poems are written in multiple ways about diverse topics, which deliver through words what painting delivers through images. Learning to understand the deeper meaning behind these words that are put together often in complex and mysterious ways open up the door for the reader to an extraordinary genre of literary work that not all individuals are able to appreciate.