The imagery in these poems by Whittier and Harper really stood out to me, even though I hadn’t even looked at the elements of poetry yet when I read them. I noticed right off the bat how the word choices of both of these authors created vivid images, and by the end of each poem, I had visualized a story in my head. Therefore, when I saw imagery listed in the elements, I knew which one to pick.
The most vivid of the four poems was “The Slave Mother” by Frances E.W. Harper. This piece provides an emotional account of a slave mother and her child as they are torn away from one another to be sold to different masters. Harper writes,
No marvel, then, these bitter shrieks
Disturb the listening air:
She is a mother, and her heart
Is breaking in despair.
Especially after this moving poem, I could see how this last stanza would evoke a lot of emotion from a reader, especially during this time period. This poem is a great example of how literature was used as part of the antislavery movement.
Whittier’s work, “The Farewell of a Virginia Slave Mother to Her Daughters Sold Into Southern Bondage” also tells the story of the plight of a mother and daughters as they are sold into slavery. Phrases such as “Where the slave-whip ceaseless swings,” and “From the fields at night they go, Faint with told, and racked with pain, To their cheerless homes again” really paint vivid pictures in the minds of his readers. After reading these poems, I really have an understanding of how authors during this time period used imagery to connect with their audience and also their cause.
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