essay questions on the poem black woman

Black Woman Questions and Answers: Objective Practice Test (Poetry)

This post contains objective questions and answers on the poem ‘Black Woman’ by Leopold S. Senghor? Welcome to this multiple-choice objective test on the poem “Black Woman”.

This thought-provoking and evocative poem captures the essence of the African female experience. In this test, we will explore the themes, literary devices, and deeper meanings of ‘Black Woman’.

All 6 African Poems for WAEC Literature 2021-2025

The Great Gatsby Exam Questions

Select the most appropriate answers that reflect your understanding and interpretation of this extraordinary work. Good luck!

View it in full screen

Black woman: questions and answers, final thoughts.

Here are a few points to carry with you as you continue your study of the poem ‘Black Woman’.

The poet goes beyond mere praise. He takes a deep dive into the heart of the African female experience, celebrating their identity, resilience, and contributions to society.

Because this is the best way to foster a deeper understanding of the profound role women play in shaping our world.

Did you find this information helpful? Then share it on your favourite social media platform for the benefit of others you care about. Thank you!

Cegast Academy

Cegast Academy is dedicated to empowering students, teachers, and parents with top-notch educational resources and publishing services. The centre boasts of a rich experience in English and Literature tutoring with a proven track record. Since 2001, Cegast Academy has successfully coached thousands of High School General Arts WASSCE candidates in English, Literature, and related subjects. With a combination of expertise and a passion for lifelong learning, the platform guides learners from diverse backgrounds to achieve their educational and career goals.

SHARE THIS POST

Get Exclusive Updates & Offers

Bat Poem Questions and Answers (D.H. Lawrence)

20+ Reading Comprehension Practice Tests

The Great Gatsby Exam Questions: Characters, Themes and Narrative Techniques

Adjective Quiz 1

Religion in Things Fall Apart – Comprehension Test

A Quick Quiz on Raider of the Treasure Trove

Caged Bird Questions and Answers (Multiple Choice)

Reading Comprehension Test With Answers for High Schools

Leave a comment cancel reply.

The Black Woman By Leopold Sedar Senghor – Analysis

The black woman analysis.

   The poem “Black Woman” was written by Leopold Sedar Senghor in 1945 originally in French before it was translated to English language.

In the poem, the poet shows his passion and love for Africa, his beloved continent.

He wrote the poem in condemnation of brutalities and segregation against the black race all over the world. He showers encomium on Africa bringing out the beauties.

The title of the poem “Black Woman” is a personification. The poet personifies Africa as a woman to transfer the amazing qualities of African women to Africa.

The first five lines, the poet praises the beauty of African women which the colour “black” which he refers to as life helps in bringing out the beauty.

He also expresses how caring Africa is in lines 4 and 5. He expresses how he was taken care of as a baby to illustrate how motherly Africa is.

“Naked woman, black woman

Clothed with your colour which is life,

with your form which is beauty!

In your shadow I have grown up; the

gentleness of your hands was laid over my eyes.”

   After the motherly care, he has travelled far and near and looks upon Africa as his promised land where he is returning to because of the beauty that he compares to the flash of an eagle.

“And now, high up on the sun-baked

pass, at the heart of summer, at the heart of noon.

I come upon you, my Promised Land,

And your beauty strikes me to the heart

like a flash of an eagle.”

   Leopold Senghor further expresses his love for Africa by showering encomium on her and calling her all sorts of lovely names and equating her to everything beautiful.

 She radiates beauty and happiness. He compares her to a limitless savannah that shudders beneath the caresses of the east wind; a good drum that sounds very well when beaten; a woman with a lovely sonorous voice.

    The poet greatly adores African Woman in this poem that he turns her to a goddess in the course of praising her. She compares her skin to that of an athlete and the princes of Mali.

 Her limbs are compared to that of an antelope and describe how beautiful the skin is. Africa is presented here as a strong willed being, that nobody or any challenge can overcome.

“Oil that no breath ruffles, calm oil on the

athlete’s flanks of the Princes of Mali

Gazelled limbed in Paradise, pearls are stars on the

Night of your skin”

   The encomium continues in the remaining lines of the poem, referring to her as his love, adoring the skin, the hair as well as the eyes.

 He further tells her that he is celebrating her in his poem before the other races destroy her.

Patriotism: A patriot is a person who passionately loves, defends and supports his or her country.

 Leopold Sedar Senghor is seen here as a patriot because of the great love he has for Africa which propels him to compose this poem.

It is the great love he has for Africa that makes him title the poem “black woman.” He makes use of the good qualities of African women to show how much he loves Africa.

These can be found in all the stanzas of the poem.

Beauty : In the course of showing his love for Africa, the poet brings out the beauties in Africa. He equates the beauties in African women with that of Africa and this runs throughout the poem.

“Clothed with your colour which is life,

with your form which is beauty!”

Kindness : The poet presents Africa as being kind and gentle. This quality makes Africa an excellent nurturer that nurtured him from a baby to adult. He sees Africa as being caring, humane and not wicked.

“In your shadow I have grown up; the

Sturdiness : Africa is described as being strong and ruggedly made so she is not of any delicate contexture that can easily be defeated or overcome by any challenge or any advances of the enemy. She can easily weather any storm with her structure.

Happiness : Africa, according to the poet radiates happiness to the people as a result of the good qualities of the continent. He refers to her as “a delight of the mind.”

“Delights of the mind, the glinting of red

gold against your watered skin”

Jealousy : Towards the end of the poem, after expressing his mind on Africa bringing out the beauties, he concludes that he has really brought out the beauties in Africa before the other jealous continents destroy the beauties as a result of jealousy.

“Naked woman, black woman,

I sing your beauty that passes, the form

that I fix in the Eternal,

Before jealous fate turn you to ashes to

feed the roots of life.”

Poetic Devices

Repetition : The essence of repetition in a poem is to lay emphasis and call the attention of the reader. There is repetition, “Naked woman, black woman,” in lines, 1, 11, 21 and 30 of the poem.

Alliteration : This is the repetition of a consonant sound at the beginning of two or more words in a line of a poem. This is used in lines;

1- Naked woman, black woman

2- Clothed with your colour which is life

7- pass, at the heart of summer, at the heart of noon.

11- Naked woman, dark woman

12- Firm-fleshed ripe fruit, sombre raptures

13- of black wine, moth making lyrical my mouth

14- savannah stretching to clear horizons,

17- Carved tom-tom, taut tom-tom, muttering

20- Spiritual song of the Beloved.

21- Naked woman, dark woman

22- Oil that no breath ruffles, calm oil on the

24- Gazelled limbed in Paradise, pearls are stars on the

30- Naked woman, black woman

Personification : This is when the qualities of the animate are given to the in-animate. This is used throughout the poem. Africa is personified here as a “black woman.”

The poet makes use of the qualities of African women represented by “black woman.” These qualities are used to bring out the good qualities of Africa to show the extent of the love the poet has for Africa.

 Personification is extensively used in this poem from the beginning to the end. The use of some personal pronoun in the poem also gives credence to the use of personification in the poem.

The poem persona addresses Africa as a human being with the use of these personal pronouns,” I, your, you, my, me.”

 The mentioning of some parts of human body in the poem also gives quality to the personification; “hands, voice, skin, hair, eyes.”

Simile : This is the comparison of two things with the use of like or as. This is used in lines 9 and 10, where how the beauty of Africa strikes the poem persona’s heart is compared with a flash of an eagle.

“And your beauty strikes me to the heart

Enjambment : (Run-on-line) – This occurs when the sense expressed in a line of verse is not complete in that line and has to be completed in the next lines.

There is always no definite pause at the end of such lines. If we study the poem critically, we shall see that it runs-on-line from the beginning to the end.

Metaphor : We have this in lines 1, 11, 21, 30. “Naked woman, black woman” in these lines is being compared directly with Africa. 

Also, in line 8, “I come upon you, my promised land.” Africa is directly compared with the persona’s “promised land.”

Onomatopoeia : This is a combination of sounds in a word that resembles or suggests what the word refers to.

This is used where the poet describes the experience of the blacks under the colonial masters. The choice of the words here sounds like a drum if we pronounce the words.

line 17, “Carved tom-tom, taut tom-tom, muttering

                under the conqueror’s fingers.

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Black Woman

By Georgia Douglas Johnson

‘Black Woman’ by Johnson explores a woman’s painful choice against motherhood in a cruel world, using metaphors for societal critique.

Georgia Douglas Johnson

She was also an important figure in the Harlem Renaissance .

Poem Analyzed by Emma Baldwin

B.A. English (Minor: Creative Writing), B.F.A. Fine Art, B.A. Art Histories

‘Black Woman’  was published in The Heart of a Woman and Other Poems in 1918, alongside ‘ The Heart of a Woman ’   and ‘Foredoom’. Johnson was a member of the Harlem Renaissance and wrote four books, as well as plays and songs. In this particular poem, she taps into themes of race, equality, inequality, parenting, and sacrifice.  

Log in or join Poetry + to access Poem Printable PDFs.

Explore Black Woman

• 1 Summary of Black Woman 
• 2 Structure of Black Woman 
• 3 Poetic Techniques in Black Woman 
• 4 Analysis of Black Woman 

Summary of Black Woman  

In the first lines of ‘Black Woman,’ the speaker , a black woman, likely Johnson herself, addresses a child that she’d like to have but is not ready to. This child is knocking on her door, a metaphor for her heart, trying to be born into the world. Even though the speaker wants to have this child she knows that it’s not the right choice. The world is not kind to children, especially black children. She is well aware of this and hopes to wait until a better time when a child will grow up in a world ready to accept them.  

Structure of Black Woman  

‘ Black Woman’ by Georgia Douglas Johnson is a two-stanza poem that is separated into two sets of eight lines, known as octaves . These octaves follow a rhyme scheme of ABCBDEAB, changing end sounds from stanza to stanza. The lines bounce back and forth between eight syllables and six, with only a few exceptions. While the rhythm , in part due to the meter , but mostly due to the rhyme scheme, feels upbeat, the content is quite dark. This contrast is an interesting one, especially considering the fact that the poem is directed at a child.  

Poetic Techniques in Black Woman  

Johnson makes use of several poetic techniques in ‘Black Woman’. These include but are not limited to repetition , epistrophe , alliteration , and metaphor. The first of these, repetition, is the use and reuse of a specific technique, word, tone , or phrase within a poem. There are several examples in ‘Black Woman’ of Johnson using this technique. For instance, “cruel, cruel” in line seven of the first stanza and “Be still, be still” in line seven of the second stanza. Both of these instances play into the overall sing-song-like rhythm of the poem.  

Alliteration occurs when words are used in succession, or at least appear close together, and begin with the same sound. For example, “what” and “world” in line three of the first stanza and “Be,” “be,” and “birth” in the last line of the second stanza. Epistrophe is the repetition of the same word, or a phrase, at the end of multiple lines or sentences. For example, “child” and “in” in stanza one.  

A metaphor is a comparison between two, unlike things that do not use “like” or “as” is also present in the text. When using this technique a poet is saying that one thing is another thing, they aren’t just similar. There is a good example in the first line of the poem when the speaker asks the child to stop knocking at her “door”. This is a metaphor for her heart and her body in general.  

Analysis of Black Woman  

Stanza one  .

Don’t knock at my door, little child, I cannot let you in, You know not what a world this is Of cruelty and sin. Wait in the still eternity Until I come to you, The world is cruel, cruel, child, I cannot let you in!

In the first stanza of ‘Black Woman,’ the speaker, a black woman, addresses her child. She asks this child not to “knock at [her] door”. This is a multilayered metaphor that refers to her heart as well as her womb. She acknowledges the child with kind language, wishing that they could come into the world. But she knows that she “cannot” let them in.  

She continues to talk to the children, telling them that they have no idea what the world is like. It is filled with “cruelty and sin” and she couldn’t bear to let the child in. She asks that the child “Wait in the still of eternity” until it is the right time for her to give birth. This is clearly something she doesn’t want to do but she believes it is the right choice. This alludes to the possibility that there will be a time in the future when things are different.  

Don’t knock at my heart, little one, I cannot bear the pain Of turning deaf-ear to your call Time and time again! You do not know the monster men Inhabiting the earth, Be still, be still, my precious child, I must not give you birth!

The second stanza of ‘Black Woman’  is similar to the first in the structure of the lines and the words that Johnson uses. She asks the child this time, very clearly, not to knock on her heart. It’s too painful for her to bear. Emotionally, the knowledge of the possibility of this child is hurting her, therefore, she uses a technique known as apostrophe to speak to the child (although it cannot hear her) and beg them to leave her heart alone.  

If the child would stop calling then she’d be able to bear the pain of not answering. The impulse inside to bring a child into the world is a strong one. She doesn’t want to resist it but she is.  

In the fifth line of this stanza, Johnson makes use of alliteration with the phrase “monster men”. This is a child-appropriate way of describing the acts of men on earth. The word “earth” rhymes perfectly with “birth” in the last line. The poem concludes by speaking clearly on what the speaker wants and what she believes she can’t have at this time.  

Get PDFs for this Poem

Log in or join Poetry + to access all PDFs for this poem.

Home » Georgia Douglas Johnson » Black Woman

About Emma Baldwin

Join the poetry chatter and comment.

Exclusive to Poetry + Members

Join Conversations

Share your thoughts and be part of engaging discussions.

Expert Replies

Get personalized insights from our Qualified Poetry Experts.

Connect with Poetry Lovers

Build connections with like-minded individuals.

Access the Complete PDF Guide of this Poem

Poetry+ PDF Guides are designed to be the ultimate PDF Guides for poetry. The PDF Guide consists of a front cover, table of contents, with the full analysis, including the Poetry+ Review Corner and numerically referenced literary terms, plus much more.

Get the PDF Guide

Experts in Poetry

Our work is created by a team of talented poetry experts, to provide an in-depth look into poetry, like no other.

Cite This Page

Baldwin, Emma. "Black Woman by Georgia Douglas Johnson". Poem Analysis , https://poemanalysis.com/georgia-douglas-johnson/black-woman/ . Accessed 29 August 2024.

Help Center

Request an Analysis

(not a member? Join now)

Poem PDF Guides

PDF Learning Library

Beyond the Verse Podcast

Poetry Archives

Poetry Explained

Poet Biographies

Useful Links

Poem Explorer

Poem Generator

[email protected]

Poem Solutions Limited, International House, 36-38 Cornhill, London, EC3V 3NG, United Kingdom

Download Poetry PDF Guides

Complete Poetry PDF Guide

Perfect Offline Resource

Covers Everything You Need to Know

One-pager 'snapshot' PDF

Offline Resource

Gateway to deeper understanding

(and discover the hidden secrets to understanding poetry)

Get PDFs to Help You Learn Poetry

250+ Reviews

Get this Poem Analysis as an Offline Resource

Poetry+ PDF Guides are designed to be the ultimate PDF Guides for poetry. The PDF Guide contains everything to understand poetry.

Black Woman by Leopold Sedar Senghor Summary/Analysis, Background, Setting, Theme and Figurative Expression

Background  

“Black Woman” is written by an African poet named Leopold Sedar Senghor who has overtime though of how to beautify the blackness of a black woman as against what has been hold against it in past time of black symbolizing evil, fear, dread and so on, this poem is basically in counter reaction against the very poems that has been written by lot of white writer praising the whiteness of white woman. Writers like Dante, Boccaccio,  and Yeats have devoted part of their writings to the elaborate description of the aesthetics of the white woman: her white and elegant hands, the face’s whiteness, its radiance as that of the sun, its dazzling, as the moon, etc. Over time, a woman’s beauty was to be seen in terms of her whiteness, candour, glory and emotion incandescence. However, Senghor’s poem published in 1936 was the first time an African was devoting poems to the beauty of the African woman when this had never been thought about. Senghor derived the impetus from the Harlem Renaissance movement of African-American writers of the 1920s in New York. He was to promote this self-assertion using the medium of negritude, a term first used by Aimé Cesaire in a 1932 poem. “Black Woman” was thus a revolutionary poem, published at a time not too many people were ready for it. It thus became Senghor’s most cited poem, largely because of its ideological content and because the black woman was for the first time eulogized. with this new evolution by Senghor, many other writers have follow suit as to appreciation of the beauty of the skin of a black woman.

The setting of a place is the time and place where the literary work of art has been carried out, the setting of the poem is Africa. However, when the poet entitles his poem Black Woman he is referring to the black woman, whether she is in Africa or elsewhere, say in the Americas or the Caribbean. The home of all blacks is Africa. As pointed out earlier, Senghor broke new grounds. Rather than write a poem and praise the white woman, he devoted a poem entirely to one black woman which eventually is to, and for all African females. Africa, as earlier said, is the poem’s scene in terms of time and physical locale. The poem is set in the 1920s and 1930s when no thought was spared for the black woman in matters of appeal or charm. All features which should have been used to paint her ugliness and nastiness become rehabilitated /and given positive valuations. Rehabilitated are such terms as “naked”, “black” “shadow”, dark??. ‘”somber raptures”, “mouth”, “tom-tom”, “solemn contralto voice”, “spiritual song” (which reminds one of Black American spirituals), “oil”, “flanks”, “night of your skin”,. “watered skin” “shadow of your hair”, “suns of your eyes” etc. Ordinarily, the above words and expressions would have meant very little, but the poet uses them to describe, and cause the admiration for the image of the black woman.

The images used in the poem remind us of natural events such as animals, the bush (“savannah”‘), ripe fruit, black wine, East Wind (the elements) paradise, pearls, red gold, sun-baked pass (a route in a mountainous area) etc. As a consequence, the scene is largely of the thicket, “heart of summer”, “flash of an eagle”, “‘sun-baked pass”, “somber raptures” and a specific land which the poem identifies as “my Promised Land. The black woman’s beauty may be ephemeral, but it is conceived in the other world which suggests some kind of permanence. The poetic persona has to praise this beauty quickly, while it lasts, before probably through cremation (burning of a corpse) it is turned to ashes to serve as manure “to feed the root of life”. This also would symbolize the fact that Africans needs to appreciate what they have as not to throw out what has been endowed to them by nature away all because of having option (The white way)

Subject Matter/Summary

Senghor stance here is to praise the beauty of the black woman who is nothing but an epitome of beauty.Either the woman is actually “naked” or she has been undressed by the poetic persona’s eyes. The black woman is “clothed” with her colour of black, with shapely beauty. When the poet says “in your shadow I have grown up”, our mind engages a mother who has looked after a child from infancy to adulthood during which “the gentleness of your hands was laid over my eyes.” Every segment of the poem is addressed to “Naked woman, black woman.” When it is not “black woman,” it is “dark woman” which may be a shade of blackness. The black woman in question is “firm-fleshed ripe fruit” akin to the “raptures of black wine,” akin to “mouth making lyrical my mouth.” That is a tasty wine. This “naked woman” has a “solemn contralto voice” just like a “spiritual song” sung by “the Beloved.” The woman is a “gazelle limbed in paradise.” The poet sings of a “beauty that passes,” the beauty can only be found in the world beyond. Only “jealous Fate” will turn this beauty “to ashes to feed the roots of life.”

The black woman is naked. This naked woman must be totally so because we are informed that she is “clothed with your colour” which is the colour of life with a beautiful shape. It is in the “shadow” of this woman that the poetic persona grew up; “the gentleness of your hands” (1. 3) may have smothered his face as a child, evincing care and concern.

The poetic persona has turned mature; it is “at the heart of summer,/at the heart of noon” (I. 6-7). He comes upon his “Promised Land” (Africa) (I. 8), at the climax of her beauty which strikes him “to the heart like the flash of/an eagle” (I. 9-10).

Lines 11-19

The poetic persona invokes “Naked woman, dark woman” (1. 11). The woman has moved from being “black” to being “dark.” Each colour is a shade of the other and thus means the same. The “naked woman” is metaphorically a “firm fleshed ripe fruit’, akin to the “somber raptures of black wine”, (L. 12) epitomized by “mouth making lyrical my mouth” (I. 13). This is sensual, provocative, if not downright erotic. The image is that of a vast space of the “savannah stretching to clear horizons, savanna/shuddering beneath the East Wind’s eager caresses” (I. 14-15). It is a savannah village, probably Senghor’s Joal in Senegal where “carved tom-tom, taut tom-tom” (1.16) announces that a battle has been won. Our attention is drawn once again to the black woman with her “solemn contralto voice” which sings “the spiritual song of the/Beloved” (W. 18-19).

Lines 20-24

The naked woman’s beauty is further heightened by referring to “oil that no breath ruffles” (1. 21). The oil the naked woman spots is compared to the type that issues from “the athlete’s flanks” or from “the flanks of the Princes of Mali” (I. 22). The ‘flanks refers to the meat located between the end of the rib region and the hip. This portion is usually oily when cooked. The “dark woman” is “gazelle limbed” created in “paradise” just as “pearls are stars on the night/of your skin” (W. 24-25). The “pearls” may be referring to the ornaments on the body of the “naked woman, dark woman.”

Lines 25-28

The naked woman causes “delights of the mind” (1. 25) in the same way that “red gold” glints and adorns the woman’s watered skin” (1. 26). An essential dimension of her beauty is “the shadow of her] hair” (2. 27) which is also deeply dark or black. Her eyes are compared to “suns” said to be “neighboring” (4. 24) because they happen to be juxtaposed (i.e. set side by side) the way the (eyes) are located on the human face.

Lines 29-33

The poet returns to the use of “black woman” as an apostrophe to whom he sings. Because the woman is mortal, her beauty “passes” although her form and shape is eternally crafted. Her beauty corresponds to those of creatures in another world. The poetic persona wants to have enough of the “black woman” as quickly as possible “before jealous Fate” turns her “to ashes to feed the/roots of life” (I. 33).

1. The Natural Beauty of Africa 

As pointed out earlier, beauty had not been associated with the African woman. But as negritude had tried to establish, the black woman is beautiful. The entire poem is devoted to the beauty of the black female. To be able to do this, the woman had to be totally naked or metaphorically undressed by the poetic persona’s eyes. The poet does not seem to be addressing this poem to a particular woman as those he devoted to Naett or the woman he makes reference to in the poem, “I Will Pronounce Your Name.” With respect to “Black Woman,” the reference to woman is in the generic sense of the word from the perspective of the African. The poet describes her colour, shape, shadow and the gentleness of her hands. Elements of beauty are evoked in “sun-baked pass”, the ‘heart of summer” and “the heart of noon.” The reference to “Promised Land” suggests the poet may also be talking about Africa herself as is common in negritude poetry. Other references to African beauty are “firm-fleshed ripe fruit’, “somber raptures of black wine” “mouth making lyrical my mouth”, “East Wind’s eager caresses” “‘solemn contralto voice”, “the Beloved”, “calm oil on the athlete’s flanks”, “gazelle limbed in paradise”, “pearls are stars on the night/of your skin”, “glinting of the red gold’, “watered skin”, “neighboring suns of the eyes” etc. As already mentioned, these elements of beauty could be referring to the African land as well. However, what is obvious and direct are the nakedness and blackness of the African woman.

2. Blackness as Epitome of beauty

Before Senghor’s poem of the 1930s, blackness was not a subject of anything- be it aesthetics, psychology, humanism or even history. In Senghor’s poetry, blackness for the first time became a subject of aesthetics because it (blackness) required to be rehabilitated. Many words and expressions which reflected blackness were for the first time given prominence. For instance, the naked woman is said to be “clothed with your colour which is life” (1. 2). In other words, blackness is here recognized as the ‘colour of life.’ Both the woman’s colour and her shadow are also recognized; her beauty “strikes me to the heart like the flash of/an eagle” (I. 9-10). Eagle is a bird of beauty and elegance. The “wine” that has “raptures” is “black” and leaves the “mouth making lyrical my mouth” (I. 13). Savannah is an African landscape feature; because of its vastness, it stretches “to clear horizons” (1. 14) which enables “the East Wind’s eager caresses” (I. 15) to roam freely. The beating of the “carved tom-tom, taut tom- tom” (L. 16) is let loose across the savannah area. The tom-tom is a small drum often held under the armpit of its beater. Here it is “the Conqueror’s fingers” that beat it, when a war is to be declared or when one has been won. Blackness is also noticeable in “Under the shadow of your hair” (1. 27) and “the neighboring suns of your eyes” (1.28). After all Africans are known for good neighborliness as evinced by the nearness of the human eyes.

3. The Womanness of African Land

In the poem, the black woman could pass for the African land. It is naked and laid bare by many years of exploitation by colonization. It is a beautiful land whose soil is black as well. It is “clothed with your colour which is life, with your form/which is beauty!” (I. 2-3) The protagonist grows up “in your shadow” possessing “the gentleness of your hands” (11.4-5). The sun is intense, “high up on the sun- baked pass at the heart of/summer’ (I. 6-7). The African land is the “Promised Land” whose beauty “strikes me to the heart like the flash of/an eagle” (11.9-10). The land bears “firm-fleshed ripe fruit’ from which “black wine” is brewed; some quantity of this “black wine” would “make my mouth lyrica!” with song or even speech. The poet’s Serere tribal land is a “savannah stretching to clear horizons, savannah/shuddering beneath the East Wind’s eager caresses” (I. 14-15). The “carved tom-tom, taut tom-tom” is no where known as in Africa, beaten by “the Conqueror’s fingers” after or before the commencement of an internecine war. The soil” and the “calm oil” issue from the land of intense sun; it is also the land of “gazelle limbed in paradise” (1. 23) whose stars are “pearls on the night of your skin” (11. 23-24). The Africanness of this land is accentuated “under the shadow of your hair” (1. 27) and “the neighboring suns of your eyes” (I. 28). The sun’ in this poem pluralized, also recalls Africa, the home of intense tropical sun and heat.

4. A successful “anti-racist racism’

A negritude poem is one in which everything African is praised so that Africa can attract respect. The reason for it is that before negritude, everything African was cajoled and criticized as unwholesome. In order to reverse what was then in vogue, there was a need to reverse the negative image of Africa. A French philosopher by name Jean-Paul Sartre called this effort *anti-racist racism’. While a poem like “Black Woman” is anti-racist, it is also a promotion of racism, this time against the whites. However, Senghor must have felt well for his poem to have been effective and achieved the purpose it had sought to achieve The poet centres his work on a black woman who is naked. Not on one that wears anything. This is to present her as she was created because adornments such as clothing could exaggerate a woman’s beauty or even suppress it. Rather than be clothed with an apparel, this one is “clothed with your colour (black) which is life, with your form which is beauty!” (I. 2-3) Form is the figure, the shape. The poet invokes her “shadow” which is also black. It was out of this shadow that “I have grown up” (1. 4). That is, the poet-protagonist was catered for by this shadow, probably the mother’s. He further remarks that “the gentleness of your hands was laid over my eyes” (I. 4-5). Both the “heart of summer” and “the heart of noon” (I. 6-7) are terms of beauty and credited to “naked woman, black woman.” The poet praises the black woman’s beauty as striking him “to the heart like the flash of/an eagle” (W. 9-10).

This black woman is “firm-fleshed ripe fruit” akin to the “somber raptures of black wine’ (. 12). Not red wine or white wine! The poet goes on to describe her environ – the savannah – which is cuddled by “the East Wind’s eager caresses” (I. 15). The tom-tom issues African music throughout the “savannah stretching to clear horizons” (I. 14). The woman’s voice issues in a “solemn contralto”. (1. 18) in the well-known feminine voice. All other descriptions of the black woman as “oil that no breath ruffles” or “calm oil on the athlete’s flanks” (11. 21-22); “gazelle limbed in paradise” (L. 23) “paradise” (1 23), “delights of the mind” (, 25), “the glinting of red gold” (1, 25); “Watered skin” (L. 26) etc, are aesthetic terms, terms of, and about beauty which demand or yield admiration. As a poet, he sings of the Black Woman’s “beauty that passes” even as the “form” (of this beauty) has been derived from the Eternal”, the other world. The poet assures that he will praise this before him like one in a haste “before jealous Fate turn you to ashes to feed the/toots of life” (11. 32-33). Thus the poet recognizes the Black Woman’s mortality which is the lot of all human beings – white or black.

Language and Style

l. Rejection of European standards of beauty

Through the use of an impassioned language, Senghor rejects the European standards of beauty, and instead creates his own. A beautiful woman has to be judged from her total nakedness when she has no clothes on. This appears an uncanny suggestion or a desire to be erotic! However, the fact is that Senghor’s idea of beauty is to be realized most fully when the woman is assessed from nature. Black is the colour which should matter because it is the colour of life; it is also the “form/which is beauty!” The poet promotes all attributes of the black woman and of Africa such as “shadow” (mentioned twice in the poem), “sun-baked pass’ (Africa being the land of sunshine). The “heart of summer” and “the heart of noon?, each points to what the sun can do at these times. The poet emphasizes ripeness and maturity as when he refers to “firm-fleshed ripe fruit”,  “somber raptures of black wine” “taut tom tom”. “contralto voice”, “oil that no breath ruffles”, “calm oil”, “gazelle limbed in paradise”, “the glinting of red gold’, the “neighboring suns” etc. These are some of the bases upon which an African woman’s beauty is to be judged. Notice also that the poet makes reference to “naked woman, black (or dark) woman” several times which shows that he is not keen about the beauty of any other human species.

2. Sensual imagery

The poem has images that evoke pleasurable and/or erotic sensations. Even the reference to “naked woman” already recalls sensuality; she is “clothed with your colour” which reinforces the nakedness. There is “the gentleness of your hands” which smothers his eyes. One of the most effective uses of sensuality in the poem is for the poet to have remarked thus: “And your beauty strikes me to the heart like the flash of/an eagle’. Other sensual images include, “firm-fleshed ripe fruit’, “mouth making lyrical my mouth”, “East Wind’s eager caresses”, “‘taut tom-tom”. “contralto voice”. “spiritual song of the/Beloved’, “calm oil”, “the athlete’s/flanks”, “gazelle limbed”. “pearls are stars” “delights of the mind”; “the glinting of red gold against/your watered skin” etc. The poet also refers to the woman’s beauty as having a shape (“form”) which is other-worldly and refers to “Fate” as being “jealous” as men could be if they share a woman with another man or know that she is available to their rival.

3. Ambiguity and abstraction

Ambiguity is a word or sentence that is open to more than one interpretation, explanation or meaning, especially if that meaning, for instance, cannot be determined from its context. Similarly, an abstraction is the act of generalizing features and characteristics, an idea of an unrealistic or visionary nature. Abstractions in a piece of poetry would be imprecise, occasionally making what is said to be ambiguous or making meaning contained therein to be double-deckered. How, for instance, may one who is naked “clothed with your colour which life…”? Has life a colour? The expression, “In your shadow I have grown up” either means “I grew up while sitting or learning under your shadow” or “Your shadow has enabled me to grow up.” The poet describes the naked woman as ” “my Promised Land.”

Refences : BK’s Summary Literature for student

Comprehensive Literature text for SSCE

Thanks for stopping by to get this from us, we’re delighted we could be of help, we’d like we see you around some other time.

Related posts:

• The Song of The Women of My Land (Background, setting, summary and Theme)
• The leader and the lead by Oumar Farouk full summary/analysis, theme, poetic devices
• Full summary of “Raider of the Treasure Trove” by Lade Wosornu, themes and poetic devices
• Full summary of “A Government Driver on His Retirement” by Onu Kingsley Chibuike, Theme and poetic devices

Related Posts

Ibkemmanuel

Hi, I'm IBK Emmanuel, A 500 level student at University of Lagos, Entrepreneur, Podcaster, Tutor and also Vlogger inter Alia, and I welcome you to the about me page of our lovely Note : UNILAG Post UTME 2024 is out from 5th of August- 23rd of August! Register with us now by texting 08130184805 website, I hope you have a good experience navigating around so far, please if there is any question, you can with all pleasure ask, and i will in my best interest answer all your questions. We also register student for any form of examination ranging from GCE, WAEC, JAMB, P.UME, JUPEB and so on, we'd like you business with us as we deliver you the best service. Not to forget we also conduct both online (free and paid for) and offline Tutorials (home service for people around Lagos, the banner have have some of our service). You can contact us on : WHATSAPP : 08130184805 PHONE : 08130184805 FACEBOOK : IBKINTELLECT page

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Email Address: *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

WC Captcha 88 − 79 =

Find out who owns any domain name with the WHOIS tool or use the domain name search tool to find your own domain

literaturestudents.com

The poem "Black woman" by Léopold Sédar Senghor - SS1 Literature Lesson Note

The poem "Black Woman" by Léopold Sédar Senghor is a celebration of the beauty and power of Black women. The poem begins with a description of the woman's physical features, comparing her to a "statue of ebony" with "eyes like torches." Senghor then goes on to praise her strength and resilience, comparing her to a "tower of ivory" and a "fortress of strength."

In the second stanza of the poem, Senghor praises the woman's fertility and her ability to give life. He compares her to a "field of corn" and a "river of life." Senghor also praises the woman's wisdom and intelligence, comparing her to a "library of ancestral knowledge."

The poem ends with a declaration of love for the Black woman. Senghor tells her that he loves her "more than words can say." He also tells her that she is "the source of all my life."

"Black Woman" is a powerful and moving poem that celebrates the beauty, strength, and resilience of Black women. The poem is a reminder that Black women are not only objects of beauty, but also powerful and intelligent individuals who deserve to be celebrated and respected.

Black Woman

Naked woman, dark woman Daughter of the sun My night, my moon My continent

Your nakedness fills my nights With wonder like the first day Of creation

Your beauty, the beauty of life itself Your eyes, the torches of the night Your skin, soft as velvet Your breasts, like towers of ivory

You are my fortress of strength My field of corn My river of life

You are the library of ancestral knowledge You are the source of all my life

My naked woman, my dark woman I love you more than words can say.

The poem "Black Woman" is a celebration of the beauty and power of Black women. The poem is written in a free verse style, which allows Senghor to express his thoughts and feelings in a more fluid and natural way. The poem is also full of vivid imagery, which helps to create a strong impression on the reader.

One of the most notable features of the poem is its use of personification. Senghor compares the woman to various natural objects, such as a "field of corn," a "river of life," and a "library of ancestral knowledge." This helps to create a sense of connection between the woman and the natural world.

Senghor also uses a number of other literary devices in the poem, such as alliteration, assonance, and metaphor. These devices help to create a sense of rhythm and flow to the poem, and they also help to emphasize the beauty and strength of the Black woman.

Overall, "Black Woman" is a powerful and moving poem that celebrates the beauty, strength, and resilience of Black women. The poem is a reminder that Black women are not only objects of beauty, but also powerful and intelligent individuals who deserve to be celebrated and respected.

Add a Comment

Notice: Posting irresponsibily can get your account banned!

No responses

Featured Posts

A Comprehensive Analysis Of Black Woman by Leopold Senghor 

Senghor’s ‘Black Woman’, published in 1936, is a poem praising the black woman in contrast to the biased view of beauty being attributed to white skin. The poem is a negritude poem, which was the first poem (at the time it was published ) in praise of a black woman. The poem specifically portrays a black woman as an epitome of beauty, praising her for her black and natural self, and attaching pride to black skin. The poem praising the black woman can also, by extension, be seen as praising the continent of Africa as a whole, debunking the view that the Western world is superior and Africa inferior.

The poet illustrates the value of our African skin, and our root, and therefore urge Africans o celebrate their black skin, their root, and their Africa. The poem has a simple diction, one that expresses beauty as natural(naked). The mood of the poem is that of idolization, as the poet praises the beauty of a black woman.

BLACK WOMAN POEM ANALYSIS

Senghor’s ‘Black Woman’ begins with the announcement of a naked black woman who is clothed with the color of life and beauty. This woman, Senghor portrays as having gentleness and charm, expressing the warmth this woman offers. The poet personae, who might have been nurtured by a black woman, praises her care and warmth.

As the poem proceeds, Senghor shifts his reader’s attention to the physical features of the ‘black woman’, comparing her to ‘ripe fruit’ and ‘black wine’ and she has qualities that should be announced to the world. The poet associates the black woman with the ‘savannah stretching yo clear horizons’ and ‘savannah shuddering beneath the East wind’s eager caresses. These lines portray the image of the African continent, painting a picture of the tropical regions filled with fresh green grass and few trees. She is depicted as a well-sculptured drum that gives an appealing sound under the fingers of her conquerors. Her voice is said to possess a spiritual undertone of the loved one.

In conclusion, the poet preserves the beauty of the black woman in poetry, revealing that although nothing endures forever, this song about her beauty will continue to be sung.

POETIC DEVICES USED IN THE POEM BLACK WOMAN

We’ve considered the analysis of the poem ‘Black Woman’, now let’s consider the figurative devices used in the poem.

This device runs through the poem, as the poet compares the black woman to the promised land, ripe fruit, Savannah, owl, and gazelle, as seen in lines 4,7,12, and 13.

This refers to a direct comparison. The poet portrays the use of this device in the line below:

  “Your beauty strikes me to the heart like the flash of an eagle.”

In the above line, the poet uses ‘like’ to show a comparison between the black woman and the nobility of the eagle.

The poet employs the massive use of imagery as the lines paint images of nature such as the wind, sun, moon, night, and stars. A geographical image such as the ‘savannah’ is also depicted. Another imagery is seen in the lines :

“Gazelle limbed in paradise”

We see the image of an antelope running in a paradise-like forest.

The poet uses imagery to emphasize the beauty of the black woman and to provide the reader with an image of the continent of Africa.

This device is used to refer to something already known. The poet employs biblical allusion in the line below:

 “I come upon you, my promised land..”

In the above, the poet alludes to the biblical promised land to emphasize the bright hope Africa possesses.

The poet uses this device to make emphasis, as seen in the repetition of “naked woman, black woman” in lines 1 and line 6, and “naked woman, dark woman” is also repeated in lines 11 and 16, expressing the natural beauty of a black woman.

ALLITERATION

In line 1, “Naked woman, black woman”, s alliterates

In line 2,” Clothed with your color…” k alliterates

In line 14, “Savannah stretching…” s alliterates

In line 15, “Savannah shuddering…’ s alliterates

In line 12, “… Flanks, on the flanks…”. f alliterates.

Senghor employs symbolic terms to represent the ideas in his poem. Words like the promised land, ripe fruit, Savannah, oil, and gazelle symbolize the natural beauty of the African woman. Also , the poet uses the black woman to represent the continent of Africa, as well as African women.

Read Also: Caged Bird Figurative Devices by Maya Angelou

Related Posts

TOP TWENTY SIGNIFICANCE OF PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT IN EDUCATION

20+ Characters Analysis of Second Class Citizen by Buchi Emecheta

POEM || The Anvil and the Hammer By Kofi Awoonor

Write a comment cancel reply.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

Literary Africa

Literarure in africa: african poetry, african entertainment, west african music reviews, african literature, analysis of “black woman” by léopold senghor.

Through out his poems, Senghor has always been an everlasting beacon when it comes to projecting the image and perception of Africa in an appealing light. “Black Woman” continues this laudable trajectory and offers a worthy praise to the continent by emphasizing its attractive qualities to the envy of the rest of the world.

Subject matter

The persona in “ Black Woman ” elevates the beauty, purity, strategic location, cultural heritage and the personality of Africa, that has been personified as a woman that offers enormous comfort to the persona. As one boasts of his possessions, so should one also be aware of attracting envious eyes, even from ‘fate’ and as the persona is well aware of this fact, he ends his praise by hinting on the impending demise of the “woman” by “her” detractor, ‘fate’. This impending destruction is what propels the urgency and necessity needed by the persona to sing the “woman’s” praises while she still can appreciate them.

Line Analysis of the poem

The poem begins with a direct call “Naked woman, black woman…” and culminates into the comfort that ‘she’ has given the persona since his childhood, “…In your shadow I have grown up…”. The ‘woman’ which could be representative of Africa, nurtured the persona and he in turn expresses gratitude and praise for ‘her’ gentleness and charm.

The persona shifts his focus to the physical features of the ‘woman’ and through this, proceeds to metaphorically adore the landscape and geography of the continent. His comparison of the “black woman” to ‘ripe fruit’ and ‘black wine’ lays bare the qualities that he intends to project to the rest of the world. “Savannah stretching to clear horizons…” secures another praise for the geography of the continent. The persona refers to the ‘woman’ as ‘…the Promised Land’ which is a biblical allusion to further stress the importance of the ‘woman’ to him.

The cultural heritage of drumming and singing receives the next praise from the persona as he considers these activities as distinctly something that the ‘black woman’, Africa, offers. The drummers are described as ‘Conquerors’ while the singers’ voices are viewed as ‘solemn’ and ‘spiritual’. These attributes contribute to the esteemed qualities of the ‘woman’. The persona further brings to the fore the even tempered nature of the woman, her graciousness when she moves and her ability to bring the best out of others, “… pearls are stars on the night of your skin…”

The persona again glowingly reiterates the comfort that he had received from the ‘woman’ by stating, “… Under the shadow of your hair, my care // is lightened by the neighbouring suns of your eyes.”. This brings him to the point where he finds it his duty to sing the praises of the ‘black woman’ and make her know her value. The end of the poem reveals the persona’s awareness, that nothing is bound to endure forever and so soon, the ‘black woman’ may have to make way and give up all her qualities in order for there to be a new beginning as expressed in, “…Before jealous fate turn you to ashes to feed the roots of life”

Share this:

7 thoughts on “ analysis of “black woman” by léopold senghor ”.

I love this webs

Give 10 attributes and explain in three sentences each

Reblogged this on THE IVY BLOG .

perfect analysis

Secrets can no more be hidden from Africans in a book.

it a poem to learn about

Leave a comment Cancel reply

• Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
• Subscribe Subscribed
• Copy shortlink
• Report this content
• View post in Reader
• Manage subscriptions
• Collapse this bar

ITS MYSCHOOL LIBRARY

Your classroom in a blink.

Literature in English

The Black Woman By Leopold Senghor: Summary Analysis And Study Guide For WAEC, GCE, JAMB.

Lesson Note,

Subject: Literature In English,

Topic: Analysis Of The poem “The Black Woman”

Lesson Objectives: By the end of this lesson, the learners should be able to:

• Recite the poem ” The Black Woman”
• Narrate the background of the poet,
• State the subject matter of the poem,
• Identify and describe the themes used in the poem,
• State the structure of the poem,
• Mention and explain the styles in the poem,
• Evaluate and place judgement on the poem.

Lesson summary Aids: See referenced materials below contents.

Lesson Summary / Discussions

The full poem.

LEOPOLD SEDAR SENGHOR ( The Black Woman ) Naked woman, black woman Clothed with your colour which is life, with your form Which is beauty ! In your shadow I have grown up; the gentleness of Your hands was laid over my eyes. And now. High up on the sun – baked pass, at the heart of Summer, at the heart of noon, I came upon you, my Promised land. 5.And your beauty strikes me to the heart like the flash of An eagle. Naked woman, dark woman Firm-flesed ripe fruit, somber raptures of black wine, Mouth making lyrical my mouth Savannah stretching to clear horizons, Savannah Shuddering beneath the east wind’s eager caresses Carved tom-tom, taut tom-tom, muttering under the Conqueror’s fingers 10. Your solemn contralto voice is the spiritual song of the beloved. Naked woman, dark woman Oil that no breath ruffles, calm on the athlete’s Flanks, on the flanks of the princess of Mali Gazelle limbed in Paradise, pearls are stars on the right Of your skin Delights of the mind, the glinting of red gold against Your watered skin 15. Under the shadow of your hair, my care is lighted by The neighbouring suns of your eyes Naked woman, black woman, I sing your beauty that passes, the form that I fix in the Eternal, Before jealous fate turn you to ashes to feed the Roots of life.

See 2022 WAEC past questions with solutions on Literature in English

ABOUT THE POET

Leopold Senghor was born in joal, Senegal in 1906, he was Educated in Dakar, Senegal and Paris, france. Leopold was the first west African to graduate at the Sorbonne (a part the university of paris). He was regarded as the Father of negritude (negro) . it is based on the philosophy that promotes the consciousness and pride in the African heritage, it cherishes the state of being a black man, and his cultural values. As a Catholic, he wanted to be a priest, but later got involved in the cultural and political activities of his country. During the second world war, he fought on the side of the French and was taken as a prisoner of war in the then Nazi Germany. He rose to the position of deputy of Senegal in the French constituent Assembly. In 1960, he became the first president of an independent Republic of Senegal of Senegal. He retired from active politics in 1980.

SUBJECT MATTER

This poem was originally written in French as “femme notr”, and later translated to English. It is a hymn of praise to the African black woman as a person and symbol of the richness of African culture. The black woman is seen as a mother, daughter, sister and indeed the poet’s home country, Senegal. Senghor’s experiences while living abroad influenced his writing of this ode to the black woman, whose beauty is natural and perfect. He also uses the poem to ,stress the need to accord the black woman her rightful place in the scheme of things in the African society.

Practise waec past questions and answers for literature

the poem has the controlling theme of the beauty of the black woman. The poet admires the beautiful smooth skin of the African woman. Which strikes his heart ” like the lighting of the eagle” he appreciates the powerful black presence of the natural black woman around him right from his childhood. The African woman’s body is compared to the of a ripened fruit, and whose resonant contralto voice is regarded as the spiritual anthem of the nation. Senghor describes the African woman as elegant, graceful and pure in all her physical attributes. There is also the theme of the African woman as the source and sustainer of the growing child . The poet express his love and appreciation to his mother and indeed mother Africa, for the care, protection until he enters the “promised land” of adulthood. The ability of black woman to give birth and sustain the life of the infant child is commended in the poem. The role of the African woman as the first teacher of the child is exposed by the poet, as he remembers his mother’s tutelage at the various stages of childhood that sustained his growth into adulthood. The poem also has the theme of the beauty of Africa . The poet personifies Africa as the black woman , who’s ever beautiful. He is proud of the undiluted culture and physical features that make the African heritage unique. Senghor presents mother Africa a paragon of beauty and complete perfection without any western influence before the colonization. It is important to note that the poem uses word like : nakedness, blackness, darkness to describe the perfect beauty of Africa. These words are normally used to Connor the “uncivilized peoples” of Africa. The poet sees nothing negative or evil about Africa, but rather a “promised land” that flows with milk and honey. The theme of the nurturing role of mother Africa also pervades the poem. Senghor reflects on his childhood, and long for the land of his birth, Senegal. His reflection is necessitated by the experiences in France. Which made him to remember where he was brought up as a child. He recollects his childhood days, and regards the period as a form of paradise. Besides, he refers to the black woman as the ” promised land” in the poem. He describes how the African woman nurtures her child in the African continent. In the light of this nurturing role, he sees the black woman not only as an individual but by extension the symbol of African heritage. There is also the theme of praise in the poem. The poet uses choice word to praise the black woman, and the greatness of African woman. He showers praises on the natural black colour of the African womans skin, and everything about the black woman. Her smooth skin is compared to that of an athlete. He further praises the African woman as graceful and elegant as a gazelle. Is praises of the natural beauty of the black woman, also implies the richness of the African culture before the colonization. Childhood memory is another theme in this poem. The poet looks back to the period of his childhood, and remembers his place of birth, Senegal. “In your shadow I have grown up; the gentleness of your hands was laid over my eyes”. It is a memory lane down to his frowning days as a child, which he considers as living in paradise. He sets on a poetic journey to the ” promised land” of his home land, Senegal. He recalls the Caring attitude of his mother, which sustains him as a child. He appreciates the black woman as a wife and mother, who nourishes his childhood.

In the first stanza, the poet expresses his fondness for the black woman. He describes the black colour of her skin as beautiful. Senghor presents Africa as a maternal mother who gives life through birth. And under whose shadow his childhood has been nourished. He sees the gentility of his mother as a shield from any harm until he comes upon the poet’s heart ” …like the flash of an eagle “. He loves and adores the dark skin of the African woman. Senghor presents the black woman as a lover in the second stanza of the poem. He compares the black body of the African woman of a ripened fruit, and the Savannah which ” shuddering beneath ” eagerly caress the east wind. Her skin is further compared to the well “carved tom-tom, taut tom-tom” drum the mutters under a valiant conqueror’s fingers. Besides, her solemn contralto voice has become “….the spiritual song of the beloved ” one’s. Even the words like. Naked and dark are used positively to describe the perfect body of African woman. In the third stanza of the poem, the adoration of the black skin of the African woman continues. Her smooth skin is further compared to that of an athlete “… On the flanks of the princes of Mali, ” the elegant and graceful movement of the black woman is also compared to that of a gazelle limbs formed in paradise. While the pearls shine as star on her skin on a heavenly night of celebration. The shadow of her hair is seen as a cover that has the ability to melt away the worries of the poet by “the neighboring suns” of her charming eyes. In the concluding stanza of this poem, Senghor sees the black woman as Africa personified. He prefers to keep a live the beauty of the African woman perpetually hanging on the walls of his mind. This memory will not be affected even when “…jealous fate (death) turns her .. to ashes to feed the root of life. The natural beauty of the African woman is compared to that of Africa before the colonial masters invaded and colonized the continent.

Diction : the poet uses choice of words to symbolized the beauty of the black woman. He deliberately uses words like nakedness, black and darkness which are seen as negative attributes to praise the natural beauty of the black woman. The poet is also challenging the African woman to appreciate her natural beauty. And to bleach the dark skin in the name of sophisticated culture of the western world. mood : the mode of the poem is that of Adoration. The poet adores the awesome beauty of the black woman. He describes everything about the African woman as naturally beautiful. Senghor sees Africa as the black woman he loves to celebrate. He seeks to adore that state of natural beauty before it is taken away by death. Tone : the poet’s tone of the appreciation of natural beauty of the black woman pervades the poem. He praises the African woman not only for her natural smooth dark skin, but also for the way and manner she brings up her children. Ode : the poem is a hymn of praise to the black woman, an African mother, daughter or sister and indeed mother Africa which deserves to be treated like a woman, the poet praise the natural beauty of the African woman, and stresses the need to accord her the rightful place in the society. Metaphor : the figure of speech prominently used in the poem is that of metaphor. The black woman is compared to the promised land, ripe fruit, Savannah, oil and gazelle in lines 4,7,12, and 13. Simile : the literary device is used by the poet in line 5 “your beauty strikes me to the heart like the flash of an eagle, ” the comparism brings to mind the beauty and nobility of an eagle. Repetition : line 1 “naked woman, black woman” and. Line 6 “naked woman, dark woman ” are repeated in lines 11 and 16 respectively to emphasize the natural beauty of the African woman. Symbolism : Senghor uses symbolic words like: the promised land, ripe fruit, Savannah, oil and gazelle to symbolize the natural beauty of the black woman as a person, as well as a symbol of African woman and mother Africa. Apostrophe : it is a literary device that poet employs to address the black woman, the object of praise as though she were physically present with him. Personification : the black woman is figuratively used to personified the African continent and Senghor’s country, Senegal. The poet uses beauty of colour of the African woman skin to personified the rich African culture before western influence and colonization. Imagery : the poet natural imagery to link the Beauty of the black woman to nature, and by the same token to his homeland of Senegal. Natural images like: wind, sun, noon, night, and stars are presented as attributes of the darkness of the African woman’s skin. Alliteration : the poet uses alliteration to buttress the beauty of the black woman in lines 1,2,3,6,7,9 etc.

Line 1,6,11 and 16 naked woman black woman Line 2 “clothed with your colour which is life, with your form which is beautt” Line 3 “…grown up; the gentleness….” Line 7 ” firm-fleshed ripe fruit….. Mouth making lyrical my mouth ” Line 9 “carved tom-tom, taut tom- tom…” Line 12 “…flanks, on the flanks…”

Evaluation / judgment

The poem written in the first person singular, is no doubt an amazing ode to the black woman. Senghor living abroad, away from his home country, Senegal feels estranged in the midst of Western culture. In the circumstances therefore, he uses this poem to reflect on his childhood and the role played by his mother ( black woman). She is referred to as “promised land” in the poem. He praises the African culture which finds expression in the beauty of a black woman.

The greatness of the poem lies in descriptive and rhythmic ways and manner the black woman is presented to the reader. The poet uses choice words to effectively shower praise on the African woman, whose back skin is seen as life and beautiful. The black woman is presented as Senghor’s affirmation of his cherished African heritage. Some popular musician have also showcased the beauty of the African woman in their song lyrics. Example include “African Queen by 2face Idibia”.

Study question 1. Discuss the poet’s diction in “black woman”. 2. Discuss the effective use of imagery in the poem. 3. Comment on the use of metaphor to portray the beauty of the black woman in the poem. 4. Discuss the theme of the beauty of the ” Black woman “. 5. Examine the poet’s mood in the poem. 6. What is the poet’s attitude towards the ” black woman ” In the poem. 7. Examine Senghor’s use of symbolism in the poem. 8. How does the “black woman” reveals the poet’s childhood and love for mother Africa. 9. How does the poet’s tone portray the beauty of an African woman. 10. How does the poet depict “Black woman” as a nourisher in the poem.

Find this useful? Do stay connected to itsmyschoollibrary.com for more educational contents. We are here to make learning easy for you while you stay home for the pandemic. Stay safe, study hard, success awaits y ou!

Share this:

40 thoughts on “ the black woman by leopold senghor: summary analysis and study guide for waec, gce, jamb. ”.

Add Comment

How as the background of this poet influence the subject matter of the poem

Good analysis

Nice post thanks so much I really appreciate it

really nice lecture

Cul lecture

This was all really helpful in helping me understand the poem but could I get like a note on the setting as well as a summary of the entire importance of the poem.

Good summary. Very useful

Thank so much for this little interpratation

Thanks Now I understand better

Nice peom, may his soul rest in peace.

Nice presentation

It helps me to understand the poem perfectly Thanks.

I apreciate the poem.Thanks for making me understand.

Good summary very useful

The poem was clarified .However, not link to concept of negritude

Thanks, l have a better understanding about the poem now.

It’s very interesting and understanding

Well structured

Very interesting. It deals with african woman

Really nice, and understandable..

VERY INTERESTING

An effective and efficient lecture. Good job

a good President not like ours

This piece was helpful. Thank you

Please I would appreciate if you teach how to answer the study questions correctly This helps alot

Thanks so much It is really helpful Its help’s alot

It very interesting and understanding

Thank you i have understand it well

Really good post Now understand the poem

this is hectic

nice work i love this keep it up

Nice one i like it

Thank you now my own question goes like this How doe the poet employ the use of imagery to paint the picture of Africa?

Love this ?

I only need the summarization of the black woman.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Discover more from its myschool library.

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Type your email…

Continue reading

• Free writing courses
• Famous poetry classics
• Forums: Poet's • Suggestions
• My active groups   see all
• Trade comments
• Print publishing
• Rate comments
• Recent views
• Membership plan
• Contact us + HELP

Black Woman

Comments from the archive

Georgia douglas johnson   follow.

Make comments, explore modern poetry. Join today for free!

Top poems List all »

Have you read these poets? List all »

More by georgia douglas johnson list all ».

• Send Message
• Open Profile in New Window

English Studies

This website is dedicated to English Literature, Literary Criticism, Literary Theory, English Language and its teaching and learning.

“I Am a Black Woman” by Mary Evans: A Critical Analysis

“I Am a Black Woman” by Mary Evans was first published in 1970 in the collection Black Woman: An Anthology of Poems.

Introduction: “I Am a Black Woman” by Mary Evans

Table of Contents

“I Am a Black Woman” by Mary Evans was first published in 1970 in the collection Black Woman: An Anthology of Poems . This powerful poem explores themes of identity, resilience, and the strength of Black womanhood. Evans uses vivid imagery and strong language to convey her experiences and the challenges faced by Black women. The poem’s central message is a celebration of Black womanhood and a defiance of societal expectations and stereotypes.

Text: “I Am a Black Woman” by Mary Evans

I am a black woman the music of my song some sweet arpeggio of tears is written in a minor key and I can be heard humming in the night Can be heard humming in the night I saw my mate leap screaming to the sea and I/with these hands/cupped the lifebreath from my issue in the canebrake I lost Nat’s swinging body in a rain of tears and heard my son scream all the way from Anzio for Peace he never knew….I learned Da Nang and Pork Chop Hill in anguish Now my nostrils know the gas and these trigger tire/d fingers seek the softness in my warrior’s beard I am a black woman tall as a cypress strong beyond all definition still defying place and time and circumstance assailed impervious indestructible Look on me and be renewed

Annotations: “I Am a Black Woman” by Mary Evans

Literary And Poetic Devices : “I Am a Black Woman” by Mary Evans

Themes: “I Am a Black Woman” by Mary Evans

• Resilience and Strength: The poem “I Am a Black Woman” by Mary Evans is a powerful testament to the resilience and strength of Black women. The speaker repeatedly asserts her identity, beginning and ending the poem with the declaration, “I am a black woman.” This repetition emphasizes her unbreakable spirit despite the numerous challenges she faces. The lines “tall as a cypress / strong / beyond all definition still” further illustrate her indomitable nature, likening her to a cypress tree known for its durability and resilience.
• Historical and Generational Trauma: The poem addresses the historical and generational trauma experienced by Black people, particularly Black women. References to significant historical events and figures, such as “Nat’s swinging body” (likely referencing Nat Turner) and battles like “Da Nang and Pork Chop Hill,” highlight the continuous struggle against oppression across different eras. The speaker’s experiences, such as witnessing her “mate leap screaming to the sea” and hearing her “son scream all the way from Anzio,” reflect the collective pain endured by Black families due to slavery, war, and systemic violence.
• The Intersection of Personal and Collective Identity: Mary Evans explores the intersection of personal and collective identity, particularly in how the speaker’s experiences are both deeply personal and representative of the broader Black experience. The line “the music of my song / some sweet arpeggio of tears” suggests that the speaker’s individual story is part of a larger narrative shared by Black women. Her identity is not just her own but is deeply intertwined with the history and struggles of her community, as seen in the shared references to historical events and collective grief.
• Endurance and Defiance Against Oppression: The poem conveys a strong message of endurance and defiance against the various forms of oppression that Black women have faced throughout history. The speaker describes herself as “assailed / impervious / indestructible,” indicating that despite the attacks and hardships, she remains unbroken. This defiance is further emphasized in the lines “defying place / and time / and circumstance,” where the speaker transcends the limitations imposed by society, continuing to assert her identity and strength regardless of the challenges.

Literary Theories and “I Am a Black Woman” by Mary Evans

Critical Questions about “I Am a Black Woman” by Mary Evans

• How does Mary Evans use imagery to convey the speaker’s experiences and emotions?
• Evans employs vivid imagery throughout the poem to evoke the speaker’s experiences and emotions. For example, the image of the speaker “cupping the lifebreath from my issue in the canebrake” suggests the hardships of childbirth and the resilience of Black women in the face of adversity. The metaphor of the speaker being “tall as a cypress” conveys her strength and endurance, while the image of her “nostrils know the gas” alludes to the dangers and trauma experienced by Black people during the Civil Rights Movement and beyond.
• How does the poem explore themes of identity and resilience?
• The poem delves into the complexities of Black identity, particularly in the context of historical oppression and social injustice. The speaker’s repeated assertion of “I am a black woman” serves as a powerful affirmation of her identity and her refusal to be defined by societal expectations. The poem also highlights the resilience of Black women, who have endured countless hardships yet continue to persevere. For example, the speaker’s ability to “defy place and time and circumstance” demonstrates her unwavering strength and determination.
• What is the significance of the poem’s historical context?
• The poem is deeply rooted in the historical context of the Civil Rights Movement and the ongoing struggle for racial equality. References to events like the Vietnam War and the experiences of Black soldiers highlight the interconnectedness of these struggles. The poem also serves as a testament to the experiences of Black women, who have often been marginalized within the broader civil rights movement.
• How does the poem challenge societal stereotypes and expectations?
• “I Am a Black Woman” directly challenges societal stereotypes and expectations about Black women. The speaker refuses to conform to the limited and often negative portrayals of Black women in popular culture. Instead, she presents a complex and multifaceted image of Black womanhood, emphasizing her strength, resilience, and agency. The poem’s defiance of societal norms serves as a powerful statement of empowerment and resistance.

Literary Works Similar to “I Am a Black Woman” by Mary Evans

• “Phenomenal Woman” by Maya Angelou: Both poems celebrate the strength, resilience, and pride of Black women, emphasizing their inherent beauty and power despite societal challenges.
• “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou: Similar to Evans’ poem, “Still I Rise” is a powerful declaration of defiance and survival in the face of oppression, capturing the unbreakable spirit of Black women.
• “For My People” by Margaret Walker: Like “I Am a Black Woman,” this poem honors the collective struggles and enduring strength of the African American community, particularly focusing on the experiences of Black women.
• “A Litany for Survival” by Audre Lorde: Both poems explore themes of survival and resilience, with Lorde’s work also addressing the fears and challenges faced by marginalized communities, particularly Black women.
• “Harlem” by Langston Hughes: While focusing more broadly on the African American experience, Hughes’ poem shares the theme of deferred dreams and the resilience of Black people in the face of ongoing hardship, similar to the themes in Evans’ work.

Suggested Readings: “I Am a Black Woman” by Mary Evans

• Evans, Mari. I Am a Black Woman. New York: William Morrow and Company, 1970.
• Beaulieu, Elizabeth Ann. Black Women Writers and the American Neo-Slave Narrative: Femininity Unfettered. Greenwood Press, 1999.
• Collins, Patricia Hill. Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerment. Routledge, 2000.
• Bádéjọ, Diedre L. “African Feminism: Mythical and Social Power of Women of African Descent.” Research in African Literatures , vol. 29, no. 2, 1998, pp. 94–111. JSTOR , http://www.jstor.org/stable/3820724 . Accessed 29 Aug. 2024.
• Tucker, Sherrie. “‘Where the Blues and the Truth Lay Hiding’: Rememory of Jazz in Black Women’s Fiction.” Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies , vol. 13, no. 2, 1993, pp. 26–44. JSTOR , https://doi.org/10.2307/3346716 . Accessed 29 Aug. 2024.
• Evans, Mary. “Feminism and the Implications of Austerity.” Feminist Review , no. 109, 2015, pp. 146–55. JSTOR , http://www.jstor.org/stable/24571878 . Accessed 29 Aug. 2024.

Representative Quotations of “I Am a Black Woman” by Mary Evans

Related posts:

• “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard” by Thomas Gray
• “My Heart Leaps Up” by William Wordsworth: A Critical Analysis
• “The Red Wheelbarrow” by William Carlos Williams: A Critical Analysis
• “America” by Claude McKay: A Critical Analysis

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

10 Memoirs and Essay Collections by Black Women

Reading Lists

These contemporary books illuminate the realities of the world for black women in america.

In her 1993 poem, “won’t you celebrate with me,” author and educator, Lucille Clifton, invites us to wonder at the life she has created:

“… i had no model born in babylon both nonwhite and woman what did i see to be except myself?  i made it up.” 

As a Black woman existing at the intersections of these marginalized identities (“both nonwhite and woman”), Clifton finds herself rendered invisible in the mainstream and—consequently—creates herself in the process. 30 years onwards, Black women writers continue to take on the mantle of rendering themselves visible across genres and constructing models for future generations to see themselves in. 

This has been especially true in the case of personal narratives, from memoir to essay collections. Starting with Harriet Jacobs’ Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl published in 1861 as a foundational abolitionist text, through to Angela Davis: An Autobiography released only a few years after the acquittal of the Black Panther leader and prominent feminist, Black women  have narrated their stories and transformed the personal into the political with radical results. 

In our own personal narratives, we shrug off duty and expectations, the needs of others become secondary to our primary, as we catalog our hurts and our hopes. We become the hero, not saving anyone else but ourselves. To borrow a phrase from the late bell hooks, we move from the margin to the center. 

The following contemporary memoirs and personal essay collections released in the past ten years exemplify this growing urgency by Black women to tell our side of the story. Their words illuminate the realities of the world and the impact of racist and sexist systems of powers on the lives of the most disenfranchised. These works are affecting, funny, haunting, inspiring and all urgently salient. They are additions to the records and the archives, insisting and reminding us that our voices always matter. 

Men We Reaped: A Memoir by Jesmyn Ward

Within a four-year time span, two-time National Book Award winner Jesmyn Ward saw the deaths of five Black men in her life, including that of her brother. She chronicles their lives, alongside her own, of growing up in Mississippi and the history of racial violence that surrounds around them. “Hopefully, I’ll understand why my brother died while I live,” Ward writes, ”and why I’ve been saddled with this rotten fucking story.” Her journey of reflection is one of grief, anger, and guilt, all buoyed ultimately by the love that comes through of her family and the home that raised her. 

Negroland: A Memoir by Margo Jefferson

Writing about her upbringing in a wealthy, professional Black community of Chicago in the 1950s, critic Margo Jefferson reflects on the intersections of race, gender, class, and color within her community, poetically delving into the nuances of Black life. The Pulitzer Prize winner manages a tight balancing act, honestly approaching the privileges and prejudices of her childhood family and friends, whilst remaining steadfast in her knowledge and understanding that Blackness—regardless of status or hue—is still ultimately Black. “We’re considered upper-class Negroes and upper-middle-class Americans,” her mother tells her, “But most people would like to consider us Just More Negroes.”

We Are Never Meeting In Real Life: Essays by Samantha Irby

Though comedy writing—much like comedy itself—continues to be a boy’s club, Samantha Irby fuses sarcasm, self-deprecation, and toilet humor into musings and anecdotes about her life in the Midwest. Whether she is writing about The Bachelorette or mental health or falling in love, her singular voice is sure to bring you to tears of laughter or sadness, if not both at the same time. In an especially funny take on her pain she asks, “Do Black girls even get to be depressed?” and hordes of us nod in synchronized recognition. 

Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gay

Author, cultural critic, and professor Roxane Gay has never shied away from the story of the violent sexual assault that took place as a child, but the story extends from that experience to explore additional themes around the (her) body. Using examples from her own lived experiences, she challenges assumptions and conventional thinking about health and wellness, taking to task all the unacknowledged fatphobia we pervasively encourage in our society. Gay’s memoir is sometimes difficult to read, but necessarily so, particularly the parts where she works through her own demons and leaves us no choice but to confront ours too. “I buried the girl I had been… and perhaps I am writing my way back to her, trying to tell her everything she needs to hear.” 

Thick: And Other Essays by Tressie McMillan Cottom

In a series of wide-ranging essays, the university professor and MacArthur Genius covers beauty standards, Black maternal mortality, and the election of Barack Obama, told through personal stories, academic scholarship, and cultural criticism. Thick is intentional in centering herself and the experiences of Black women and girls—a revolutionary and counter cultural endeavor given how “[the] personal essay [has] become the way that black women writers claim legitimacy in a public discourse that defines itself, in part, by how well it excludes Black women.” McMillan Cottom refuses to be shut out. 

The Yellow House: A Memoir by Sarah M. Broom

“Remembering is a chair that is hard to sit still in,” writes Sarah M. Broom in her National Book Award-winning debut work. The title comes from the name of her childhood home in New Orleans where she grew up with her large, loving, and complicated extended family. She moves away for college and continues to move further away from the yellow house, until the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina forces her to reckon with her home and all the historical and political context of where she came from. She looks at race, class, and inequality from a humanistic lens, using her story and the stories of her loved ones to reveal the harder truths about the country and how far left there is for us to go. 

Memorial Drive: A Daughter’s Memoir by Natasha Tretheway

For years, former Poet Laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner ran away from the defining tragedy of her childhood—the murder of her mother by her ex-husband when Tretheway was a teenager. “All those years I thought that I had been running away from my past I had, in fact, been working my way steadily back to it,” and her memoir is her way of unpacking that journey back, beginning with her mother’s death and studying all around it. As Tretheway looks at her own life, from growing up biracial around the time of Loving v. Virginia to finding her way to becoming a writer, she is tenderly attentive to the memory of her mother and grappling with the situation of her death, taking us along the often dark journey with her. 

Just Us: An American Conversation by Claudia Rankine

Much like its author, Just Us is a text that defies categorization. The poet, playwright, and essayist utilizes poems, footnotes, essays, photographs, quotes, scripts, tweets and Facebook statuses to explore and indict American racism. Rankine’s writing is grounded in her own experiences, using everything from dinner party conversations with other academics and faculty members to moments between her and her White husband in couples therapy, resulting in a text that is personal, vulnerable, and filled with beauty. Rankine asks, “How does one combat the racism of a culture?” Just Us answers. 

Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop by Danyel Smith

Former editor of the iconic hip-hop and R&B publication VIBE Magazine , Danyel Smith’s memoir doubles as a music history on Black women musicians. Smith chronicles her life growing up in Oakland and her journalistic path, looking to icons like Aretha Franklin, Donna Summer and Stephanie Mills as inspiration as to who she could be, and pays them their due through her own story. “I want Black women who create music to be known and understood, as I want to be known and understood,” Danyel writes, demanding that we pay attention to them and her too. 

Ordinary Notes by Christina Sharpe

Ordinary Notes can be understood best as meditations—on Blackness, on life, on the human condition—penned deftly and poignantly by the woman described in the New York Times as “shaping a generation of Black thought.” Professor Sharpe intimately walks us through her life, from the museums she walks, to the songs she listens to, to the family histories she unearths, and in the final section, she dedicates pages considering the books she describes as “giving me a place to land in difficult times.” To Sharpe, they show “Black worlds of making and possibility.” Ordinary Notes does the same.

Take a break from the news

We publish your favorite authors—even the ones you haven't read yet. Get new fiction, essays, and poetry delivered to your inbox.

YOUR INBOX IS LIT

Enjoy strange, diverting work from The Commuter on Mondays, absorbing fiction from Recommended Reading on Wednesdays, and a roundup of our best work of the week on Fridays. Personalize your subscription preferences here.

ARTICLE CONTINUES AFTER ADVERTISEMENT

Electric Lit’s Best Poetry Collections of 2023

Gabrielle Bates, Sam Sax, Sally Wen Mao, and Edgar Kunz highlight a year of celebrated poetry collections

Nov 28 - Electric Literature Read

More like this.

On The Failure Of The Frankenstein Adaptation

Modern retellings of Mary Shelley’s classic are everywhere, but most of them don’t capture the magic of the original

Aug 27 - Addie Tsai

7 Novels About Smart Immigrant Women Adrift

Sheila Sundar, author of "Habitations," recommends books about women who are trying to make sense of their adopted country and find their place in it

Apr 9 - Sheila Sundar

7 Novels that Illuminate the Dark Side of Corporate Culture

Ela Lee, author of "Jaded," recommends books about women dealing with workplace discrimination

Mar 21 - Ela Lee

DON’T MISS OUT

Sign up for our newsletter to get submission announcements and stay on top of our best work.

Phenomenal Woman (Maya Angelou poem)

By maya angelou, phenomenal woman (maya angelou poem) essay questions.

How does “Phenomenal Woman” challenge societal stereotypes?

The poem challenges societal definitions of a woman’s beauty by featuring a powerful female speaker who is proud of her atypical charms. She describes her physical attributes, her mannerisms, and her personality with great pride and is amused by the effect she has on both men and women. Her attitude both mocks and defies society’s beauty conventions, as her jubilant spirit implies that she is humored by other people’s jealousy and curiosity and could care less about their criticisms.

How does the poem reflect Angelou’s own life?

As the poem is written in the first person, one may argue that it challenges the cultural stereotypes of African-American women that Angelou had to endure throughout her life. If one assumes that some of the men and women described in the poem are white, the speaker is in fact defending the beautiful and unique attributes of a black woman that are frowned upon by racists. Through this poem, Angelou speaks up to her oppressors and any others who might challenge the beauty and dignity of black people.

Phenomenal Woman (Maya Angelou poem) Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for Phenomenal Woman (Maya Angelou poem) is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Is jealousy prevalent among all women

Is this a general question or are you referring to the above poem?

How does the poet describe her body

The poet does not paint an exact picture of her body, but she does tell us what it's not............

I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size

From this, and what the poet does tell us, we can infer that she is a large woman, with wide...

Which of the following actions is appropriate when transporting a specimen for abg analysis

I'm sorry, this is a short-answer literature forum designed for text specific questions. We are unable to assist students with other subjects.

Study Guide for Phenomenal Woman (Maya Angelou poem)

Phenomenal Woman (Maya Angelou poem) study guide contains a biography of Maya Angelou, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About Phenomenal Woman (Maya Angelou poem)
• Phenomenal Woman (Maya Angelou poem) Summary
• Character List

Essays for Phenomenal Woman (Maya Angelou poem)

Phenomenal Woman (Maya Angelou poem) essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Phenomenal Woman (Maya Angelou poem) by Maya Angelou.

• The Importance of ‘Phenomenal Woman’ to Angelou's Collection of Poems

A Summary and Analysis of Alice Walker’s ‘Women’

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

‘Women’ is a 1970 poem by Alice Walker (born 1944), one of the best-known African American writers of the second half of the twentieth century. Although she is probably most famous for her 1982 novel The Color Purple , Walker has written short stories and numerous other novels. She also started out her published career as a poet.

In ‘Women’, Alice Walker pays tribute to the women of her mother’s generation: tough, resolute women who were able to balance their private domestic duties with a fight for better opportunities for their children. Before we offer a closer and more detailed analysis of the poem’s meaning and themes, let’s briefly summarise its content.

‘Women’: summary

The poem comprises a single stanza. Walker begins by summoning her mother’s generation of women. They were true women: they had rather dry, throaty, gruff voices and walked firmly and with a clear sense of purpose. They were able to break down barriers that stood in their way, using not only their hands but their fists (implying anger and strength, as well as that purpose again).

But they could also do the more traditionally ‘womanly’ things of the time, like ironing their husbands’ starched white shirts for work. Indeed, such women were effectively leaders of armies of other women: they wore rags around their heads and commanded and inspired women to follow them.

The struggles they faced in society, to gain access to things like books and places where their daughters might study, were like a field full of booby traps and landmines. These women well understood that it was important for their daughters to get a good education, even though they never had one themselves.

‘Women’: analysis

Alice Walker was born in 1944, the daughter of sharecroppers Minnie Lou Grant and Willie Lee Walker, and grew up in Eatonville, Georgia. Walker’s mother worked as a domestic servant and was a talented gardener, with her daughter later paying homage to the gardens her mother cultivated.

And in many ways, ‘Women’ is first and foremost a tribute to her mother’s tenacity and generosity, although – as the plural of the title immediately suggests – she is paying homage to a whole generation of women who helped to make the opportunities Walker herself, and other women of her own generation, have been able to use.

During the 1960s, Walker had become involved in the US civil rights movement . Indeed, for a time she moved from her home state of Georgia and worked in New York City in the welfare department. Her work reflects not only the struggles of women of Walker’s mother’s generation but, more specifically, the struggles of African-American women, for whom life was doubly hard and opportunities even smaller in number.

Walker is at pains to emphasise that her mother’s generation were not only firebrands or warriors, despite the military language she employs in the poem. Nor, however, does she want to suggest that her mother and other women like her were simply conventional wives and mothers who looked after their children and carried out everyday household tasks.

Instead, they did both. This is neatly encapsulated by the reference to the women having fists as well as hands. Fists are, of course, made from hands: the hands that the women use to conduct their mundane domestic chores could also be tightened into a more bellicose or defiant pose. Fists need not imply violence, and the image that follows links these fists with the act of banging down doors, to get people’s attention and to gain access to places they had been forbidden to set foot before.

Alice Walker’s ‘Women’ is written in free verse . This means that the poem lacks a rhyme scheme or a regular metre or rhythm. But this is not the same as saying that the poem is without any structure or control. Instead, Walker uses enjambment in the poem to great effect. This term (derived from the French) describes a literary device whereby a sentence or phrase continues past the end of a particular verse line and into the next.

And if we analyse ‘Women’ more closely, we find little punctuation. Indeed, there are just two punctuation marks in the whole poem: the dash in the third line, which sharply delineates, but also links, the women’s sharp and resolute features, and the full stop at the very end of the poem.

Otherwise, ‘Women’ is a poem without conventional punctuation. But as T. S. Eliot once observed , verse is itself a system of punctuation. Line endings provide their own pauses in the flow of the poem, as well as joining the thoughts expressed on one line with those that follow in the next.

And in this poem, Walker enacts brief momentary pauses between lines by withholding the final detail until the next line at a given moment: consider how, after ‘fists’, we must wait for ‘Hands’ in the next line; or how the battering down of those ‘Doors’ is delayed for maximum shock value as we wait for the other shoe to drop (or fist to fall) onto those doors in the line that follows.

The overall effect is to create a purposeful, resolute march towards progress as the women bravely work to carve out a brighter and more hopeful future for their children. The effect would be very different if the words were rearranged as prose, or even into longer lines. Each word, each new revelation, has the force of a mini-surprise because it is isolated onto a single line.

Discover more from Interesting Literature

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Type your email…

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading

• Northern Illinois University
• Thursday, September 12

2024 Lincoln Lecture - A discussion with award-winning author Clint Smith

Thursday, September 12, 2024 7:30 PM

• Share 2024 Lincoln Lecture - A discussion with award-winning author Clint Smith on Facebook
• Share 2024 Lincoln Lecture - A discussion with award-winning author Clint Smith on Twitter
• Share 2024 Lincoln Lecture - A discussion with award-winning author Clint Smith on LinkedIn

About this Event

595 College Ave, DeKalb, IL 60115

This conversation, moderated by Christina Abreu, Director of the Center for Latino and Latin American Studies, draws on Smith’s 2021 book , How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America, which was a #1 New York Times bestseller, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction and selected by the New York Times as one of the 10 best books of 2021.

Smith’s bestselling books include  How the Word Is Passed , which  Publishers Weekly  called “an essential consideration of how America’s past informs its present.” It has won numerous awards, including the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction, and was named one of the best books of the year by  TIME ,  The New York Times ,  The Economist and  The Washington Post .

His latest book,  Above Ground , was named to  TIME  magazine’s 100 Must-Read Books and  NPR ‘s Books We Love. Smith’s first book,  Counting Descent , won the 2017 Literary Award for Best Poetry Book from the Black Caucus of the American Library Association and was a finalist for an NAACP Image Award. In his forthcoming book,  Just Beneath the Soil , he will explore the little-known stories behind World War II sites and discuss how they shape our collective memory of the war.

His essays, poems, and scholarly writing have been published in The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine , The New Republic, Poetry Magazine, The Paris Review, the Harvard Educational Review and elsewhere. He is a staff writer at The Atlantic .

The W. Bruce Lincoln Endowed Lecture Series brings to campus distinguished scholars who address topics of interest to both the academic community and the general public. The lectures engage key issues and are often interdisciplinary, in the spirit of Professor Lincoln’s research, writing and teaching.

Event Details

Target Audience

Contact Name

Anne Hanley

Contact Email or Phone

[email protected]

Your browser does not support iframes.

See Who Is Interested

2 people are interested in this event

• Yale University
• Thursday, September 19
• Little Richard or Minister Richard W. Penniman? Black Religion, Sexuality, and Rock 'n' Soul: ISM Fellows Lunch Talk with Ahmad Greene-Hayes

Little Richard or Minister Richard W. Penniman? Black Religion, Sexuality, and Rock 'n' Soul: ISM Fellows Lunch Talk with Ahmad Greene-Hayes

Thursday, September 19, 2024 12pm to 1pm

• Share Little Richard or Minister Richard W. Penniman? Black Religion, Sexuality, and Rock 'n' Soul: ISM Fellows Lunch Talk with Ahmad Greene-Hayes on Facebook
• Share Little Richard or Minister Richard W. Penniman? Black Religion, Sexuality, and Rock 'n' Soul: ISM Fellows Lunch Talk with Ahmad Greene-Hayes on Twitter
• Share Little Richard or Minister Richard W. Penniman? Black Religion, Sexuality, and Rock 'n' Soul: ISM Fellows Lunch Talk with Ahmad Greene-Hayes on LinkedIn

About this Event

406 Prospect Street, New Haven, CT 06511

Exploring the religious life of Richard Wayne Penniman (or Little Richard), the paradigmatic, loud, raucous, flamboyant rock 'n' roll preacher-musician, is a significant undertaking for a multitude of reasons. For one, Little Richard's musical style and gendered performances played a pivotal role in shaping the cultural landscape of the 1950s and beyond, as he invented his own sound while paying homage to the Black church women who raised him in Macon, Georgia, such that he was ultimately able to inspire the likes of Elvis Presley and other white mainstream artists. Delving into his religious experiences provides valuable insights into how Black religion sits at the crux of the music and cultural dynamics of the era, such that the history of Southern gospel music functions as a foray into larger discourses about the sacred and the secular which shaped Richard’s worldview. More to this point, Little Richard's unending transformations are another compelling component of his life as he often oscillated between conservative and progressive political, social, and theological values. For instance, his decision to leave his thriving music career in the late 1950s to become a preacher and attend seminary, only to return to secular music later, raises intriguing questions about the interplay between Black religious conservativism, celebrity, and sexual identity. More importantly, Richard’s life functions as a stained-glass window into the complex negotiations that Black queer subjects make in order to manage the demands of Black religious life and culture in the wake of slavery, the Black social reform movement, and Black Protestant churches’ demand for respectability in the service of the Black (heterosexual) family. This talk revisits Richard’s life over the course of the long twentieth century to show how his life disrupts these assumptive logics and offers us insights into Black queer religious self-fashioning.

This event is free, but registration is required . Lunch will be provided.

Open to Yale Community only.

Ahmad Greene-Hayes , Ph.D., is assistant professor of African American Religious Studies at Harvard Divinity School and a member of the Standing Committee for the Study of Religion and the Standing Committee on Advanced Degrees in American Studies in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University. A social historian and critical theorist, Greene-Hayes is an accomplished scholar and teacher, and his research interests include critical Black Studies, Black Atlantic Religions in the Americas, and race, queerness, and sexuality in the context of African American and Caribbean religious histories. He is the author of Underworld Work: Black Atlantic Religion-Making in Jim Crow New Orleans , which is forthcoming with the University of Chicago Press in the Class 200: New Studies in Religion series in early 2025, and he has published essays in the Journal of Africana Religions, Nova Religio, GLQ, and the Journal of African American History, among others. Greene-Hayes has held prestigious fellowships from Yale’s LGBT Studies program, the American Society of Church History, and Princeton’s “The Crossroads Project: Black Religious Histories, Communities, and Cultures,” to name a few. In 2022, he was inducted into the Martin Luther King Jr. Collegium of Scholars at Morehouse College, and in 2023, he was inducted into the historic Society for the Study of Black Religion. Dr. Greene-Hayes is a steering committee member for both the Afro-American Religious History Unit and the Religion and Sexuality Unit at the American Academy of Religion, and he served as an advisory board member for the LGBTQ Religious Archives Network from 2019-2024. In conversation with his research, he has consulted and collaborated with the Center on African American Religion, Sexual Politics and Social Justice at Columbia University, the African American Policy Forum, Black Women’s Blueprint, and a host of other nonprofit organizations, churches, and other community institutions. While at ISM, he will be working on his current book project exploring the life of Little Richard through the lens of Black religion and sexuality.

Event Details

Your browser does not support iframes.