Black Women Writers - Book Report/Review Example

Figurative language and poetic forms under poetry by Black Women

Introduction

Figurative language can be defined as the art in which the poet or any writer tends to hide a message in his writing. Often linked or derived from their biographies. It is used to show experiences inform of a disguise where the meaning and the real message or lesson have to be understood from the deeper meaning of the poem or any writing (Colston). In this paper, the discussion will be based on the black women writers and, more specifically, the poem by Phillis Wheatley on imagination. The poem on imagination is majorly featured from a direct perspective or direct meaning, but in this case, the paper will focus on the deeper meaning and the poetic styles deployed by the poet. The poem is essentially written in a contemporary format and is enriched with a lot of poetry prowess writing. Phillis's choice of the said poet is because it aligns with the current activities in the world we are living in. The increasing focus of black uprising for the injustice forgetting also some good deed of the whites that surpass their black's expectation

Analysis of the poem

The poem on imagination was written by Phillis, showcasing an imaginary world that exists to those lucky enough to have imagined. Phillis imagines a world where the winter and summer have interchange, which in reality cannot happen. Her imagination of this world is groomed and displayed in a manner that it sparkles and becomes something amazing. She describes the blossoming of flowers in winter, where she names them Flora and their fragrances spreading allover. This imagination is meant to introduce the reader of the poet to a world where all possibilities can arise.

But what is hidden behind this message is the experiences of her life in the initial phases. For instance, the blossoming of the flowers in winter can be related to her life and the shinning of her poetry in a foreign land. From Phillis's biography, she is explained to have been raised by the family of Wheatly that had bought her during slavery. And contrary to her expectations of her being despised and looked down on by her master, she is supported to make her great work in poetry shine, which means that her life is blossoming in slavery. Her life is transforming during very harsh times, and that is something that is not the norm in the world. Therefore the blossoming of flowers in winter can be compared or assumed to represent her own life experiences.

The use of this figurative language at present times can be used to show that despite the black uprising, they still recognize the good deeds done by the whites. Some have taken a greater step to believe and support the black to shine amidst the social issues that surround the nation. The black uprising is meant to highlight the oppression that blacks face, and Phillis is also reminding them that the actions are not in general to all whites, rather it is individualistic, and hence the acts perpetrated are the ones portraying the extent of racism while others, like in her case, portray heroism and concern for others.

Prowess displayed in the poem and poetry

The poem on imagination can be classified under the poetic style free verse (Roscommon et al.). In this style, the poem may choose to have or not have a rhyme scheme or rhythm. In her, however, she has observed some rhyming, especially at the ends of the line giving her poem a rhythm. On the other hand, her paragraphs vary in sizes; hence, there exist no specific styles in the lines that form her paragraph (Roscommon et al.). For instance, the first stanza is composed of four lines, while the fourth stanza is composed of ten lines. Though in both cases, the rhythm is maintained between pairs of lines. This adherence of Phillis to the poetic writing styles and techniques is what, in conjunction with the figurative language, is what makes her poem on imagination to be appealing and showcase her poetry capabilities.

Phillis showcases her prowess in poetry through her poem on imagination in the way in which she clusters her paragraph in a manner that is very coherent and systematic. The first stanza introduces the reads to the success she has been endowed within poetry, where she even features in that people are astonished by the work of her hands. This makes the reader become inquisitive as well as increase the curiosity and be ready for the complexity that comes with great poets. And true to the claim, the second stanza describes her experiences in a figurative language to give the readers the perspective in which the poem is taking, which means that her poem will basically be inclined or inspired by her lifestyles. Therefore it has bits and pieces of her prior life phases qualifying the poem to have the contemporary touch. Then she relays the actual message and poem to the audiences. At this point, she introduces the poem with its title to grasp the attention of the audience. She also introduces the imaginary world that she will sail the audience all through the poem, where all possibilities and the imitation of tones mind is limitless.

The successive and well-arranged stanza is showcasing how the black woman is empowered in the poetry field. Her arrangement of information in a manner to set the mood as well as the scene in which her poem will lie is made very articulately. In poetry, the rhythmic flow of information, even when coded or by figurative language, need to be complementing each stanza for it to be understandable. In this case, those features and prowess are what has granted her recognition as she is the first black woman to publish her poem, and her works amidst the era of slavery. This could only have been necessitated by the prowess that earned her recognition in the field.

Figurative language

The figurative language used in on imagination is based on the poet's experiences and life. In order to identify the specific examples of the figurative representation, the paper uses the approach of line analysis in a stanza (Gilbert and Colston). The accurate deployment of this style is one that requires a skilled and talented poet. Phyllis uses figurative language to showcase her life and the favors that befell her as opposed to the expectation of other black women. For instance, the manner in which she was raised when she was in her master's house. He narrates that she attended the choirs and soared great height and was befriended. Meaning that Phyllis was very well treated in her master's home. Just like a family member and was brought up and educated in the same manner as the children of the master. She even graced choirs, and she even attributes that only songs of triumphs can explain her bringing up. This means that her upbringing did not reflect the expectation of many and more especially of a black who had been bought by a white as a slave.

Also, from the same figurative language lies another message of hope and showcasing the goodness displayed by some of the whites to the blacks. Relating to her upbringing, the issue of racism was not a concern in her master's house. This means that the whites are not in general racism, and some give more concern to people's lives even when they differ in terms of races. This hidden message can be attributed as a means to calm down the fury in which the majority of the blacks are showcasing currently and try to showcase the light that some whites are endowed with. The message though, is communicated very deeply and can only be interpreted by those who will understand the figurative approach and language used in her poem (Miller and Greenberg).

Through her poem, one can learn that racism is basically a choice as her master choose not to view it as a barrier and instead decided to empower her and her talent. Therefore racism action should be criticized and learn that it must have taken great courage and determination for a master to decide and empower a slave and more so one who is from a different race. But nonetheless, the master did not let that stop him from doing so, and through his action arose a very competent and well talented black women writer. This form of inspiration is very practical and should be emphasized in the world and among ourselves to be able to handle the issue of racism and black oppression as well as disregard some of the social statuses that are meant to afflict and oppress others.

Phillis also uses the power of figurative language to showcase what one can imagine anything, and there is no limitation. Through this, she refers to her life where she didn't imagine she would amount to the woman she has become, especially with the so many black women challenges that they faced at the time. But later on, she turns out to become a successful poet and writer, and since she leaves recognition of the first black woman writer, she compares herself with the sun going down and leaving the world with lovely color and the mountain. The nature being revealed of its beauty at the end of the day. This refers to the light that she has shed to other black women writers but providing a glimmer of light and hope to them that they can also achieve and become impactful to the whole world.

Significance of race, class, and place for Phillis as a black woman writer

Phillis's journey to becoming a black woman writer is characterized by several factors, and they had several significances. To begin with, is the significance that race brought to her life. Race can be defined as the background from which she arose, which is black. Therefore it is quite analytical to say that since she was from a different race and was accorded some favors, this encouraged her to push herself towards the limit in terms of showcasing her talent. For her talent and skill in poetry to notice, she must have put in greater effort to warrant the recognition she accrued. Therefore her aspect of being unique in the field meant she had to work extra harder to prove that she can do it. If she were of a different race, maybe her action and hard work would not have warranted the recognition and would have been shadowed by other poets. But since she had a unique aspect in terms of the race, her work and skills had to be great to surpass the aspect of uniqueness in terms of race. This means that her race was a driving force to achieve accomplishments that had not been achieved by the black women; hence was an inspiration.

In terms of class, it is worth remembering that Phyllis came from a poor background and was a slave. Therefore class must have had been a barrier that had blocked her from her skillset. But when the upper class that is the class of the master decided to bridge this aspect of class and have her experience the upper-class lifestyle. This can be a great driving force that becomes an inspiration, especially since she wouldn't want to experience the life associated with slavery again. Therefore, in this case, the classes that exited had great significance to her lifestyle. It also opened for her channels that the low class of slavery couldn't have. For instance, take the education she received while in the master's office, that couldn't have been possible as a slave. Therefore class in her lifestyle played a significant role in her upbringing.

Also, the aspect of the intermixing of the two classes had a significance, as we can see in her poem since she shows that there can exist a very cordial relationship between two classes of people. The imagination of winter and flower blossoming means that aspects of the relation between two despairing areas and sectors can coexist even in a world that seems to be impossible. This means that both classes can exist together with harmony only if the members perceive to do so.

Thirdly the place in which Phyllis was then was significant as it attributed her approach and inspiration to the poem. In the poem's imagination, she could only imagine what she wanted, which is contrary to some other black women writers whose place in the society was through their experiences as blacks (Wheatley). This difference is highlighted as her works do not reflect so much on the atrocities perpetrated towards the black. Her experience is that of the caring, and concerned whites have made it significant for her to feature the whites' positive aspect. All this as a result of the place she occupied in their space and the treatment she got. Therefore the place in this aspect played a significant role in her poem, which deviated from the direct criticism of white's behavior to showcasing their goodness in the form of figurative language in her life.

Conclusion

Black women writers have showcased the ability and skill set that they possess in their writing (Mckay). They stand out not only as black women but also as great poets as can be deduced from the many poems written. Specifically, Phillis has shown the aspect and the composition of a great poem that it entails and needs to be featured. On imagination is not just any other literal poem, rather it carries and displays several aspects as have been featured that make it a great poem. The factors also that played a significant role in its writing, which is directly attributed to the poet, also show the need to provide bases for the poem. And what better way to do than have the poem confer your own experiences through poetry and figurative (Miller and Greenberg). Also, what better way to educate the audience about the need to appreciate the positive aspects of others than in hidden messages in poetry.

Therefore poetry is not just writing and more so to the black women writers, rather it is a channel where education and real-life experiences are shared to the audience educating them, informing them, and warning them against certain issues that relate to our society and the world around us (Mckay).

Phillis also uses the power of figurative language to showcase what one can imagine anything, and there is no limitation. Through this, she refers to her life where she didn't imagine she would amount to the woman she has become, especially with the so many black women challenges that they faced at the time. But later on, she turns out to become a successful poet and writer, and since she leaves recognition of the first black woman writer, she compares herself with the sun going down and leaving the world with lovely color and the mountain. The nature being revealed of its beauty at the end of the day. This refers to the light that she has shed to other black women writers but providing a glimmer of light and hope to them that they can also achieve and become impactful to the whole world.

Significance of race, class, and place for Phillis as a black woman writer

Phillis's journey to becoming a black woman writer is characterized by several factors, and they had several significances. To begin with, is the significance that race brought to her life. Race can be defined as the background from which she arose, which is black. Therefore it is quite analytical to say that since she was from a different race and was accorded some favors, this encouraged her to push herself towards the limit in terms of showcasing her talent. For her talent and skill in poetry to notice, she must have put in greater effort to warrant the recognition she accrued. Therefore her aspect of being unique in the field meant she had to work extra harder to prove that she can do it. If she were of a different race, maybe her action and hard work would not have warranted the recognition and would have been shadowed by other poets. But since she had a unique aspect in terms of the race, her work and skills had to be great to surpass the aspect of uniqueness in terms of race. This means that her race was a driving force to achieve accomplishments that had not been achieved by the black women; hence was an inspiration.

In terms of class, it is worth remembering that Phyllis came from a poor background and was a slave. Therefore class must have had been a barrier that had blocked her from her skillset. But when the upper class that is the class of the master decided to bridge this aspect of class and have her experience the upper-class lifestyle. This can be a great driving force that becomes an inspiration, especially since she wouldn't want to experience the life associated with slavery again. Therefore, in this case, the classes that exited had great significance to her lifestyle. It also opened for her channels that the low class of slavery couldn't have. For instance, take the education she received while in the master's office, that couldn't have been possible as a slave. Therefore class in her lifestyle played a significant role in her upbringing.

Also, the aspect of the intermixing of the two classes had a significance, as we can see in her poem since she shows that there can exist a very cordial relationship between two classes of people. The imagination of winter and flower blossoming means that aspects of the relation between two despairing areas and sectors can coexist even in a world that seems to be impossible. This means that both classes can exist together with harmony only if the members perceive to do so.

Thirdly the place in which Phyllis was then was significant as it attributed her approach and inspiration to the poem. In the poem's imagination, she could only imagine what she wanted, which is contrary to some other black women writers whose place in the society was through their experiences as blacks (Wheatley). Read More