Frances Ellen Watkins Harper Contributions

Frances Ellen Watkins Harper was a unique and vital character in American history. She played an imperative role in the equality and advancement of not just African-American women, but women in general. Although she was born a free women in Maryland she had an unparalleled knack for describing and capturing the evils and horrors of slavery. She wrote a plethora of novels, short stories and poems. In her early years she taught in both Ohio and Pennsylvania, after leaving teaching she left teaching to lecture for the Maine Anti-slavery society along with other anti-slavery organizations. She also worked to help fugitive slaves escape to Canada through the Underground Railroad. Frances E. W. Harper was an impeccable writer and human being, she made unmatched contributions to history through her works as an equal rights activist and beautifully captures the identity of

what it means to be a slave through this collection of poems.
Harper’s poem “Eliza Harris” possesses strong rhythm that flows easily from line to line.

The descriptions and words used create the most vivid images of a mother’s escape to freedom with her son. This poem takes you on both a physical and emotional journey as it unravels through the treacherous demands of freedom. A beautiful example of her ability to rhyme both internally as well as externally can be seen here,

“She was nerved by despair, and strength’d by woe,

As she leap’d o’er the chasms that yawn’d from below;

Death howl’d in the tempest, and rav’d in the blast,

But she heard not the sound till the danger was past.” (13-16).

Not only is this a beautiful example of her rhyme but also a great illustration of her ability to imagine and recreate a scene, it feels as though you yourself are leaping and bounding to freedom as you read this. In lines 17-20 a questioning of how she will define herself once she escapes arises, she asks if she can truly call herself an American. Beautifully saying,

“How say that her banner in mockery waves-

Her ‘star-spangled banner’- o’er millions of slaves?”

(19-20).
The way the poem builds suspense and excitement throughout is absolutely capturing to the reader. It grabs attention and then presents intense questions about what freedom, and escape will mean. Harper asks questions about identity, freedom and future of African Americans. The last three stanzas of the poem “Eliza Harris” build and describe such a pungent reality of what she has left behind. The last stanza, where she speaks about how anything could be better than slavery, is perfect in the way that it encapsulates and pronounces the utter relief that freedom brings.
“With the rapture of love and fullness of bliss,
She plac’d on his brow a mother’s fond kiss:-
Oh! Poverty, danger, and death she can brave,
For the child of her love is no longer a slave.” (47-48).
This is a most selfless poem, it goes beyond describing slavery and an escape to freedom and truly characterizes the selfless love of a mother.
The poem “Ethiopia” has an alternating external rhyme, which lends to it a fluent and almost care-free tone. The poem also flows easily because of its’ short, and tight lines and stanzas. She contains, in this poem, such perfect line breaks and control of punctuation to add smooth pause, and allow for reflection. The entire poem is a reflection of hope, a hope for the future of America, and a hope for the greater salvation of God. The poem is considerably complex, it is a plea to a distant continent from which many of her people were seized and transported to far-away lands to endure the indignities of slavery. An exemplary instance and illustration of Harper’s control of language and also as an echo of her plea is here in the first stanza,
“Yes! Ethiopia yet shall stretch
Her bleeding hands abroad;
Her cry of agony shall reach
The burning throne of God.” (1-4).
Harper uses such wonderful imagery that it is easy to imagine the oasis of freedom in Ethiopia, this is particularly evident in lines 17-20,
“ ‘Neath sheltering vines and stately palms
Shall laughing children play,
And aged sires with joyous psalms
Shall gladden every day.”
A certain attention should be paid to her play of the words “palms” and “psalms” it truly characterizes Harper’s mastery of poetry. A last piece of consideration should be noticed in lines 13-16 where a palpable portrayal of hope is displayed,
“Upon her dark despairing brow,
Shall play a smile of peace;
For God shall bend unto her wo,
And bid her sorrows cease.”
The predominate theme in “Bury Me in a Free Land” is that of the horrors of slavery. Harper claims she could not rest in peace if she knew that she was buried in a land where people were subjected to these indignities,
“I could not rest if I heard the tread
Of a coffle-gang to the shambles led,
And the mother’s shriek of wild despair
Rise like a curse on the trembling air.” (9-12).
Harper juxtaposes this with freedom, arguing against the existence of slavery, saying that Americans should not be able to lay their heads at night with knowledge of something so evil knocking at their doors. She goes as far as to say that, “My death paled cheeks grow red with shame.” (24) at even the sight of the atrocities of slavery.