The Art of Reading in the African American Culture
It has been a struggle for African Americans to be accepted and treated equally in this country. The poem “Learning to Read” by Frances E. W. Harper addressees the way African Americans were treated in the late 1800s when it came to them having the desire to read. In the poem, Harper expresses no matter how old a person is, but with independence, self-empowerment and determination that anything is achievable.
The poem starts out with the Yankee teachers coming from up north to teach the slaves how to read. This poem speaks volume because knowledge is power and it is the key to success. Lines 25 -28 from the poem reads: “Well the Northern folks kept sending/ The Yankee teachers down/ And …show more content…
Reading is fundamental to every single aspect of life. Some of the slaves in the poem were eager to learn to read and in lines 21-24 from the poem states examples of just how much: “And there was Turner’s Ben/ Who heard the children spell, /And picked the words right up by heart, / And learned to read’em well.” The narrator in this poem was named Chloe, she showed determination and the will power to fight for what she wanted. Many told Chloe that she was much too old to learn how to read; However, Chloe’s will to wanting to know the words in her bible, which was in her sixties when she finally learned how to read. Lines 37-40 from the poem states “So I got a pair of glasses, / And straight to work I went, / And never stopped till I could read/ The hymns and testament.” In my opinion, it shows that one is never too old to learn. Chloe’s determination was key to her learning how to read. In lines 41 -44 states: “Then I got a little cabin/ A place to call my own.” “And I felt as independent/ As the queen upon her throne.” This clearly shows the independence Chloe felt when she began to read. She felt proud, empowered, accomplished and the queen of her throne, the outcome of the poem was independence, which was not common for an African American during the slavery era. Chloe expressed happiness, which was a feeling that she never felt
It has been a struggle for African Americans to be accepted and treated equally in this country. The poem “Learning to Read” by Frances E. W. Harper addressees the way African Americans were treated in the late 1800s when it came to them having the desire to read. In the poem, Harper expresses no matter how old a person is, but with independence, self-empowerment and determination that anything is achievable.
The poem starts out with the Yankee teachers coming from up north to teach the slaves how to read. This poem speaks volume because knowledge is power and it is the key to success. Lines 25 -28 from the poem reads: “Well the Northern folks kept sending/ The Yankee teachers down/ And …show more content…
Reading is fundamental to every single aspect of life. Some of the slaves in the poem were eager to learn to read and in lines 21-24 from the poem states examples of just how much: “And there was Turner’s Ben/ Who heard the children spell, /And picked the words right up by heart, / And learned to read’em well.” The narrator in this poem was named Chloe, she showed determination and the will power to fight for what she wanted. Many told Chloe that she was much too old to learn how to read; However, Chloe’s will to wanting to know the words in her bible, which was in her sixties when she finally learned how to read. Lines 37-40 from the poem states “So I got a pair of glasses, / And straight to work I went, / And never stopped till I could read/ The hymns and testament.” In my opinion, it shows that one is never too old to learn. Chloe’s determination was key to her learning how to read. In lines 41 -44 states: “Then I got a little cabin/ A place to call my own.” “And I felt as independent/ As the queen upon her throne.” This clearly shows the independence Chloe felt when she began to read. She felt proud, empowered, accomplished and the queen of her throne, the outcome of the poem was independence, which was not common for an African American during the slavery era. Chloe expressed happiness, which was a feeling that she never felt