Lineage By Margaret Walker Literary Devices

In the poem “Lineage,” the speaker alludes to the fact that her ancestors were involved in slavery by using the line, “They moved through fields sowing seed.” (Ln 3). After specifying all of the hard tasks that her grandmothers have done, the speaker ends with the rhetorical question,“Why am I not as they?” (Ln 12). The theme expressed throughout the poem is that being strong means to stay positive through tough times. In the poem, Margaret writes, “They were full of sturdiness and singing.” (Ln 5). She includes this line to show that although her grandmothers were in a horrible situation, they did not change their personalities or their ability to think positive. In fascination of her ancestor’s strong personalities, Margaret Walker speaks about her family's experience with slavery by using repetition and imagery in order to express her descendant’s powerful character traits which she wishes to embrace.
Throughout the poem, the speaker’s tone toward her grandmothers’ bold …show more content…
While using repetition, the author decides to repeat the line, “My grandmothers were strong.” (Lns 1, 6, 11).This emphasizes the point that the speaker sees her grandmothers as strong people. She repeats the line because she really wants to emphasize that fact. Additionally, the author uses imagery by using descriptive words and phrases such as, “Smelling of soap and onions and wet clay” (Ln 8), and “With veins rolling roughly over quick hands.” (Ln 9). This recreates the picture of her grandmothers hard labor, and again, emphasizing the fact that her grandmothers were strong. Margaret's detailed words give you that mental image as you read the poem. Along with repetition and imagery, the author uses alliteration so that the poems flows fluently. Words with the same beginning such as “grew grains” (Ln 4) and “sowing seeds” (Ln 3) are placed together to create a smoother and more enjoyable