Poem Analysis: Children's Children By Sterling Brown

Children’s Children by Sterling Brown deals with the idea that the descendants of slaves have lost touch and have forgotten their history and the suffering of their forefathers. It may be said that the descendants of slaves have gained their inalienable rights, and as a result, they no longer care about the suffering and struggle of those before them, acknowledging their forefathers restlessly and reluctantly (Van Deburg). The writings of Brown, often depicted the struggles of African Americans, during the period between the World Wars. Children’s Children, in particular is set after the emancipation of slaves which took place in 1863. The speaker reflects on the anguish and suffering of those sold into slavery and the disregard the slaves …show more content…
This idea is already made clear to the reader in the title of the poem “Children’s Children”, indicating that this quest was multigenerational which is again indicated through the use of the word “sires” in line 2 and 27. ‘Sires’ is an archaic word for forefathers. In addition to this, it may be said that this also indicates the respect that the descendants should have for their forefathers, acknowledging their struggles with respect and reverence, as ‘sire’ also refers to a respectful way in which one would address an individual of a high social status. Furthermore, it may also be a reference to the fact that very often those individuals of high social status were the ‘sires’ of the slave’s children. In addition to this, it may be said that it was only the grandchildren who were able to fully gain these inalienable rights. This is also, made evident to the reader through the title of the …show more content…
“Torrid” may also refer to weather which is incredibly hot and dry therefore indicating the way in which these individuals had no sense of self-actualisation, making it a dry and fruitless season for them. This gives the reader an insight into the conditions faced by individuals during slavery. These terrible conditions are again made evident in the line “In miasma’d riceswamps” (l. 15). Miasma refers to noxious and foul air, which was thought to cause diseases such as cholera and Black Death. Furthermore, the riceswamps were areas where slavery was administered very heavily and these swamps were extremely unhealthy conditions. Additionally, the cotton which was harvested by the slaves, was painful work. This is made clear to the reader through the words “in strangling cotton” (l. 17), with the word “strangling” directly referring to the pain and hardships experienced by the slaves in the cotton fields and the strangling of their own personal growth. The terrible working conditions are again emphasised in line 18, which states “wintery nights in mud-daubed makeshift huts.” Not only are the wintery nights unpleasant to endure they are also detrimental to the health of the slaves who were provided with very little means to keep warm as the cold weather would aggravate the sicknesses which are