W+Sewell

Frances Ellen Watkins Harper1825-1911



Frances Ellen Watkins Harper was born in Baltimore in 1825. She was born to free parents but her mother died three years after her birth. She was educated in a school run by her uncle and then became a seamstress years later. Her first volume of poems was published in 1845 and became very popular. She later became a teacher at Union Seminary, and after that, joined the American Anti-Slavery Society. She was an extreme activist supporting prohibition and women’s suffrage. Harper died of heart disease on February 20th, 1911.

"Eliza Harris"

Like a fawn from the arrow, startled and wild, A woman swept by us, bearing a child; In her eye was the night of a settled despair, And her brow was o'ershaded with anguish and care.

She was nearing the river—in reaching the brink, She heeded no danger, she paused not to think! For she is a mother—her child is a slave— And she'll give him his freedom, or find him a grave!

In was a vision to haunt us, that innocent face— So pale in its aspect, so fair in its grace, As the tramp of the horse and the bay of the hound, With the fetters that gall, were trailing the ground!

She was nerv'd by despair, and strengthened by woe, And 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.

Oh! how shall I speak of my proud country's shame? Of the stains on her glory, how give them their name? How say that her banner in mockery waves— Her "star spangled banner"—o'er millions of slaves?

How say that the lawless may torture and chase A woman whose crime is the hue of her face? How the depths of the forest may echo around With the shrieks of despair, and the bay of the hound?

With her step on the ice, and her arm on her child, The danger was fearful, the pathway was wild; But, aided by Heaven, she gained a free shore, Where the friends of humanity open'd their door.

So fragile and lovely, so fearfully pale, Like a lily that bends to the breath of the gale, Save the heave of her breast, and the sway of her hair, You'd have thought her a statue of fear and despair.

In agony close to her bosom she press'd The life of her heart, the child of her breast:— Oh! love from its tenderness gathering might, Had strengthen'd her soul for the dangers of flight.

But she's free—yes, free from the land where the slave From the hand of oppression must rest in the grave; Where bondage and torture, where scourges and chains, Have plac'd on our banner indelible stains.

Did a fever e'er burning through bosom and brain, Send a lava-like flood through every vein, Till it suddenly cooled 'neath a healing spell, And you knew, oh! the joy! you knew you were well?

So felt this young mother, as a sense of the rest Stole gently and sweetly o'er // her // weary breast, As her boy looked up, and, wondering, smiled On the mother whose love had freed her child.

The bloodhounds have miss'd the scent of her way, The hunter is rifled and foil'd of his prey; Fierce jargon and cursing, with clanking of chains, Make sounds of strange discord on Liberty's plains.

With the rapture 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!

Analysis of "Eliza Harris"

"Eliza Harris" is literally about a slave woman who wants to escape so her son does not become a slave. She even crosses the icy Ohio River without realizing the dangers of it. She made it across the river and was welcomed, "Where the friends of humanity open'd their door," by the people. She risked danger and death for the freedom of her son and the two end up making it out of slavery. Harper talks about the fear of slaves escaping and also the shame of her country who supposedly lives by liberty. The fear of slaves escaping is shown through her quote, "The danger was fearful, the pathway was wild." Harper really expresses her shame for her country by saying, "Oh! How shall I speak of my proud country's shame? Of the stains on her glory, how give them their name?" The thing that stands out the most to me is the mother caring for her child. That is what a mother's top priority is supposed to be is providing for her child. This mother went through anything and everything to provide the best life possible for her child, extreme danger, poverty, and even death. She uses the quote, "The life of her heart, the child of her breast," to show that this mother really had nothing else to live for other than to give her son the life he deserved. She would rather risk dying and setting him free than doing absolutely nothing and both of them still be in slavery. This poem really showed me how slaves see the age of slavery. Mostly, when you hear about slavery, its from slave owners or from people who didn't even live in the time of slavery. This poem comes from someone who lived during the time and really shows how horrible slavery was.

"Ethiopia"



Yes! Ethiopia yet shall stretch Her bleeding hands abroad; Her cry of agony shall reach The burning throne of God.

The tyrant's yoke from off her neck His fetters from her soul The mighty hand of God shall break, And spurn the base control.

Redeemed from dust and freed from chains, Her sons shall lift their eyes; From cloud-capt hills and verdant plains Shall shouts of triumph rise.

Upon her dark, despairing brow, Shall play a smile of peace; For God shall bend unto her wo, And bid her sorrows cease.

'Neath sheltering vines and stately palms Shall laughing children play, And aged sires with joyous psalms Shall gladden every day.

Secure by night, and blest by day, Shall pass her happy hours; Nor human tigers hunt for prey WIthin her peaceful bowers.

Then, Ethiopia! stretch, oh! stretch Thy bleeding hands abroad; Thy cry of agony shall reach And find redress from God.

Analysis of "Ethiopia"

In "Ethiopia", Harper is speaking of slaves crying out to God and finally being freed. She is saying in the poem that God should set what is wrong, right, by the slaves being freed. This is shown by the lines, "Thy cry of agony shall reach And find redress from God", and also, "For God shall bend unto her wo, and bid her sorrows cease". I think Harper's background of extreme slave abolitionist really shows up in this poem. She specifies how happy the slaves would be if freed and how big of a deal it would be. The biggest deal in this poem is the slaves' ability to still have a higher power to believe in and not have the attitude of "If there was a God, why would he put us through this." The slaves retain their strong base religion throughout their lives even after everything they are put through. They kept up their religion knowing that one day they would "find redress from God." They did this through praying and singing throughout the day because for slaves, religion was the only thing that was constant in their lives and the only thing they really had to hold on to. Another question that comes up is why does she use Ethiopia to describe Africans instead of just saying "African?" In this time, using certain words could have gotten and African persecuted. She describes Ethiopia as a "her". So, she must be talking of all slaves and African people. She uses quotes such as, "Her bleeding hands...Her cry of agony", to show slaves as a whole. Although, at the end of the poem, she starts using the word "thy". With this, she could be relating herself, or her narrator, to all of the Africans. Even though she was not a part of slavery, she still feels the effects of it.This poem makes me really feel sorry for these people who had to go through this. It is really sad to hear how awful their lives were and the things they were put through. But, they stood strong through it all and still believed in the Lord. Dear the person who analyzed the poem in blue, You are right that Harper is very much affected by slavery although she was not a slave herself. But your analysis of why she used the word "Ethiopia" instead of Africans is incorrect. To understand why the word "Ethiopia" is significant in this poem we have to have a basic understanding of Ethiopian history. Ethiopia is a country located in Northeast Africa or Horn of Africa. Ethiopia also known as Abyssinia was the only African country to defeat European power-Italy in the battle of Adwa. It was the first time in history that a black nation fought a war against European power and won. Ethiopia therefore remained the only independent African country. This earned Ethiopia a praise from all black people that were colonized and enslaved. The battle of Adwa even today is one of the most celebrated in all of Africa and Caribbean countries. Coming back to Harper, she used Ethiopia because Ethiopia represented the freedom she wished black people should have. All black people at the time wanted to be Ethiopian. Many called Ethiopia their mother land although that was not true. Jamaicans today believe Ethiopian king Ras Tafari is god, that's why they are called Rastafarian. Almost all of African countries have flag that looks identical to that of Ethiopia to show the respect they have for the nation.

"The Fugitive's Wife"

It was my sad and weary lot To toil in slavery; But one thing cheered my lowly cot- My husband was with me.

One evening, as our children played Around our cabin door, I noticed on his brow a shade I've never seen before.

And in his eyes a gloomy night Of anguish and despair;- I gazed upon their troubled light, To read the meaning there.

He strained me to his heaving heart- My own beat wild with fear; I knew not, but I sadly felt There must be evil near.

He vainly strove to cast aside The tears that fell like rain:- Too frail, indeed, is manly pride To strive with grief and pain.

Again he clasped me to his breast, And said that we must part: I tried to speak-but, oh! it seemed An arrow reached my heart.



"Bear not," I cried, "unto your grave, The yoke you've borne from birth,  No longer live a helpless slave,  The meanest thing on earth!"

Analysis of "The Fugitive's Wife"

In "The Fugitive's Wife", the narrator starts out saying that the one thing that comforted her through slavery was the fact her husband was with her. She starts noticing her husband was looking and acting different and having to hold back tears because of his pride. Then, she knew something was going on, something "evil." The husband soon tells her that they must part and she says he should no longer live a helpless slave. In this poem, Harper is trying to express how hard it was to be the wife of a fugitive. She shows the anguish that the wife goes through knowing that something evil was going on with her husband, something that ultimately would be very upsetting. This very upsetting wave that comes upon the narrator after the husband said they should part is shown by the quote, "I tried to speak- but oh! it seemed an arrow reached my heart." This quote really shows that slaves are human. Many times in the slave era, slaves were not even looked at as human. They were seen as property. But, this quote, along with her describing that the only thing that cheered her up was her husband, shows that slaves are just as much human as white people and they have just as many feelings as the slave owners. It shows that a husband to a slave was loved just as much and maybe more than a husband to a white person. Looking at the poem, I think the husband might have to part because he is being taken away. The "evil" the wife speaks of could be that the husband isn't doing a certain task to the owner's liking so he is being traded for a slave that can. This could be evil to the husband because of his pride, "too frail, indeed, is manly pride." At the end of the poem, the wife again shows she cares so much for her husband by crying, although she understands that her husband has to leave. This poem makes my heart go out to anyone who had to go through this. I can't even imagine having to go through slavery and then lose my husband on top of everything. This poem made me legitimately sad when I read it.


 * " ** The Tennessee Hero"

"He had heard his comrades plotting to obtain their liberty, and rather than betray them he received 750 lashes and died."

He stood before the savage throng, The base and coward crew; A tameless light flashed from his eye, His heart beat firm and true.

He was the hero of his band, The noblest of them all; Though fetters galled his weary limbs, His spirit spurned their thrall.

And towered, in its manly might, Above the murderous crew. Oh! liberty had nerved his heart, And every pulse beat true.

"Now tell us," said the savage troop, "And life they gain shall be! Who are the men that plotting, say-  'They must and will be free!'"

Oh, could you have seen the hero then, As his lofty soul arose, And his dauntless eyes defiance flashed On his mean and craven foes!

"I know the men who would be free; They are the heroes of your land;  But death and torture I defy,  Ere I betray that band.

"And what! oh, what is life to me, Beneath your base control?  Nay! do your worst. Ye have no chains  To bind my free-born soul."

They brought the hateful lash and scorge, With murder in each eye. But a solemn vow was on his lips- He had resolved to die.

Yes, rather than betray his trust, He'd meet a death of pain; 'T was sweeter far to meet it thus Than wear a treason stain!

Like storms of wrath, of hate and pain, The blows rained thick and fast; But the monarch soul kept true Till the fates of life were past.

And the martyr spirit fled To the throne of God on high, And showed his gaping wounds Before the unslumbering eye.

Analysis of "The Tennessee Hero"

This poem is about a slave who has heard fellow slaves plotting to be free. The "hero" is put before white men and told he must tell of these slaves plotting for freedom and he can live. The slave stands true to his fellow people and refuses to give away the secret. Even though he knew he would die if he did not tell, he still stood by his fellow slaves and took the punishment rather than telling. He was beaten many, many times, but kept true to his band until he died from the torture. In this poem, the "hero" was very brave. He withstood much punishment and death to be true to his fellow slaves who were trying to be free. Harper definitely indicates how much slaves had respect for other slaves and how much drive they have to be free. By the hero standing up for his fellow slaves, this shows how much slaves longed for freedom and this man sacrificed his life just so the others' could have the freedom that he so longed for. Also, the slaves have a very strong base religion and most of them take the mental approach to it, by singing and believing in God and that he will one day set them free. The hero, though, took a physical approach to religion. He thought the life after would be more appealing, so he sacrificed himself to go to a bigger and better place. He believed it was a win/win situation, that he would go on to a better place and also that the ones who wanted to live and try to escape would ultimately be happier because of what he did. He trusted in his religion so much, that he was willing to take the pain and torture to go on to the next life and be a happier person. I really have respect for this man who would go through so much pain and torture to protect his fellow slaves. Someone has to have an extreme amount of courage and the belief that his fellow people will carry out what they have planned and have a happy life to go through what he did.

"Bury Me in a Free Land"

You may make my grave wherever you will, In a lowly vale or a lofty hill; You may make it among earth's humblest graves, But not in a land where men are slaves.

I could not sleep if around my grave I heard the steps of a trembling slave; His shadow above my silent tomb Would make it a place of fearful gloom

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.

I could not rest if I heard the lash Drinking her blood at each fearful gash, And I saw her babes torn from her breast Like trembling doves from their parent nest.

I'd shudder and start, if I heard the bay Of the bloodhounds seizing their human prey; If I heard the captive plead in vain As they tightened afresh his galling chain.

If I saw young girls, from their mother's arms Bartered and sold for the youthful charms My eye would flash with a mournful flame, My death paled cheek grow red with shame.

I would sleep, dear friends, where bloated might Can rob no man of his dearest right; My rest shall be calm in any grave Where none calls his brother a slave.

I ask no monument proud and high To arrest the gaze of passers by; All that my spirit yearning craves, Is-bury me not in the land of slaves.

Analysis of "Bury Me in a Free Land"

This poem is about refusing to be buried where slaves are still legal. Harper really shows here how much slaves were disgusted with what they are put through. She describes the "Coffle-gang" which is a group of slaves in chains and one of the worst things she describes is the shrieking mother and her children being taken from her. She describes the horrors of a mother in, "And I saw her babes torn from her breast Like trembling doves from their parent nest." I think this could have been something that the narrator went through in her life or saw happen to someone close to her, being able to describe it so well. She also talks about the bloodhounds "seizing their human prey." This shows the horror in a slave trying to escape and the dogs ripping them apart. She doesn't care at all about her gravesite, "You may make it among earth's humblest graves...""I ask no monument proud and high...", the only thing she wishes for is to not be buried where there are slaves. I see her wanting to be buried in a free land kind of as she doesn't want to be buried in America at all. She says "bury me not in the land of slaves, which can be seen as her not wanting to be buried in America because America was known as the land of slaves. She also does not want to be buried where there are still slaves because that is a lot physically and mentally on her. While it is supposed to be her peaceful resting place, it can't be either with all the atrocities still going on above her.