Frances Ellen Watkins Harper

The theme of Frances E.W. Harper's poem "Bury Me in a Free Land" centers on the injustice of slavery and the desire for freedom. The speaker expresses a wish to be buried in a place where slavery...

Frances Ellen Watkins Harper's poem "Let the Light Enter" employs a hopeful and inspirational tone. The syntax is straightforward, enhancing the poem's clarity and accessibility, while the diction is...

"The Slave Mother" by Frances E.W. Harper highlights the heartbreaking reality of slavery, focusing on a slave woman's forced separation from her child. The poem begins with the mother's despairing...

Harper uses rhetorical devices like anaphora and similes in "Eliza Harris" to emphasize themes of strength and injustice. Anaphora is employed to highlight the absurdity of a nation celebrating...

Frances E.W. Harper's poems "Ethiopia" and "The Slave Mother" explore themes of the African-American experience and slavery. "The Slave Mother" focuses on the dehumanizing reality of slavery,...

Laura receives two marriage proposals, but is unable to decide which one she should accept. Janette advises her to reject both offers, because if she accepts neither, then she will avoid the...

In "Learning to Read," Harper portrays women's quest for knowledge through the character of Chloe, a nearly sixty-year-old former slave determined to learn to read despite societal barriers and age....

"Moses: The Story Of The Nile" is the first of Frances Ellen Watkins Harper's published works. It was written in blank verse and is an example of Harper's finest poetry written at her peak. Harper...

Janette handles her grief by reflecting on the contrasting paths she and her cousin Laura chose. While Laura's adherence to societal norms led to an unhappy marriage and a tragic end, Janette's...

An exploration of identity crises and Frances Ellen Watkins Harper’s poems might focus on religion. In Harper’s poems, it appears as if the spiritual realm welcomes people of identities that the...