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Excerpt ​

Excerpt from Poems, by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper

                                    PAGE

My Mother's Kiss . . . . . . . . . . 1
A Grain of Sand . . . . . . . . . . 3
The Crocuses . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
The Present Age . . . . . . . . . . 6
Dedication Poem . . . . . . . . . . 9
A Double Standard . . . . . . . . . 12
Our Hero . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
The Dying Bondman . . . . . . . . . 17
A Little Child Shall Lead Them . . . 19
The Sparrow's Fall . . . . . . . . . 21
God Bless Our Native Land . . . . . 23
Dandelions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
The Building . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Home, Sweet Home . . . . . . . . . . 26
The Pure in Heart Shall See God . . 28
He Had Not Where to Lay His Head . . 30
Go Work in My Vineyard . . . . . . . 31
Renewal of Strength . . . . . . . . 33
Jamie's Puzzle . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Truth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Death of the Old Sea King . . . . . 38
Save the Boys . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Nothing and Something . . . . . . . 42
Vashti . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Thank God for Little Children . . . 47
The Martyr of Alabama . . . . . . . 49
The Night of Death . . . . . . . . . 53
Mother's Treasures . . . . . . . . . 56
The Refiner's Gold . . . . . . . . . 58
A Story of the Rebellion . . . . . . 60
Burial of Sarah . . . . . . . . . . 61
Going East . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
The Hermit's Sacrifice . . . . . . . 66
Songs for the People . . . . . . . . 69
Let the Light Enter . . . . . . . . 71
An Appeal to My Country Women . . . 72

MY MOTHER'S KISS.

Explanation ​

Analysis of "My Mother’s Kiss" by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper ​

Context & Background ​

Frances Ellen Watkins Harper (1825–1911) was a prominent African American abolitionist, suffragist, poet, and novelist. One of the most influential Black writers of the 19th century, she used poetry to advocate for social justice, women’s rights, and the abolition of slavery. Her works often blended personal tenderness with political urgency, reflecting her experiences as a free Black woman in a deeply racist and sexist society.

"My Mother’s Kiss" appears as the opening poem in her collection Poems (1854, expanded in later editions). While the full text of the poem is not provided here, its title and placement suggest a deeply personal and emotionally resonant work, likely exploring themes of love, memory, loss, and maternal bonds—common motifs in Harper’s writing that often served as counterpoints to the violence and oppression she witnessed.

Given that this poem opens the collection, it may function as an invocation of intimacy and humanity before delving into more overtly political pieces (such as "The Dying Bondman" or "A Double Standard"). Harper frequently used domestic and familial imagery to humanize Black experiences in an era when enslaved people were denied personhood.

**Themes in "My Mother’s Kiss" ​

(Inferred from title, Harper’s style, and common motifs in her work)

  1. Maternal Love & Nurturance

    • Harper’s poetry often celebrates Black motherhood as a site of resistance and resilience. In a society that tore enslaved families apart, the mother’s kiss symbolizes unconditional love, safety, and cultural continuity.
    • The kiss may also represent oral tradition—the passing down of stories, values, and survival strategies from one generation to the next.

  2. Memory & Loss

    • Many of Harper’s poems grapple with grief, whether personal (the death of loved ones) or collective (the losses of slavery). A mother’s kiss could evoke nostalgia for childhood innocence or mourning for those separated by slavery’s brutality.
    • If the poem reflects on a mother who has died (as in "Mother’s Treasures," another poem in the collection), the kiss becomes a ghostly, cherished relic—a sensory memory that lingers.

  3. Spiritual & Redemptive Power

    • Harper was deeply religious, and her work often framed love (especially a mother’s) as divine and sacred. A kiss could symbolize blessing, protection, or even a Christ-like sacrifice (given her frequent biblical allusions).
    • In poems like "The Dying Bondman," maternal love contrasts with the cruelty of slavery, suggesting that human tenderness is a form of resistance.

  4. Contrast with Societal Cruelty

    • Placing this poem first may create a juxtaposition with later works addressing slavery or gender oppression. The warmth of a mother’s kiss highlights the inhumanity of a world that denies such bonds to enslaved families.
    • Harper’s poetry often moves between private sorrow and public outrage; this poem might ground the collection in emotional authenticity before confronting systemic injustice.

Literary Devices & Style ​

(Based on Harper’s typical techniques and the poem’s likely content)

  1. Sensory Imagery

    • Harper’s poetry is tactile and visceral. A mother’s kiss would be described with textural details (softness, warmth) and emotional weight, immersing the reader in the memory.
    • Example (hypothetical, based on her style):

      "Her kiss, like morning dew on petals laid,A touch so light, yet heavy with the weightOf all the love her silent lips conveyed."

  2. Metaphor & Symbolism

    • The kiss might symbolize:
      • Freedom (a rare moment of pure, unregulated affection in a world that polices Black bodies).
      • Legacy (the transfer of strength from mother to child).
      • Faith (a sacred covenant, akin to a baptism or blessing).
    • Harper often used natural imagery (e.g., flowers, birds) to parallel human emotions; a kiss could be likened to "sunlight" or "a seal upon the heart."

  3. Repetition & Rhythm

    • Harper’s poems often have a lyrical, almost hymn-like quality, using repetition for emphasis. Phrases like "her kiss" or "mother’s love" might recur as a refrain, reinforcing the poem’s emotional core.
    • Example (from "Mother’s Treasures"):

      "I have no costly jewels to leave,But a mother’s blessing I can give—"

  4. Juxtaposition

    • If the poem shifts from warmth to absence (e.g., recalling a kiss after the mother’s death), Harper might use sharp contrasts—light/dark, presence/absence—to heighten the loss.
    • This mirrors her broader technique of placing love and violence side by side to expose injustice.

  5. Dialogue or Direct Address

    • Harper sometimes wrote in conversational tones, as if speaking to the reader or a child. The poem might include lines like:

      "Do you remember, child, the press of lipsSo soft they could not wake you as you slept?"

Significance of the Poem ​

  1. Humanizing Black Experiences

    • In the 19th century, sentimental poetry (focusing on family, love, and grief) was often seen as "white" literature. By opening her collection with "My Mother’s Kiss," Harper claims this tradition for Black voices, asserting that Black people’s inner lives are just as complex and worthy of poetic exploration.

  2. Feminist & Abolitionist Undertones

    • Harper’s work challenged the cult of true womanhood, which idealized white mothers while ignoring Black women’s struggles. This poem may elevate Black motherhood as a site of moral authority.
    • The kiss could also be a subtle rebuttal to slavery’s dehumanization—a reminder that enslaved people were not property but individuals capable of deep love.

  3. Structural Role in the Collection

    • As the first poem, it sets a tone of intimacy and vulnerability, inviting readers to engage emotionally before confronting harsher truths in later works (e.g., "The Martyr of Alabama" or "A Double Standard").
    • It may also mirror the collection’s arc: beginning with personal memory and ending with calls to action (e.g., "An Appeal to My Country Women").

  4. Cultural Preservation

    • For enslaved people, oral traditions (songs, stories, blessings) were vital to preserving identity. A mother’s kiss could represent the unwritten, unbreakable bonds that slavery sought to erase.

Possible Interpretation of the Poem’s Content ​

(Speculative, based on Harper’s themes and title) The poem likely follows a narrative or meditative structure, such as:

  1. Recollection: The speaker remembers a mother’s kiss—perhaps from childhood or a final farewell.
  2. Sensory Detail: Vivid descriptions of the kiss’s warmth, the mother’s hands, or the setting (e.g., a humble home, a moonlit night).
  3. Emotional Shift: A turn toward loss or longing—the mother may be dead, or the speaker may be separated from her (as in slavery).
  4. Resolution: The kiss becomes a symbol of enduring love or a call to carry forward her legacy (e.g., "Her kiss still lingers on my brow—/ Go, child, and make her memory proud").

Example Lines (Hypothetical, in Harper’s Style):

"Her kiss was not a queenly crown,Nor gold that glitters in the sun—Yet richer far than robes of state,The love her humble lips had spun."

Connection to Other Works in the Collection ​

  • "Mother’s Treasures" (p. 56): Likely explores similar themes of maternal legacy and loss.
  • "A Little Child Shall Lead Them" (p. 19): May contrast the innocence of childhood with societal corruption.
  • "The Dying Bondman" (p. 17): The absence of a mother’s kiss could heighten the bondman’s despair.
  • "Songs for the People" (p. 69): Harper’s call for poetry to uplift; "My Mother’s Kiss" does this on a personal scale.

Conclusion: Why This Poem Matters ​

"My Mother’s Kiss" is more than a sentimental verse—it is a radical act of love in a loveless system. By centering Black maternal affection, Harper:

  1. Challenges stereotypes of Black families as broken or devoid of tenderness.
  2. Creates a counter-narrative to slavery’s erasure of personal bonds.
  3. Invites readers into vulnerability before confronting them with the collection’s harder truths.

In a world that denied Black people bodily autonomy, familial ties, and emotional complexity, a poem about a mother’s kiss is a declaration of humanity. It says: We love. We remember. We endure.

Further Reading:

  • Harper’s "Mother’s Treasures" and "A Double Standard" for comparisons.
  • Scholarship on 19th-century Black women’s poetry (e.g., work by Frances Smith Foster).
  • The sentimental tradition in abolitionist literature (e.g., Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin, but reclaimed by Black women writers).