6 Must-Read Frances Harper Poems

Frances Harper was a poet, teacher, and writer. She is also regarded as an important member of the abolitionist movement and one of the first African American writers to be published in the United States. She had a long career, starting with her first book of poetry published when she was 20 years old.

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A Double Standard

‘A Double Standard’ by Frances Harper is a powerful condemnation of gender inequalities and social hypocrisy, offering a timeless critique that continues to resonate.

Frances Harper's poems often focus on social justice issues, particularly those concerning race and gender. 'A Double Standard' is no exception, examining gender inequality and societal hypocrisy. Her ability to weave personal narratives with larger societal themes makes her work resonant and relevant.

Do you blame me that I loved him?

If when standing all alone

I cried for bread a careless world

Pressed to my lips a stone.

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Songs for the People

‘Songs for the People’ is a poem that espouses a hopeful belief in music’s ability to bring peace both to individuals and the world around them.

This poem by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper coalesces her altruistic beliefs as a social and political activist. Like the speaker, the poet uses songs or poems to heal the sorrows of others, with the ultimate goal being a globally girdled peace. Sincere and poignant, her words never come off as being too lofty, and instead speak to the faith that she places in art's ability to transcend all the things that make the world a miserable place. In the end, the speaker seems to assert that it is through small acts of kindness that make peace possible.

Let me make the songs for the people,

Songs for the old and young;

Songs to stir like a battle-cry

Wherever they are sung.

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The Slave Mother

Frances Ellen Watkins Harper’s ‘The Slave Mother’ portrays an enslaved woman’s anguish, emphasizing the enduring power of love amid oppression.

This poem is a good representation of Frances Ellen Watkins Harper's poems. Harper was an abolitionist and social reformer, and many of her poems focused on themes of slavery, human rights, and the plight of African Americans. 'The Slave Mother' exemplifies her ability to capture the emotional depth of the human experience and confront the harsh realities of slavery, showcasing her powerful use of imagery, emotive language, and social commentary.

Heard you that shriek? It rose

So wildly on the air,

It seem’d as if a burden’d heart

Was breaking in despair.

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The Slave Auction

Have you ever imagined what it felt like observing innocent lives being traded at the slave auction? It is vividly portrayed through the eyes of Frances Harper in her poem ‘The Slave Auction’.

Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, a passionate abolitionist and African American poet, wrote 'The Slave Auction' to convey the painful realities of Black women and families torn apart by slavery. Known for her focus on justice, Harper uses this poem to reveal the suffering endured at slave auctions, where women watched helplessly as their loved ones were sold. This piece is among her most powerful works, capturing the heartbreak and injustice of that experience.

The sale began—young girls were there,

Defenseless in their wretchedness,

Whose stifled sobs of deep despair

Revealed their anguish and distress.

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Learning to Read

‘Learning to Read’ by Frances Harper is a powerful poem about formerly enslaved people learning to read and gaining independence and strength through education.

This poem is a great example of Harper's commitment to advocating for education as a means of liberation, empowerment, and resistance against oppression. Her poetry holds historical importance as it sheds light on the experiences of African Americans during a tumultuous period in American history, showcasing the resilience and determination of the human spirit to overcome adversity.

Very soon the Yankee teachers

Came down and set up school;

But, oh! how the Rebs did hate it,—

It was agin’ their rule.

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Bury Me in a Free Land

‘Bury Me in a Free Land’ depicts the cruel custom of slavery that prevailed in America. This poem presents the speaker’s wish to be buried in a land where no men are treated as slaves.

Make me a grave where'er you will,

In a lowly plain, or a lofty hill;

Make it among earth's humblest graves,

But not in a land where men are slaves.

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6 Must-Read Frances Harper Poems

A Double Standard

Songs for the People

The Slave Mother

The Slave Auction

Learning to Read

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