The Little Black Boy
My mother bore me in the southern wild, And I am black but O! My soul is white. White as an angel is the English child, But I am black as if bereav'd of light. My mother taught me underneath a tree, And sitting down before the heat of day, She took me on her lap and kissed me, And pointing to the east began to say: Look on the rising sun. There God does live, And gives his light, and gives his heat away. And flowers and trees and beasts and men receive, Comfort in morning joy in the noon day. And we are put on earth a little space, That we may learn to bear the beams of love, And these black bodies and this sun-burnt face, Is but a cloud, and like a shady grove.
For when our souls have learn'd the heat to bear, The cloud will vanish we shall hear his voice. Saying: come out from the grove my love and care, And round my golden tent like lambs rejoice. Thus did my mother say and kissed me, And thus I say to little English boy: When I from black and he from white cloud free And round the tent of God like lambs we joy, I'll shade him from the heat till he can bear, To lean in joy upon our fathers knee. And then I'll stand and stroke his silver hair, And be like him and he will then love me.
I have decided to apply a Marxist approach to the poem, A Little Black Boy because it exemplifies one of the key points found within Marxist theory: The struggle between social classes. Marxism represents a very complex social and political theory regarding the divisions amongst and conflicts between the social classes found in all societies. The Marxist theory strongly advocates for the "underdog" in that it states the labor classes within all societies serve as the foundation for that society so that it may function and operate at an optimum level. However, it's important to recognize that often times said labor classes are exploited by those who retain more social influence and political power, hence the theory claims that poor labor classes must unite to seize political power and advocate for the benefit of all classes on an equal level or with minimal proportionality to make sure everyone from all classes are treated fairly and to minimize inter-class conflict, and ideally demolished any social hierarchy.
The poem The Little Black Boy is interesting because it provides an insightful, yet troubling perspective on how social classes are often times not only divided in terms of labor but also in accordance to race, in that certain ethnicities are valued as superior to others. Unfortunately, within this poem, the main theme regarding division between ethnic groups and hence the definition of class levels is related through the eyes of a little black boy, who laments and curses the color of his skin for the implied reasons found within class division. The boy disturbingly cries out, "I am black, but O! My soul is white," as if to imply a belief that his soul must be white in order to be pure or good. The term "white" is being used as a synonym for terms such as desirable, blessed, or perhaps worthy, when in actuality his skin color and soul is perfectly pure and good, and in some respects his exploited soul makes him more accepting of difference than that of the white man. The poem continues to relate powerful and wise words from the boy's mother who assures him through the excellent use of natural metaphors, saying that his skin is but another work of nature and that in God's eyes he is no more inferior than the white man; that the little black boy's skin is merely a cloud or a shady grove.
The boy, having found a new sense of purpose, proudly proclaims how if he and a little white boy meet before God in heaven, that he will use his "sun-burnt skin, to shade him [little white boy] from the heat till he can bear" so that both souls can "lean in joy upon our father's knee" in heaven. The last line of the poem, however, does not reinforce the change in the perceived tone of the poem, which is one of profound understanding and purpose, because the Little Black Boy again states, "and then I'll stand and stroke his silver hair, and be like him and he will then love me" as if reverting again back to seeking the approval and love of the white boy, rather than loving and embracing his own uniqueness.
From a Marxist point of view, this story would follow three distinct emotions, the first being contempt at the author, the second being satisfaction, and the third being anger. These three emotions would most likely stem from the progression of the poem. For example, Marxists would be immediately disturbed by this poor underdog lamenting himself for not being white and rich, causing the reader to feel contempt which would then progress to satisfaction at the mother's wise and solid explanation and the boy's newfound positive tone as the true bright star within all social classes, but would finally rest as irritated or angry because in the end the boy still desires the approval of the white, rich English boy (leaving to the poem to end with that line as the final message). Since Marxism is all about advocating for the rights of the exploited and lower social classes, this poem would hit a strong nerve in their view point and would most likely provoke negative reactions among those readers who practice the theory.
Overall, I like the message of the poem in that it attempts to lift up the lower social classes and proclaim them as equal, for that's what I believe as well and hope that society would recognize more. However, similar to what I mentioned above, I am ruffled by the last line and hope that it was written only to relate that the Little Black Boy is far more wise in that he forgives those who have offended and oppressed him.