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African American Literature - Freedom and Sexuality

She should love her blackness and embrace her sexuality rather than hide from it and ignore its existence. Bennett writes the poem surrounding the woman's blackness by starting off with, "I love you for your brownness " signifying that her beauty lies within her skin color (line 1). Bennett's lines in the second stanza greatly depicts what she sees when she looks at a black woman. She writes, "Something of old forgotten queens/Lurks in the lithe abandon of your walk " suggesting that the woman has a sense of royalty about her (lines 5-6). Bennett is able to connect the woman's beauty with power as she compares her to queens. Bennett also takes into account that this woman was once a slave. She realizes this and concludes that her slavery is not what makes her beautiful; it is her origin of "old forgotten queens " that do this. At the end of the poem, Bennett advises this black woman to "keep all you have of queenliness/Forgetting that you were once a slave/And let your full lips laugh at Fate! " (lines 10-12). Bennett sees beauty in this sorrowful woman and wants her to appreciate her life and realize where she really comes from. It is not slavery where this woman came from, but rather her royal origins. Besides the royal aspect of her beauty, Bennett also depicts the sexual beauty of this woman. She describes the "rounded darkness of your breast, " emphasizing on the color of her skin. Bennett clearly argues that the beauty of this hypothetical woman is directly linked to her sexuality. Slavery should not overpower this woman's life; rather it is her beauty and sexuality that should be embraced. By leaving the racist notions out of the poem, Bennett suggests that the implication of dark skin being unattractive is merely a source of slavery itself. Slavery is what is ugly; the dark woman is what is truly beautiful. Bennett suggests women with darker skin are privileged rather than oppressed because of their skin color.


Essays Related to African American Literature - Freedom and Sexuality

1. Anne Sexton and Langston Hughe

... qualities of the female body at a time when it was scandalous to mention such biological realities as menstruation, menopause, or women's sexuality in public" (Hibbard). The work of both poets is captivating and delivers a deep feeling to its readers. Their works touch the reader even those who cannot relate to the context of the work. You do not have to be a ... ashamed." His work is the voice that transcends the words of his soul, telling the story of America's suppressed black man with a wish for freedom and equality. "Hughes's poetry absorbed the rhythms of blues and jazz and the d...

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2. My American Dream

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3. Life and Works of James Baldwin

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4. Langston Hughes' Role In The Harlem Renaissance

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6. Maya Angelou - I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

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7. Toni Morrison

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