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Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained | |||
"Southern Mansion" by Arna Bontemps is a hauntingly vivid portrayal of the juxtaposition between the antebellum grandeur of the South and the brutal reality of slavery that underpinned it. Through the poem's evocative imagery and stark contrasts, Bontemps captures the lingering echoes of a bygone era, marked both by its cultural opulence and its moral decay. The poem’s structure, with its repetitive motifs and imagery, serves to emphasize the cyclical nature of history and the persistent memory of past atrocities. The poem begins and ends with the image of poplars "standing there still as death," a symbol of the enduring legacy of the Southern mansion and its history. This imagery sets a tone of eerie tranquility that belies the turmoil and suffering experienced by those who lived in bondage on these grounds. The stillness of the poplars contrasts sharply with the activity of the "ghosts of dead men" and their ladies, suggesting a world where the past is not fully dead but continues to haunt the present. The mention of ghosts walking "Two by two beneath the shade / And standing on the marble steps" evokes the social rituals of the Southern aristocracy, with its emphasis on genteel manners and outward appearances. Yet, this genteel image is shattered by the "sound of music echoing / Through the open door" juxtaposed with "another sound tinkling in the cotton: / Chains of bondmen dragging on the ground." This stark contrast between the music of the mansion and the sound of chains in the cotton fields highlights the cruel reality that the wealth and leisure of the Southern elite were built on the backs of enslaved people. The phrase "The years go back with an iron clank" metaphorically represents the weight of history and the chains of slavery, suggesting that the legacy of bondage is inextricable from the history of the mansion. The "hand is on the gate" and the "dry leaf trembles on the wall" further contribute to the atmosphere of suspense and unease, as if the past is about to intrude upon the present. The final lines of the poem, where "Ghosts are walking" and have "broken roses down" while "poplars stand there still as death," bring the poem full circle. The broken roses could symbolize the destruction of innocence and beauty, while the immutable poplars symbolize the enduring legacy of the Southern mansion and its history of slavery. "Southern Mansion" is a powerful meditation on the legacy of the American South, weaving together themes of memory, history, and the inescapable shadows of slavery. Bontemps masterfully uses the setting of the Southern mansion, with its ghosts and contrasting sounds, to explore the complexities of a society built on profound inequalities. The poem serves as a reminder that the past, with its beauty and horror, continues to echo through the present, challenging us to confront and acknowledge the full scope of our history. POEM TEXT: Poplars are standing there still as death There is a sound of music echoing The years go back with an iron clank,
| Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...WHITE NOCTURNE by CONRAD AIKEN IN THE EVENINGS by LUCILLE CLIFTON THE MOTHS: 1. CIRCA 1582 by NORMAN DUBIE GHOSTS IN ENGLAND by ROBINSON JEFFERS THE GHOST OF DEACON BROWN by JAMES WELDON JOHNSON |
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