Alabama Centennial
By Naomi Long Madgett
They said, “Wait.” Well, I waited.
For a hundred years I waited
In cotton fields, kitchens, balconies,
In bread lines, at back doors, on chain gangs,
In stinking “colored” toilets
And crowded ghettos,
Outside of schools and voting booths.
And some said, “Later.”
And some said, “Never!”
Then a new wind blew, and a new voice
Rode its wings with quiet urgency,
Strong, determined, sure.“No,” it said. “Not ‘never,’ not ‘later.”
Not even ‘soon.’
Now.
Walk!”And other voices echoed the freedom words,
“Walk together, children, don’t get weary,”
Whispered them, sang them, prayed them, shouted them.
“Walk!”
And I walked the streets of Montgomery
Until a link in the chain of patient acquiescence broke.Then again: Sit down!
And I sat down at the counters of Greensboro.
Ride! And I rode the bus for freedom.
Kneel! And I went down on my knees in prayer and faith.
March! And I’ll march until the last chain falls
Singing, “We shall overcome.”Not all the dogs and hoses in Birmingham
Nor all the clubs and guns in Selma
Can turn this tide.
Not all the jails can hold these young black faces
From their destiny of manhood,
Of equality, of dignity,
Of the American Dream
A hundred years past due.
Now!
Summary of Alabama Centennial
- Popularity of “Alabama Centennial”: “Alabama Centennial” by Naomi Long Madgett, a great American poet and writer, is an interesting anti-slavery poetic piece. It first appeared in 1965. The poem portrays the strength and resolution of African Americans in their fight for civil rights. It shows their struggle and the way they stand still to win a better life for themselves. Madgett’s use of various poetic elements and factual representation of historical events make this poem popular worldwide.
- “Alabama Centennial” As a Representative of Struggle: The poem skillfully paints the struggle of African Americans, who left no stone unturned to achieve the desired status of being free men in the United States. It begins when the speaker tries to give a glimpse of the historical rivalry. African Americans have stayed in a state of inequality for so long. They suffered extreme poverty, were tortured, suffered torture and racial discrimination. She provides a series of images portraying historical lines of oppression and neglect. Finally, after ages, they stood up following a new voice. The voice demanded them to fight for their rights. As the poem progresses, the writer shows how a single voice made them united. They mustered up some courage to sing for freedom. Unfortunately, their mission faced a lot of tests and challenges. Despite having troubles, they did not stop, and the tide kept rising until they conveyed the message of equality and dignity to the world. The speaker once again reinforces the same idea in the final lines that hundred years have passed since they are struggling.
- Major Themes in “Alabama Centennial”: Strong versus weak, white supremacy and the struggle of African Americans are the major themes of the poem. This poem is about the unparalleled struggle of the Africans who suffered a lot at the hands of white supremacy. At first, people in power forced them to live a life of misery. Later, they tried to abolish the distinct identity of Africans, which added to their troubles. In this poem, the speaker clearly sketches how the Whites tortured them. She also catalogs the places in which they had to fight for their rights. Although it has been many years that they lived under oppression, now they have to stand united to shake the world with their unheard cries.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in “Alabama Centennial”
literary devices are modes used to enhance the impact of the writer’s ideas, emotions, and feelings. Naomi Long Madgett has also inserted various literary devices in this poem to create a strong impact on the readers. The analysis of the devices used in the poem is as follows.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line such as the sound of /e/ and /o/ “Not all the jails can hold these young black faces” and again the sound of /e/ in “Kneel! And I went down on my knees in prayer and faith.”
- Allusion: Allusion is a belief and an indirect reference of a person, place, thing, or idea of a historical, cultural, political, or literary significance. The poem alludes to the problems faced by Africans such as;
“For a hundred years I waited
In cotton fields, kitchens, balconies,
In bread lines, at back doors, on chain gangs,
In stinking “colored” toilets
And crowded ghettos,
Outside of schools and voting booths.”
- Anaphora: It refers to the repetition of a word or expression in the first part of some verses. Naomi Long Madgett has repeated the word “of” in the final stanza of the poem to emphasize the point such as;
“Of equality, of dignity,
Of the American Dream.”
- Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line such as the sound of /f/ in “for freedom.”
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line such as the sound of /l/ in “Not all the jails can hold these young black faces” and the sound of /t/ in “And I sat down at the counters of Greensboro.”
- Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break; rather, it rolls over to the next line. For example:
“Not all the dogs and hoses in Birmingham
Nor all the clubs and guns in Selma
Can turn this tide.”
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. Naomi Long Madgett has used imagery in this poem such as “Not all the jails can hold these young black faces”, “Not all the dogs and hoses in Birmingham,” and “In bread lines, at back doors, on chain gangs.”
- Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between the objects that are different. The poet has used the extended metaphor of African Americans’ struggle just to show how they strive for their rights.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in “Alabama Centennial”
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is the analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.
- Diction and Tone: The poem shows descriptive diction but various serious, tragic and sardonic tone.
- Free Verse: Free verse is a type of poetry that does not contain patterns of rhyme or meter. This is a free-verse poem with no strict rhyme or meter.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are five stanzas in this poem with each having a different number of verses.
Quotes to be Used
These lines from “Alabama Centennial” are useful to quote when delivering motivational lectures on the importance of unity.
“Walk together, children, don’t get weary,”
Whispered them, sang them, prayed them, shouted them.
“Walk!”