Ethiopianism and Black Empowerment

Paper Summary:

The paper compares Frances E. W. Harper's poem, "Ethiopia" with Paul Lawrence Dunbar's poem "Ode to Ethiopia" and shows how Harper is yearning for something that is not yet there while Dunbar is seeking to ameliorate what already is. The paper discusses the poems' loaded diction and the allusions to the biblical prophecy that African-Americans will rise. The paper illustrate how Harper and Dunbar's poems glorify and empower African-Americans while looking forward to a new era in which black people will stand tall in the face of adversity.

From the Paper:

"The term Ethiopianism referes to a literary tradition in which "early black writers and even some of their white allies [embraced] this inspirational Biblical passage: 'Princes shall come out of [Africa}; Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God' " (Psalms 68:31; Moses 412). Since the 19th century, many writers have interpreted this "verse as a prophecy that African Americans will rise within society" (Moses 412). Therefore, it is not surprisng that Frances E. W. Harper's "Ethiopia" and Paul Lawrence Dunbar's "Ode to Ethiopia" reflect this biblical prophecy. As Dunbar and Harper wrote, "Yes! Ethiopia shall stretch her bleeding hands abroad," "Go on and up!/ Our souls and eyes/ shall follow thy continous rise." These poems were both written at times when many blacks felt disillusioned by social unrest, poverty, and racism."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Hill, Patricia, Liggins. "Let Me Make the Songs for the People: A study of Frances Wakins Harpers Poetry. Black American Literature Forum, 15 (1981): 60-65.
• Moses, William J. "The Poeticis of Ethiopianism," http://www.jstor.org.libproxy.wustl.edu/stable/2925341?&Search=yes&term=%22The+Poetics+of+Ethiopianism%2C%22&list=hide&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3D%25E2%2580%259CThe%2BPoetics%2Bof%2BEthiopianism%252C%25E2%2580%259D%26wc%3Don&item=1&ttl=12&returnArticleService=showArticle
• Revell Peter. "Paul Lawrence Dunbar," http://www.jstor.org/pss/2904411

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