Response to "The Whipping" by Robert Hayden (1913-1980)
In "The Whipping" by Hayden the speaker is recalling an elderly woman chastising a young boy. Later in the poem the speaker changes to the boys perspective for just a brief moment, and then back to the original speaker. In the 4th stanza you can evidently see the shift in speakers that I mentioned.
Personally I can connect with this poem although it is a child getting in trouble. As a child I most certainly took a couple of whippings ! So it's interesting reading something that I relate to. Especially when the author writes, "She strikes and strikes the shrilly circling boy till the stick breaks in her hand( lines 9-11)./ His tears are rainy weather to wound-like memories: (lines 11-12)/.
If you grew up in a house hold such as mine you'd know the whipping does not stop until your parents are tired, especially if you did something incredibly wrong. This poem let me walk in the shoes of my past and allowed me to relive an experience. Albeit not a good one. It is easier to read a work of art when you can identify with the main elements.
Although the poem's literal meaning is about a old woman most likely the child's grandmother chastising him, if you dive deeper it's about how a child's outlook changed and how the woman thought she was correcting her wrong doings when she was younger. Truthfully that's the reason a lot of children are punished today, because their parents want better. Mr. Robert Hayden does an excellent job of demonstrating this concept and connecting with his audience
I really love when I'm able to connect with a pieces of literature for the exact reason you mention, "It is easier to read a work of art when you can identify with the main elements." This is also something for us to keep in mind as we write our own poetry!
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