The notion of the world being a dangerous, almost evil place is portrayed towards the end of the poem: “Let the snake slipping in deep grass be dumb before you.” These lines are probably the most significant lines and relate to “A Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry”. The animals that she has used in this extract are those that are sly and astute, like the snake, but Nichols describes it as “dumb”, she is emphasising the purity and innocence of the child here. She is implying that the most malicious of creatures will crumble before the child; this is a case of good verses evil. I feel that the use of the snake may have some biblical reference, as in the story of Adam and Eve, the snake is the ultimate instigator of the merciless outcome and it’s the influence of the snake that causes the apple from the tree to be eaten. It is the same state of affairs in Taylor’s novel.
The way in which Taylor and Nichols convey their issues clearly contrasts. Nichols’ views are a lot more immediate and fresh, this is particularly evident in the poem entitled “Of Course When They Ask For Poems About the Realities of Black Women.” The first hint of feminism in this poem is where it says: “A mother – of –sufferer.” Here, it is the word “mother” that is effective, the use of hyphens here tells us that black women are looked upon as mothers of sufferers. When Nichols is talking about suffering she is alluding to the slave trade that took place in the 1750’s, when black Africans were sold to white Europeans.
This issue lies deep in the heart of many black people and is indicated when Nichols uses the words “trampled” and “oppressed.” These two words sum up how blacks were treated. However, Nichols highlights the fact that these are usually stereotypes and that blacks have now broken away from that period. This is repeatedly conveyed in the poem, for example, where it says: “For the abused stereotype already in their heads.” Here, Nichols is explaining how judgemental others are towards black women, they pity their history and troubled past and don’t think of them as individuals.
Blacks are thought of as a group of people, not having any singularity. Nichols strongly believes that this is not the case: “ black women are like a contrasting sky of rainbow spectrum.” Nichols uses a simile here to portray there are different shades of black. By using the word “contrasting,” a contradiction is implied, and she is saying that black women are just like any other women. This is emphasised when she says: “Of a black woman, or a white woman, or a green woman” Here, Nichols is expressing the insignificance of colour. These three lines are a crucial part of the poem. The fact that these lines are repeated and indented tells us how strongly Nichols feels about the injustice of stereotyping.
In “A Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry” the general portrayal of white people is negative. There are many parts in the book that imply that black people were treated like second- class citizens. Like Cassie’s confrontation with Lillian Jean (a local upper class white girl): “I am who I am and you are who you are.” Lillian Jean then replies: “ Well I’m glad you finally realised the way of things.” Here is a prime example of a typical white person’s attitude in Mississippi in the 1930’s. There is a definite segregation in society. Blacks and whites lived in largely polarised communities with clear demarcations between them. Cassie is a fighter, like her mother in many ways but more naïve. She manages to get justice with Lillian Jean, this is a crucial point in the book where the situation has reversed and finally there is evidence of some form of even-handedness. Cassie has inflicted some form of control on a white girl and her contentment is evident when she says: “she apologized. For herself and for her father. For her brothers and her mother. For Strawberry and Mississippi, and by the time I finished jerking her head she would have apologised for the world being round had I demanded it.”
The exertion of power is not by some one who is rich and white but someone who is middle class and black. Equilibrium is reached which promotes impartiality, the insignificance of colour in humanity. This is a substantial issue in the novel, perhaps the most vital one. Taylor had used Lillian Jean, a high-class white girl and made an example of her, to show how the treatment of black people was unfair, trivial and in some cases traumatic. In the fifth chapter of the book Cassie is forced to apologise to Lillian Jean simply for standing in front of her: “You can’t watch where you going, get in the road. Maybe that way you wont be bumping into decent white folks with your little nasty self.” Here, we can understand why Cassie longs for revenge. The spitefulness of Lillian Jean’s words and the demands she makes upon Cassie are horrendous and unjustified. She makes Cassie feel so inferior to her simply because she is black, this is emphasised in the two contrasting words “decent” and “nasty.” These words simply meaning white (decent) and black (nasty). In my view this shows the difference in thought between white and black people of that time, white people considered themselves to be of a higher status, with more wealth and control. Black people viewed white people simply as racists, people who were their equal but have more power and so had to be treated with more respect. As readers we empathise with Cassie and the whole concept of racism. This is evident in Misty Pitts review of the book: ”Anyone who reads this book acquires a new “appreciation” for the black people’s heritage and also feels shame for how people used to think.”
Grace Nichols’ poems also highlight the gap between whites and blacks. However, Nichols’ poetry is written is from personal experience as a black woman who has lived in both her own native country (Guyana) as well as a western white dominated country (England). In A Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry only Mississippi is mentioned. A poem that accentuates the difference between Guyana and England is “Like A Beacon.” Beacons are signals used to warn ships and aircraft of danger. As the readers we then assume that this poem is written about some kind of unhappiness. In the first stanza it says: “ get this craving for my mothers food.” Nichols is alluding to a complex thought but describing it in an unpretentious way. This is portrayed in the word “craving”; a craving is to have an overwhelming desire for something. Most people use it in the context of food as Nichols has here. We then find it easier to relate to what she is saying. It is as though she is choosing between England and Guyana:“ I leave art galleries in search of plantains salt fish/ sweet potato.” It is patent which one she prefers.
She is saying she would leave England and its culture (“art galleries”) because she craves for her own culture (“salt fish/sweet potatoes”). Her uncertainty is expressed in the single line “ I need this link.” This line is placed in-between two stanzas as she is stuck in-between two cultures. She belongs to one and lives in another and there is no “link” between the two. Her yearning for her own, for her roots for her true identity is severe; the intensity of her feelings is signified in the last stanza: “ I need this touch of home.” England is not what she considers to be her home. The word “need” is vital as it differs from the word “want” when you want something it is a aspiration, but when you need something it is a necessity, you have to have it to survive. The message Nichols is conveying here is that you need your own culture, need to feel at home, need to feel comfortable with your surroundings.
The same implication is evident in “Hurricane Hits England.” This title also expresses some form of danger but this danger is conveyed as positive danger. This is shown many times in the poem: ”The blinding illumination, even as you short-Circuit us into further darkness?” Here, she has described the hurricane as a “blinding illumination”, she is admiring its natural beauty as it reminds her of her home country where hurricanes are a regular imposition. At the same time she knows that it is a natural disaster and that it can have a disturbing effect on people and this is portrayed in this stanza where it says “darkness.” As in Like A Beacon she is specifying two contrary states of mind, this underlining her inner confusion.
Both writers use natural objects to convey vital issues. This is perhaps more obvious in Grace Nichol’s “Hurricane Hits England.” This poem has many similarities with Taylor’s novel, like the title for instance. Both titles are alluding to strong forms of weather, which are typical of the weather in the U.S.A and Caribbean. Also, both are written in the first person narrative form, which creates more intimacy for the reader. However in A Hurricane Hits England the first stanza is written from the third person perspective: “It took a hurricane, to bring her closer to the landscape” Nichol’s has used an effective technique here; she has stepped out of her own situation and is speaking as an onlooker. As readers we can relate to this perspective more because there is more explanation of the whole instance rather than just one view. She is explaining how such a terrible force can bring a feeling of bliss, so that we have some sort of understanding of the actual poem before we begin to read it. This poem is based on the hurricane in 1987 and her reaction to it. Erica Davis claims: “the hurricane brings her closer to England and yet further from her roots where she longs to be.” This point is supported in the extract above.
Nichols cannot believe that such a beautiful force of nature that exists in her native situation is occurring in another place: “What is the meaning of trees, Falling heavy as whales, Their crusted roots.” Here, she has focuses on a particular aspect of the environment (trees), she emphasises the power of the hurricane saying that it has the force to bring down objects that are as heavy as whales. She herself cannot understand the extreme intensity of the hurricane and why it is happening in England, this explains why there is a question mark at the end of the stanza. They are a set of rhetorical questions, they have no answer, there are simply emphasising the mystery and awe that she is feeling. The technique that is evident in all Nichols poems is her use of powerful environmental imagery to portray her ideas.
This technique is also evident in A Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry. Like Nichols, Taylor also uses natural objects to convey important themes. Throughout the novel there is a particular focus on seasons: “it began to rain, a hard, swelling summer rain which brought a premature green darkness to the land and forced us to leave our hoeing.” Taylor uses the weather to reflect a distressing situation. This is evident in the words she has selected, like “darkness” and “swelling.” This description contradicts the one we are presented with at the beginning of the chapter, where vibrancy and optimism were shown. It is interesting how she uses the weather and other surroundings to create an atmosphere for the instance that is about to take place. As the readers it makes us ease into the situation and helps us to grasp it better. In this case Mr Logan and Stacey are missing, Cassie and Mrs Logan are becoming apprehensive. The use of the extract above reflects the mood in the Logan house. Taylor uses rain and darkness to convey mystery and the implication of danger that is going through the minds of “Big Ma”, Cassie and Mrs Logan.
Both Nichols and Taylor explore similar issues that have affected them personally, the fact that both of them present a personal response already differentiates them. Nichols, has a passionate view of the stereotyping and prejudice behaviour that takes place and this is emphasised in some of her poems like, Of Course When They Ask for Poems on the Realities of Black Women, her whole outlook on judgement is much more bleak than that of Taylor. The tension she feels is implemented in the techniques used in linguistic, structural and tonal features of her poems; this is evident in “Hurricane Hits England.” In this poem the language, form, tone and structure all echo her inner thoughts of despair. Poetry allows us to portray our emotions effectively as the concise form conveys mood as well as the actual content. In poems a lot can be recognised from the structure and tone and changes in them, the implication of the poet can therefore easily be identified.
A novel offers us more of an explanation, and a more autobiographical and somewhat understandable point of view. For every opinion that is suggested there is a suitable explanation in the novel, for example, there is a reason to loath wealthy white people in the form of the Wallace’s, but one major difference between the two authors was in their view of the gap between black and white. Nichols considered white people to be from a distant race to her, when she moved to England she felt she did not fit in, there is a distinct element of vastness there. While Taylor conveys a similar mood at times in her novel the equality and liberty is shown in the character of Jeremy (who belongs to the Wallace’s). The fact that Taylor used Jeremy to represent a liberal minded white person shows us that Taylor (despite her experiences) is not prejudiced against white people.
For Nichols, there is an element of deprivation involved. She is being deprived of something she once had; this explains the intensity of her views. However, for Taylor the situation is different, she never lived in an all black society, she never knew what it was like to be treated like a normal human being and so we can see there is more acceptance on her part. Discrimination and injustice against blacks was not abolished from Mississippi until the 1960’s and the events described in this book are taken from around 1933. Taylor was born and bred in a society, which was full of discrimination, and poor treatment and this is clearly shown in her novel.
It is apparent that injustice has been a disturbing part of both Nichol’s and Taylor’s lives; their literature shows evidence of their unfair individual and cultural treatment and their views towards it. It informs us about a controversial state of affairs and by analysing their literature we can see how far black people have come since the 1930’s. We can also see them moving forward in the present society, their dream towards liberation is slowly being accomplished.
