The Whipping - “The Whipping”
The whipping signposts the woman’s unconscious wish for reprisal.Hayden concludes “The Whipping” with: And the woman leans muttering against/ a tree, exhausted, purged—/avenged in part for lifelong hidings/ she has had to bear.” The inference construes that the woman is projecting her retribution to the boy whom she whips. The boy is a categorical cue of the “lifelong hidings”; hence, she displaces her antagonism on him.
Frederick Douglass - “Frederick Douglass”
Frederick Douglass is the exemplary hero of American Liberty. Hayden acknowledges, “this Douglass, this former slave, this Negro/beaten to his knees, exiled, visioning a world/where none is lonely, none hunted, alien,/this man, superb in love and logic, this man/shall be remembered.” Douglass’s social and racial circumstances did not inhibit his urge for liberty and the logic that he employed to bring forth the liberty. He build his legacy by surpassing slavery and the anguish that he was subject to by the adversaries of liberty.
The Moon - “The Moon”
The moon signifies exceptional assertiveness. Hayden observes, “The emphatic moon ascends—/the brilliant challenger of rocket experts,/the white hope of communications men.” The moon shines unequivocally every night notwithstanding the force of the darkness. The moon’s brilliance rises above those of the artificial rockets for it is innate; thus, would not necessitate human involvement for it to display.
Steel Doors - “The Prisoners
The steel doors at the prisons denote absolute, delimited movement. Hayden recalls, “Steel doors – guillotine gates –/of the doorless house closed massively./We were locked in with loss.” The prisoners are highly circumscribed from moving. Being behind the doors is tantamount to forfeiting one’s liberty.
