'The Runaway Slave at Pilgrim's Point', by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, is a dramatic monologue delivered through the voice of a runaway slave. Browning was an abolitionist. In this poem, Browning departs from traditional values ​​of motherhood and creates a narrative in which the speaker kills her child, who is a product of this oppressive system. The narrator of this poem recounts the details and circumstances under which she kills her son; the speaker describes the extent to which slavery dehumanized her and stripped her of her maternal instincts. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The narrator's tone imbues an overwhelming feeling of unease and uneasiness in stanza XIX. The structure of the verse reveals the flaws of this mother-son relationship. First, the rhyme scheme in this verse, ababcdb, is irregular. Although the first four lines have an alternating rhyme scheme, line 131 ends with the word "mother" while line 132 ends with the word "son".[1] The two words do not rhyme and therefore create a jagged flow in the verse. There is something unique about the narrator's relationship with her son, but up to and including the phrase "little feet" (128), the nature of the relationship is unclear. The emphasis on the baby's feet and the adjective "little" is a common, generic description a mother uses for her baby; however, the next phrase, "that never grew"; (128) creates alarm and alludes to the fate of the child. A semicolon is added to the end of this sentence, which according to The Poetry Handbook is "an intermediate stop" and provides a means of changing the subject.[2] The narrator foreshadows but does not elaborate on the brief premonition. The speaker says the child 'beats with his head and feet, / His little feet that never grew; / He struck them as was right” (127-129). Consonance pierces these lines – the “t” sound is often repeated – forcing readers to carefully pronounce each word. Therefore, even though the phrase “never grew up” is only two words, the narrator makes sure that it is not overlooked. The meter here generates a constant rhythm, as it is dominated by iambs. This creates a uniform rhythm, which contrasts with the irregularity of the rhyme scheme. The line “He smote them, as was right” (129) is in iamb, and this song-like rhythm adds to the menacing atmosphere. Use the phrase "like a mother - /" (131) followed by a hyphen and a line break. The combination of the punctuation mark and the specific lineation shows his inability to complete his thought. The speaker seems troubled by the word "mother" and takes time to speak again. While the narrator emphasizes the second and fourth syllables in the opening half of “I could have sung,” he emphasizes the first and third syllables in the following phrase “like a mother” (131), which reverses the iambic meter. The notable change from iambic to trocheal meter creates further friction within the stanza. The idea that the word "mother" distracts the narrator generates discomfort. [1] All quotes in this essay are from the poem "The Runaway Slave at Pilgrim's Point" by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. [2] J. Lennard, 'Punctuation', in Poetry Handbook: A Guide to Reading Poetry for Pleasure and Practical Criticism, John Lennard (Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 2005), 115-116. In stanza XX, readers observe the event that angers the narrator. When the speaker 'pull[s] the handkerchief;' (134) moves the blanket covering the child. She and the child “look at each other” (139) for the first time in the passage. The colon, located after the word "close" (134), represents "the second heaviest stop".[1] The twodots connect the line with importance and are significant because they are a warning signal to the reader. He sees the child's face when he moves the handkerchief. Commas – or short breaks – permeate the line: “More alive, then, than I am now” (136). The narrator also changes the tense in this line, as he moves from the past to the present. The word “then” indicates the past, while the phrase “now does” indicates the present. The speaker goes off on a tangent and gets distracted. His mind wanders to the child's current condition, once again warning readers of his tragic fate. The blunt question 'where?' (137) is a description of his original story, but it is touching and further captures the reader's attention. The dash before the question indicates his temporary distraction, as he goes from recounting details to carelessly expressing his concerns by asking a question. Still speaking in the present tense, he exclaims, "Close!" (138). The narrator returns to reality, shown by the use of the exclamation point, and returns to his monologue in the past tense. There is a line break after the phrase "child and mother" (138) and she states that "they hurt to look at each other" (139). The main connection between a child and a mother is their gaze at each other, so the remorse the narrator feels when he looks at his child is disturbing. At this point, the relationship between a child and an enslaved mother diverges from traditional Victorian family relationships. The line break after “a child and a mother” (138) amplifies the contrast between the narrator's relationship with her child and a free woman's relationship with her child. The words “black” and “fair” are underlined in the meter of the last line, “When one is black and the other is fair” (140). The narrator's son is at the center of the conflict between slaves and masters. His emphasis on the words "black" and "right" highlights his frustration with the difference between the two populations: slaves are bound to servitude while masters are free. [3] See Lennard, the Poetry Handbook, 115. The narrator displays various emotions in stanza XXI. He uses the possessive noun in the sentence “the face of my son” (142). This is the first time in the passage where she directly acknowledges that the child is her child, allowing the reader to feel a visceral emotion of the maternal bond between a child and a mother, regardless of race. This, in effect, amplifies the horror of infanticide. The narrator expresses his emotions through punctuation. The speaker says, “I tell you everything” (142) followed by a hyphen and a line break. Characteristic of the rest of the poem, it has to push forward to overcome the difficult part. Fight the urge to forget or not reveal information, demonstrated by extensive use of punctuation. He uses commas and hyphens in this sentence, signifying his hesitation. Underline the word "master" in "master's gaze" (144). The italics emphasize the narrator's sharp and bitter intonation. His anger towards his master manifests itself with the increase in breaks. The caesuras allow the speaker to breathe and calm down before continuing. The narrator says, "The master's gaze, which fell/On my soul like his whip... or worse! - /" (144-145). Buy time to think about the "worst" things the master had done by using an ellipsis after the word "whip." The exclamation point confirms its harsh spirit. The enjambement between the line break "to save him from my curse / I wrapped him in my shawl" (146-147) contrasts with the lack of flow of the rest of the stanza. After the word “So” (146) he finds the courage to describe his murder fluently and concisely. Although the murder makes the narrator seem deranged, her range of emotions shows humanity and vulnerability., 2005.