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What Is The Tone Of The Slave Mother

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The Slave Mother was a poem written by a prominent African American poet and abolitionist, Frances E.W. Harper. The poem protests the institution of slavery and is attempting to promote social change in an era where slavery was viewed as acceptable. It illustrates the cruelty and sorrow that comes with slavery and separating a child from their mother. Harper uses vivid imagery and tone to evoke a strong emotional reaction in the reader, allowing them to understand the pain slavery brings and depict the era in which it was written. The poem begins with “Heard you that shriek? It rose/ So wildly on the air/ It seemed as if a burden’d heart/Was breaking in despair” (Frances Harper) and immediately appeals to the reader’s senses. Harper questions

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