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The Whipping By Robert Hayden

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“The Whipping” by Robert Hayden
Whether it be as small as an argument, or as traumatizing as abuse, people struggle with issues involving family at some point in their lifetime. The poem, “The Whipping” by Robert Hayden, tells exactly that. As a young boy, Hayden moved from family to family as a foster child. One family in particular traumatized him to the point where he still has not forgiven them. With each new family, Hayden experienced new forms of abuse. “The Whipping” by Robert Hayden gives insight to the life of a young boy and his struggles with abuse as he travels from family to family. Hayden's "The Whipping" raises many questions among readers: What is the identity of the speaker? Does the poem depict fictional, or real-life, events? What is the role of the mother in the poem? …show more content…

Some even believe the young boy does not represent anyone in particular and Hayden is actually the neighbor. However, in the poem, Hayden writes, “My head gripped in bony vise / of knees, the writhing struggle / to wrench free, the blows, the fear / worse than blows” (13-14). This tells what he remembered and exactly how he felt during the beatings. The first-person usage along with the thoughts running in his mind, can only tell that Hayden’s experience in this situation is personal. To support this, James states, “Still, the fourth stanza seems to me to be the most moving because the narrator, obviously remembering his own beatings,” (6). Deborah James says the author writes about himself because

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