The Little Black Boy

I found this poem to be tragically heart-breaking. Clearly it was a reflection of southern society during slavery and the prejudices rampant there. It left in me a greater sense of understanding just how deeply it ran if even a child hopes that one day he can be like a white boy so that "he will then love me". To see how such an innocent being like a child can still yearn to be loved by those who despise him represented for me the immense emotional complications which "hate" ignites when life could be so much easier with all people at peace. "The Little Black Boy" really re-educates the reader on the importance of dissipating prejudices in our world, and was made even more poignant by the fact that this poem was told through the voice of a child. I found it extremely inspirational how the mother taught her child that her son and other slaves are put on earth and given a little bit of land "that we may learn to bear the beams of love", relating the sun to God and the beams shining down on earth as rays of his love. In addition, this sentiment the mother gave to her son also represented a unity of all human beings which did not exist during this time. For "bearing the beams of love" (i.e. sun rays) and living under the sun is a commonality which all humans share...one which is not particular to skin color or ethnicity.