Southeast Arkanasia
Southeast Arkanasia - meaning Summary
Legacy of Cotton and Guilt
The poem confronts the moral and social legacy of the cotton economy, asking whether technological change and ritual acts erase the violence done to enslaved people. Angelou links historical exploitation to contemporary scenes—farmers wasting crops, discarded dairy—to ask if guilt, conscience, or communal repair follow. The speaker challenges readers to consider whether past wrongs have been acknowledged or remain quietly unatoned, manifesting as persistent unease.
Read Complete AnalysesAfter Eli Whitney's gin brought to generations’ end bartered flesh and broken bones Did it cleanse you of your sin Did you ponder? Now, when farmers bury wheat and the cow men dump the sweet butter down on Davy Jones Does it sanctify your street Do you wonder? Or is guilt your nightly mare bucking wake your evenings’ share of the stilled repair of groans and the absence of despair over yonder?
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