The child remains unnamed throughout the poem, and their exact circ*mstances are not described. The main focus of the piece is their pain and hopelessness, concluding with the suggestion that they’ve grown numb and withdrawn into themselves in an attempt to escape. This is an incredibly painful poem that gets at the long-lasting impact of abuse on a child’s life.
Angelou's intentions with this poem were to focus more on the mental impact of abuse rather than the physical. There are few details provided about this child's life and identity, but readers do get a solid understanding of how incredibly traumatizing their early years were. The abuse transformed the child's mentality in a way that the poet suggests is hard if not impossible, to come back from.
Explore To Beat the Child Was Bad Enough
- 1 Summary
- 2 Structure and Form
- 3 Literary Devices
- 4 Detailed Analysis
Summary
‘To Beat the Child Was Bad Enough’ by Maya Angelou explores the theme of child abuse and its impact on a child.
In the first lines, the poet introduces readers to the abuse that a child suffered. When they were born, they were, like all children, innocent. But that innocence soon turned to pain as they were forced to endure daily fear and suffering at the hands of those who were supposed to care for them.
The poem goes on to describe how they struggled to cope with life on a daily basis and then finally gave in to their situation, unable to do anything to escape the abuse.
The Poem Analysis Take
Expert Insights by Emma Baldwin
B.A. English (Minor: Creative Writing), B.F.A. Fine Art, B.A. Art Histories
There are two different interpretations of the poem's conclusion that readers might be interested in considering. The poet describes the child as "floating" and silent at the end of the poem. This could indicate that the child has passed away as a result of their abuse or that they have chosen to disassociate from their life, blocking out the world in an effort to cope with their trauma.
Structure and Form
‘To Beat the Child Was Bad Enough’ by Maya Angelou is a four-stanza poem that is written in free verse. This means that the poet chose not to use a specific rhyme scheme or metrical pattern. The lines use different end sounds, like “light,” “new,” and “promise” in stanza one or “gaily,” “pot,” and “its” in stanza two.
The stanzas are also of different lengths. Stanza one is eight lines long, stanza two is five lines long, stanza three is three lines long, and stanza four is only two lines long, with the last line only containing one word, “Silently.”
Literary Devices
In this poem, the poet makes use of a few different literary devices. For example:
- Caesura: This occurs when the poet inserts a pause into the middle of a line of verse. For example, “curiosity for terror. The skin” and “Withdrew, the flesh submitted.”
- Enjambment: This can be seen when the poet cuts off a line before its natural stopping point. For example, the transition between lines two and three of stanza one.
- Juxtaposition: This occurs when the poet intentionally contrasts two elements in a poem. For example, “winter sunshine” evokes feelings of warmth and cold.
Detailed Analysis
Stanza One
A young body, light
As winter sunshine, a new
Seed’s bursting promise,
Hung from a string of silence
Above its future.
(The chance of choice was never known.)
Hunger, new hands, strange voices,its cry came natural, tearing.
In the first stanza of this poem, the speaker begins by using nature-related images to describe the child. The poet compares the child to “winter sunshine” and a “new seed’s bursting promise.” This helps illustrate the child’s inherent brightness.
The beautiful image of the winter sunlight is one that is also meant to represent the child’s fragility. The images become more somber in the next lines, with the child depicted as being suspended or constrained by “a string of silence.” This can be interpreted as the suppression of the child’s voice or agency.
In the next lines, the poet indicates that because of the abuse that happened in this child’s life, they never really had a choice in how their life turned out. The child knew things like “hunger, new hands,” and strange voices. Crying was normal in this child’s life, as were continually threatening circ*mstances.
Stanza Two
Water boiled in innocence,gaily
(…)
Withdrew, the flesh submitted.
In the next stanza, which is a quintain (meaning it’s five lines long), the speaker describes for readers a tragic transformation in the child’s life. While the child was born in innocence into its life, it soon exchanged “curiosity for terror.” This simple, chilling image is furthered by “The skin / Withdrew, the flesh submitted.” Here, the poet is suggesting that the child soon grew used to the abuse they had to endure and chose not to fight but to submit. They were entirely helpless to change their circ*mstances.
Stanzas Three and Four
Now, cries make shards
(…)
Silently.
The child’s suffering, the poet describes, is so intense that the cries “make shards / of broken air.” Their pain is deep and powerful in a way that’s almost tangible.
The poet also indicates that now, the basic needs and desires of the child have been neglected or forgotten within the abuse they’re enduring.
The final lines indicate that the child has perhaps died. The poet writes, “A young body floats. Silently.” The child may have died as a result of the abuse or, alternatively, they have disassociated from it so deeply that they are experiencing a kind of numbness or detachment as a coping mechanism. Their spirit is broken, and their cries are now silent.
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