America

The coexistence of opposites is a recurring motif in the poem. This applies both to the speaker’s feelings and to America as he experiences it. He feels “bitterness” (Line 1) because he is treated so badly—bitterness is metaphorically what he is fed, so he cannot help but feel it; but despite this, he also loves the country. He thus maintains two apparently contradictory feelings. Moreover, in spite of his vulnerability to irrational prejudice, there is also a kind of invincibility in his manner; this coexisting vulnerability and invincibility is another paradox (a paradox is a statement that, on the face of it, seems contradictory, yet on closer examination can reveal a truth). He knows how to stand tall, without hatred or fear, and even lifts himself far beyond present circumstances and becomes a seer and prophet (Lines 11-14).

America too embodies opposites; it has great strength yet is ultimately vulnerable to the inevitable and destructive tide of “Time” (Line 13); the word is capitalized partly to emphasize the point. Time will work its way on America, just as it does with everything else.

America also embodies both masculine and feminine attributes. The poet personifies America as a mother who is less than nourishing to her child, the Black man—and the water images with which she is described (“Her vigor flows like tides” [Line 5]) are traditionally feminine.