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Alice Walker: Confronting Inequality

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Confronting Inequality

Alice Walker’s inspiration for writing can be largely attributed to her life experiences. Born in Putnam County, Georgia, on February 9, 1944, Walker was the eighth child of sharecroppers Minnie Tallulah Grant and Willie Lee Walker. Throughout her life, Walker became a proponent for women and African Americans. Her “womanist” views are revealed in her poem, “A Woman is Not a Potted Plant.” Walker also exhibits her passion for the civil rights movement in poems such as “When You Thought Me Poor.” Each of these poems express Walker’s stance in a powerful and effective manner. Reserved is not the word to describe Walker when it comes to her writing, for her fiery language and expressive imagery leave a lasting impression …show more content…

In her poem, “When You Thought Me Poor,” she highlights the inequality present in society. The poem is written in first person, which creates a more personal tone and allows the reader to see how prejudice can directly affect an individual. Walker’s first stanza brings the reader back to when African Americans were unwelcomed and stereotyped as poor. Back then, society preferred when they were out of sight. Walker’s tone is saturated in sarcasm as she moves into the second stanza. The persona finally achieves wealth by hard work, but is still looked down upon by those around her because she does not flaunt her wealth. Her sarcasm continues as she states, “Still black too, / now / I owned too much and too many / of everything” (lines 14-17) She is becoming frustrated because, even though she does not flaunt her wealth, people think she has too much simply because she is African American. “Woe is me: I became a / success!” cries the persona (18-19), for she still made to feel out of place despite her success. However, all of the sudden, African Americans become accepted in society. The persona becomes confused and does not know what to do with her newfound acceptance. She wants to know how to enjoy it, but she is also aware that this acceptance could be ephemeral. Walker closes the poem with her persona radiating in the beams of acceptance from the sun, which is now “unaffected by criticism” (32). This clear, concise piece was composed as a result of the exclusion Walker felt as a result of her race and gender. “When You Thought Me Poor” pulls at the reader’s emotions as they connect with Walker’s persona, for they are made to walk with her through her journey to

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