Upon reading Robert Hayden’s 1970 poem, “The Whipping” (1075), one may find themselves feeling very disturbed. The title is not subtle in hiding the fact that the plot of the poem is of a mother beating her son. The tone of the poem is very violent, and filled with a lot of anger. The boy’s character immediately demands sympathy from the reader and just as instantaneously, the mother is hated by the reader. From his …showed first 75 words of 1104 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1104 total…Hayden uses the perfect point of view in this scenario. The omniscience from the third person allows the reader to feel the personal connection of the narrator and of the family he views across the street. The excellent selection and usage of “purged” lead the reader right into his conclusion of the poem. In using many of the weapons in writing Hayden strategically conquers the reader’s thoughts and emotions in the poem “The Whipping”.