mulbery fields

• field of rocks were used as communication between slaves during slavery
• slave owners did not value the dead and only though about themselves
• the earth is a giant historical document/timekeeper
• The poem describes a field filled with rocks that may have been used as communication between slaves during slavery. The people at the beginning do not care about what memories the rocks may signify and take them away to be used for a house.
• connected to beloved

  • stuck in past and the reliving of trauma
• two different perspectives: people around her and her own
•  The people at the beginning do not care about what memories the rocks may signify and take them away to be used for a house. During the first perspective Clifton uses repetition of the phrase "they" to put complete blame on those people and to show a difference and separation between their opinion and hers. When writing her perspective she uses the same technique, but substitutes "they" for "i say".
• At the end of poem Clifton ends by explains all of the consequences of the people taking memories that were not theirs and that they did not understand. Throughout the poem she also eliminates any uppercase letters and punctuation to encourage the reader to look at the poem as a whole, instead of focusing on the bigger more important words or small details.
• The author's tone throughout this poem can be described as disappointed and upset.
• The mood of this poem is quiet and reminiscent.
• lack of punctuation, capitalization, and long lines can create a sense of continuous flow, allowing the poem to move seamlessly from one line or idea to the next