Like a Bird: The Art of the American Slave Song

Like a Bird: The Art of the American Slave Song — page 9
Sometimes a Mother Lamer o 4 Som On many southern plantations enslaved people of all ages were forced to pick cotton by hand This exhausting work began at daybreak and lasted until nightfall or longer if the moon was full and bright Children often worked beside adults with the same long sacks slung over their shoulders Notice how in this painting the children are framed so that the only adult visible is the plantation overseer Som Som feel feel feel o E moth The rhythm and lyrics of Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child express longing and despair making it one of the most haunting songs to come out of slavery Yet some scholars believe this is a hopeful song What signs of hope can you find in the lyrics or the painting