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A Wreath for Emmett Till Sonnet VII

sophia Plumer

Updated Nov. 25, 2019

Transcript

Sonnet VII

Sophia Plumer

& Natalie Mendez

Poem

Erase the memory of Emmett's victimhood.

Let's write the obituary of a life

lived well and wisely, mourned by a loving wife

or partner, friends, and a vast multitude.

Remember the high purpose he pursued.

Remember how he earned a nation's grief.

Remember accomplishments beyond belief,

honors enough to make us ooh, slack-jawed,

as if we looked up at a meteor shower

or were children watching a fireworks display.

Let America remember what he taught.

Or at least let him die in a World Trade tower

rescuing others, that unforgettable day,

that memory of monsters, that bleak thought.

Summary & Main idea

Summary

Erase the memory of Emmett’s victimhood.

Here the poem is saying to forget the horrific event. She wanted to forget the way that he had died that horrible death.

Let’s write the obituary of life

She wanted to write the story of his life. How he had lived and the accomplishments that he had done.

lived well and wisely, mourned by a loving wife

He was a bright student that had just graduated from the 7th grade. His mother was very hurt when she learned that her son had been murdered.

or partner, friends, and a vast multitude.

It is believed that Emmett Till had a “girlfriend” because he used to carry around a photo of his classmates-white and black-and he had showed his family members in Mississippi a picture of a girl showing her off as his “girlfriend”. He had also had a lot of classmates and friends that knew him that had mourned his death.

Remember the high purpose he pursued.

People had described Emmett as a high spirited, responsible, and funny kid. He had always wanted to make people happy.

Summary cont.

Remember how he earned a nation's grief.

The nation was shocked at Emmett’s death after it had taken place. The black community had wanted justice for this child that was lynched for his mother to have peace but that had never happened. Based on the time the book was published the civil rights act had only been in effect for 40 years and lynchings were common before the act was passed.

Remember accomplishments beyond belief,

From a very young age--since Till never had his father--Emmett had to do a lot around the house and be more mature for his age. After his death Rosa Parks had refused to get up for a white man to sit down on the bus and those two events had sparked the main movements for the civil rights act.

honors enough to make us ooh, slack-jawed,

This line is used to tell readers to remember Till for accomplishments that would leave someone in awe, or “slack-jawed”.

as if we looked up at a meteor shower/or were children watching a fireworks display.

Tied in with the previous one, these lines give a slightly more detailed explanation of how Nelson thought people should feel when thinking of Till’s memory. A memory which evokes great admiration rather than sorry and sadness.

Summary cont.

Let America remember what he taught.

Because of the circumstances regarding his death were so inexcusable, people across many nations saw the extreme segregation that lived in America. The worldwide regret for how unfairly people of color can be treated showed that action had to be taken immediately.

Or at least let him die in a World Trade tower

This sonnet in addition to explaining how Till should be remembered, provides possible ways he could have died that would have been much more heroic and courageous such as on 9/11. The use of the phrase “Or at least…” suggests that even if he wouldn’t have died in a monumental way, he at least deserved to die in a noble way.

rescuing others, that unforgettable day,

If he were to have died on September 11th, it would have been in an honorable sense. Even though his death may have still be remembered, it would be with a feeling of pride instead of one of anguish.

that memory of monsters, that bleak thought.

This final line is meant to once again remind readers that no matter what “dimension” one is in, there is still evil. Previous sonnets mention alternate universes in which Till lived happily. These sonnets also touch on the idea that one can never truly escape monsters. The death Nelson suggests for Emmett would certainly be more dignified, but it would still be caused by and revolve around evil.

Main Idea

Evidence

Main Idea

The main idea of this sonnet is to show why Till should be remembered for what he did and accomplished in his life rather than how it ended. It encourages readers to think of Till as a hero who didn't die in vain, but who lived a great life. It offers another possible fate he could have had in which he dies heroically in the World Trade Centers on September 11th. This possibility raises the question as to whether or not Till would have even been remembered at all. This sonnet revolves around the memory of him.

"...a life lived well and wisely...a loving wife or partner, friends..." Lines 1-3

This portion of the sonnet highlights the people Till left behind, showing the remarkable life he had.

"Remember the high purpose he pursued." Line 4

This part is used to remind readers to remember the fact that even though his death was wrong, some good came from it in the form of civil rights movements.

Art Relationship

One possible explanation of the image is that it depicts the parallel universe in which Till could have lived. The color blue is thought to represent life, calmness, and stability therefore the dying blue plant could be the death of Till. The white plant may represent purity and integrity which flourishes within the plant of an alternate dimension. The vast difference between the two plants not only in color, but success represents how differently Till's life could have panned out if he hadn't been stripped of his life. The earthly brown background represents death and mourning. While in previous sonnets, the color black represents death, this portion of the poem is devoted to the grieving of Till's death. As said in the "Artist's Note", the vertical rectangles are meant to be the World Trade Towers. In addition to the background, one could say the travesty of Till's death and deaths on September 11th were being buried in hopes of a new beginning.

Comparison

For the first part of the poem Nelson is talking about remembering Emmett's story. What happened to him and the way that he had died. How the nation had mourned him because of his tragic, heartfelt death.

Comparison

Volta

"Let America remember what he taught."

Line 11

Volta

Explanation

The Volta is transitioning from remembering Till and what his life was to futuristic ideas about what his life could have been. Where it says that people had remembered him to Nelson trying to remember him in a better way than what had happened to him, and what those men had done to him. One example that Nelson gave of him dying doing something else was in 9/11 in a World Trade tower or helping with the rescue efforts.

Synthesis

Synthesis 1

Allusions: Fireworks/The Fourth of July- The fireworks represented "the show" that Emmett's mother put on when she put his body on display followed by an uproar of outrage

World Trade Centers- line 12 says, "Or at least let him die in a World Trade tower...." The men who killed Till represented the terrorists; they came into his life and put him through undeserving suffering just as the victims of the 9/11 attack were.

Till's Funeral- line 2-3 states, "...mourned by a loving wife/ or partner, friends, and a vast multitude." This was meant to remind readers of the abundance of support from the attendants of Till's funeral who stood up against racial injustice

Current Events: 9/11 Attack

Synthesis Continued

Other: "Terrorist" in Sonnet VI Related to 9/11 in Sonnet VII; TKAM, Till should be remembered for who he was just as Tom Robinson should be remembered for the great life he lived, not for how it tragically ended. Robinson's unjustified death is similar to that of Till's. Another unfortunate death like that of Till's is Martin Luther King Junior's. Despite the immense amount of good he did for minorities in America, he was killed wrongfully. He was murdered for merely the color of his skin and his dreams of equality. This racial prejudice was the same reason Emmett Till was killed at age 14.

Synthesis 2

Figurative Language: Onomatopoeia "...ooh..."- The use of an onomatopoeia gives readers an audible aid to connect to the awe thousands were in over Till's death

Simile "...slack-jawed, as if we looked up at a meteor shower..."- Similarly to the onomatopoeia, this figurative language adds to the feeling of disgust nation wide. The bewilderment one might feel when looking at a meteor shower is just how they would look upon Till's ravened body

Conclusion

Theme: Remember the good instead of the bad and imagine futuristic ideas about someone, re-purposing their life to be something better after death is common and helps the mourner to heal.

The poem is talking about "erase the memories of Emmett's victimhood"(line 1) so Nelson is trying to forget how he died and the cruelty that he had suffered during his death. She wanted to remember the good that he had done "Remember the high purpose he pursued./Remember how he earned a nations grief./Remember accomplishments beyond belief"(lines 5-7). She wanted to re-purpose his life into him saving people on 9/11 "Or at least let him die in a World Trade tower/ rescuing others, that unforgettable day"(lines 12-13) . Like the legacies of numerous historical figures, Till's ended abruptly and wrongfully. For example, people like Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, and Malcolm X all died unfortunately, but were remembered for what they did rather than what ended their lives.

Works Cited

"A Wreath for Emmett Till." Literary Newsmakers for Students. . Encyclopedia.com. 25 Feb. 2019 <https://www.encyclopedia.com>.

“A Wreath For Emmett Till.” Quizlet, quizlet.com/208656996/a-wreath-for-emmett-till-flash-cards/. Accessed Feb. 27 2019

“Color Wheel Pro - See Color Theory in Action.” Color Wheel Pro: Color Meaning, www.color-wheel-pro.com/color-meaning.html. Accessed March 1 2019

“Emmett Till.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 24 Jan. 2019, www.biography.com/people/emmett-till-507515. Accessed March 4 2019

“Emmett Till Mystery: Who Is the White Girl in His Photo?” The Clarion Ledger, The Clarion-Ledger, 4 Sept. 2018, www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2018/08/27/emmett-till-mystery-who-white-girl-his-photo/1042105002/. Accessed March 4 2019

Nelson, Marilyn A Wreath for Emmett Till. Turtleback Books, 2009.

“To Kill a Mockingbird.” Novels for Students. Ed. Diane Telgen. Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 1997: 285-297.

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