Question

Read the first three lines of the poem: "O Mother Race! to thee I bring/ This pledge of faith unwavering,/ This tribute to thy glory." Where is the "Mother Race" that the speaker mentions from? Support your answer with evidence from the poem.

Answer 1

Answer:

The "Mother Race" is from Ethiopia. It is evidently mentioned in the poem's third stanza that the children are from Ethiopia (Proud Ethiope's swarthy children stand). It was also mentioned in the first stanza that the place was crushed with "slavery." Ethiopia is known for having slavery in the past and it was only abolished during the 1930s.

Explanation:

"Ode to Ethiopia" is a poem written by Paul Dunbar in 1896. It presents the African-American slavery happening in Ethiopia and the "hope" that people should have on their country's freedom in the future.