16 pages • 32 minutes read
Gloria Larry HouseSelma, 1965
Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1965A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Background
Literary Context
“Selma, 1965” contributes to poems that celebrate and remember the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s, 1960s, and into the 1970s. The poems in this category are rooted in social justice and engage themes of racism, discrimination, and elements of nonviolent protest. Representing an essential part of American history and the struggle Black Americans faced for civil rights, justice, and equality, the poems in this category are often defined by their pride, praise, and resistance. Poets like Nikki Giovanni and Margaret Walker—who were deeply influenced by this historical movement—wrote poems that celebrate Black identity and look toward freedom. Giovanni’s poems “Dreams” (1968) and “Mothers” (1972) are two examples of poems that engage themes of hope while simultaneously documenting pain and suffering.
House’s “Selma, 1965” honors a crucial, historical moment in the past: the march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama led by the prominent civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. in 1965. This poem functions as a tribute to those who marched that day, remembering their determination to bring forth change. In writing this poem, House documents the memory of the Selma march in its reality, from the “grey knees” (Line 18) of the protestors to the drab scenery (“against the set of their / wet brick project homes” [Lines 22-23]). By documenting this moment, House solidifies it in American history. Because of this poem, no one will forget the arduous march these protesters made for the right to vote. Many poems follow in similar footsteps, documenting other memorable or key moments in the civil rights history, including the integration of schools in Little Rock, Arkansas and the murder of Emmett Till—the latter of which is explored in Marilyn Nelson’s “A Wreath for Emmett Till.”
Historical Context
“Selma, 1965” was written following the successful march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, which took place from March 21, 1965, to March 25, 1965. Led by Martin Luther King Jr., the march was a nonviolent demonstration in which protesters walked for five days and 54 miles until they reached the steps of the state capital—the marchers’ numbers growing to 25,000 by the time they reached Montgomery. Organized by two prominent civil rights organizations in the 1960s—the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (for which House worked) and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference—the protesters marched for the voting rights of African Americans. Understanding this historical background is essential to understanding “Selma, 1965." King, addressing the crowd at Selma, said, “There never was a moment in American history more honorable and more inspiring than the pilgrimage of clergymen and laymen of every race and faith pouring into Selma to face danger at the side of its embattled Negroes” (“Selma to Montgomery March.” The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute. Stanford University).
As noted by King, this march was a nonviolent demonstration of all people, regardless of color or faith, for the rights of Black Americans. House recognizes these themes of justice, freedom, and unity. For instance, the children sing in the paths “Before I’d be a slave, / I’d be buried in my grave...” (Lines 6-7) offering an impression that these protests made on the next generation who refused to live without rights. Similarly, House’s speaker watches the march from “the freedom school window” (Line 8). This school in Lowndes County, Alabama was the school in which House worked when she moved to Alabama in 1965; she joined the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) to set up voter registration drives—a key campaign to secure voting rights. The marchers, despite being “tattered” (Line 15) and looking like “a ripped hem” (Line 18), their “grey knees poking through denim frames” (Line 19), are unified in their mission. Despite their poverty (“the set of their / we brick project homes,” [Lines 22-23]), they walk to Selma, “Dancing the whole trip” (Line 20) and determined to succeed. This determination and unity are the foundation of this civil rights movement and the demonstrations King led.
However, it’s important to note that prior to this successful march, there had been many unsuccessful attempts resulting in violence, police brutality, and even death. House describes the successful march (the march that made it to Montgomery and achieved equal voting rights); however, the poem touches upon undercurrents of the unsuccessful marches that resulted in anguish. By describing the marchers as “ghosts” (Line 1) and “tattered angels of hope” (Line 15), House alludes to both the marchers who sustained the violence and those who sustained the victory: those who marched and were beaten as well as those who marched and were freed.
