In the poem "The Whipping" by Robert Hayden, we read a tale about a boy recalling a painful memory. An obese mother severely beats her child with a stick until it breaks. The author uses various literary devices to illustrate the events of a depressing recollection.
             The theme of this poem addresses the issue of violence towards children. This boy is being physically hit with an object to intentionally inflict pain. The mother chases and restrains her own child in order to release her full fury upon the poor soul. The narrator states that the woman is beating the boy "again" letting the reader know that this happened on a regular basis (Hayden 2). Even though the boy "pleads" with his mother for compassion, the woman "strikes and strikes until the stick breaks in her hand" (Hayden 6, 9-11). She shouts to the neighborhood her goodness and his wrongs (Hayden 3-4). I believe that she is justifying her actions to her conscience. The mother continues to abuse him emotionally by engaging in "character assassination," focusing only on the wrongs he has done (Monfalcone 62).
             Sexual assault is also implied in this poem. The author uses the words "lifelong hidings" to suggest that the mother could have suffered a rape before the birth of this child (Hayden 23). Such violations towards a woman's person could affect the person in different ways. A study made on a group of women who had been raped showed that many became clinically depressed, which made them gain an enormous amount of weight (Finkelor, Kersti). In the poem the boy's mother has "crippling fat," leading us to assume that a tragic incident such as rape did occur to this woman (Hayden 7).
             The tone and mood of this poem is quiet and somber. "His tears are rainy weather" is a metaphor the author uses to illustrate the feelings that are trapped in the past and are recalled regretfully (Hayden 11). There is also a feeling of justification on behalf of the nar
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