The Speaker
The speaker is Frances Ellen Watkins Harper. She speaks from first-person point of view in the poems "A Grain of Sand," "Bury Me in a Free Land," and "Mother's Treasures." In the poem "Ethiopia," she speaks from third-person point of view. Harper was a talented, prolific poet, fiction writer, journalist, and abolitionist speaker. Her literary work strongly emphasizes the need for redress in the African-American community as well as the United States as a whole.
God
Harper was of the Christian faith and embraced a strong belief in God. According to her faith, God is considered the creator of the universe, the supreme being, and the most high, among other authoritative titles. Harper speaks of God in a loving, revering manner. In the poems "A Grain of Sand" and "Ethiopia," she describes the nurturing character of God as well as his power to protect and rule over people's lives. In the first poem, she does question how genuinely God cares for her and the rest of humanity but ends the poem in a spiritually reassuring manner.
Ethiopia
In the poem "Ethiopia," Harper personifies the nation of Ethiopia. She vividly describes Ethiopia surrendering to the power of God and becoming saved. She speaks of this nation in a battered state, crying out in agony with bleeding hands. This cry expresses the desire to be free from her captors. These captors are the European colonizers who have terrorized Ethiopia's people and brought destruction to the land. Harper describes the joys of salvation Ethiopia shall receive after surrendering to God toward the poem's end.
Edna and Will
Edna and Will are Harper's "figurative" children in the poem "Mother's Treasures." She speaks highly of these young children, revealing her motherly desires to ensure the protection of their welfare. She fantasizes about them being well-off and well-respected. For example, she wants Will to inherit riches and fame, while wanting Edna to inherit a pure, godly character.
