The grain of sand
The grain of sand is the most important symbol in the poem "A Grain of Sand’’. The narrator looks at the grain of sand and then marvels at the vastness of the universe and how unimportant we as humans are in comparison with the rest of the world. Thus, the grain of sand is used in this context as a symbol for the apparent value a human life has in comparison with the importance of the rest of the universe.
Symbol for peace
In the poem "Ethiopia’’, the narrator talks about the moment when slavery was abolished in the country of Ethiopia. In this sense, the country is envisioned as a woman with bleeding hands, asking God to free her and her children. When God grants her wish, the country is transformed to the point where the hills become green once more. A symbol used in the poem to transmit the idea of peace and happiness are the children playing under the tall trees, without worrying about their safety and future.
Symbol for the purity of the soul
One common motif and common symbol found in many of the poems is the correlation between a good soul and precious stones. The narrator mentions the two as almost being the same and she uses the image of diamonds and other precious stones as symbols to suggest a pure and good soul from the Christian point of view.
God is never to be blamed
One of the common motifs found in the poems is the idea that God can never be blamed for the ills that are happening in the world. According to the narrator, God represents kindness and can’t be touched by evil. What is can happen is for the rest of society to misinterpret the word of God and this can lead to unfathomable actions carried out in the name of God.
Symbol for freedom
In the poem "Learning to Read’’ the narrator talks about the efforts many people made to teach the slaves how to read and how many slave owners did everything they could to stop the slaves from learning how to read and write. Despite their efforts, the slaves did learn how to read and for many it marked the moment when they felt independent for the first time. Thus, reading is used here as a symbol, if not for the freedom of the body then for the freedom of mind.
