Rhythm and Blues
The blues have rich, historical roots that date back to the late 19th century. The form materialized from work songs and calls from field hollers, which were then influenced by European and Hawaiian instrumental techniques (Patterson 188). Having a musical background makes this form of poetry unique with its natural rhythm. The musical aspect also contributes to the deep emotions it evokes. This is especially since the origin has the influence of African-Americans dealing with racial oppression and unfortunate circumstances. Taking on a sort of coping mechanism, the blues have a profound connection to mood. This is seen as “Perennial blues subjects like unhappy love, difficult times, hard luck, fruitless labor. . ., natural disaster, rootlessness find expression through concrete particulars of reported circumstance” (Patterson 189). Classic blues typically appear in stanzas of three lines, rhyming AAa, with the first lines being repeated, and simple diction is used. The third line is then a response to the life situation presented in the repeated lines above. “The Market Street Woman” is a classic blues form of poetry that establishes rhythm with its rhyme and repetition to express the reality and sadness of the life of an African-American woman.
In “The Market Street Woman,” ebonics are used throughout the poem. This shows how simple diction in a blues poem can still have an impact on displaying emotion and contributing to the rhythm. To set the scene of the poem, the first repeated lines are “Market Street woman is known fuh to have dark days/Market Street woman noted fuh to have dark days” (Haas 73). The repetition of these lines establishes the situation of a woman experiencing troubled times. The response line is then “Life do her dirty a hundred ornery ways” (Haas 73). There are extenuating circumstances, like skin color and gender, that has created an unfortunate and unfair reality for the woman. In this stanza the AAa rhyme scheme is followed, which creates this catchy, melodic sound from line to line. The improper use of words within each line itself creates a near rhyme and adds to the poem’s rhythm. For instance, the part of “Known fuh to have dark days” comes out more softly than if proper grammar was used, and again with “Hundred ornery ways” (Haas 73). Within this single stanza, the repetition, rhyme scheme, and diction creates a rhythm that engrosses the readers into the poem and the woman’s adverse life. Another stanza is “Let her hand out de window and watch de busy worl’ go pas’,/Hang her head out de window and watch de carless worl’ go pas’,/Maybe some good luck will come down Market Street at las’” (Haas 73). It becomes clear that the woman has no control over her life, which could be because of her race, gender, economic status, and/or age, so the possibility of luck is the only solution. This stanza further depicts the sad reality of life’s unfairness for this lady. Similar to the previous stanza, the diction of ebonics creates this easiest and flow to the poem’s rhythm. The rhyme scheme also assists with this. With continuous flow of a soft rhythm, the hard luck of this woman’s life almost implores readers to sympathize with her sadness. Ultimately, without the blues form of poetry, the depiction of her life would not be as impactful on readers’ emotions.
Haas, Robert. A Little Book on Form: An Exploration into the Formal Imagination of Poetry. Ecco, 2017, pp. 73.
Patterson, Raymond R. “The Blues.” An Exaltation of Forms: Contemporary Poets Celebrate the Diversity of Their Art, Edited by Anne Finch and Kathrine Varnes, U. of Michigan P, 2002, pp. 188–189.
