Prayer to the Masks

"Black Woman" by Léopold Sédar Senghor (1945)

Another poem by Senghor published in the same year as “Prayer to the Masks,” “Black Woman” likewise creates a complex depiction of African culture. Again, Senghor omits a rigid structure and rhyme scheme in favor of free verse, although punctuation and line breaks still create a controlled rhythm. Senghor uses the poem to praise the beauty of Blackness, the titular Black woman serving as a metaphor for his African homeland. Throughout the poem, Senghor moves between admiration for his home and concerns for his homeland’s wellbeing against colonization.

"The Woman and the Flame" by Aimé Césaire (1948)

Aimé Césaire was a close friend to Senghor and is credited as being another founding member of the Négritude artistic movement. Published in the same period as Senghor’s “Prayer to the Masks,” “The Woman and the Flame” shows Césaire’s unique voice and aesthetic decisions. As the poem progresses, the line breaks and spacing increase in their experimentation, gradually leading the reader’s eye across the page while creating a sharp and dramatic cadence. Like Senghor, Césaire creates vivid images of the real world while also achieving a surreal, dreamlike quality.

"The White House" by Claude McKay (1919)