Here's a brief excerpt from "The Auction":
*"They stand, they wait, they gaze around,
With anxious, curious eyes,
While groups of men, with careless tongue,
Their human chattels prize."*
The poem is a poignant and emotional depiction of the auction block, where enslaved people were treated as mere commodities, stripped of their dignity and humanity. Harper's use of vivid imagery and strong language highlights the suffering and injustice faced by the enslaved, while also condemning the cruelty of the slaveholders.
If you'd like to read the full poem, you can find it online or in collections of Harper's work. You might also be interested in other poems by Harper, such as "The Two Offers" and "Bury Me in a Free Land," which also explore themes of freedom, oppression, and the struggle against slavery.
Let me know if you have any other questions about Harper's work or the history of slavery in America.