“Lineage” by Margaret Walker: A Critical Analysis

Introduction: “Lineage” by Margaret Walker

“Lineage” by Margaret Walker first appeared in her poetry collection This Is My Century: New and Collected Poems (1989), published by the University of Georgia Press. The poem reflects Walker’s profound admiration for the strength, endurance, and moral fortitude of her foremothers. Through vivid imagery such as “They followed plows and bent to toil” and “They touched earth and grain grew,” Walker celebrates the physical and spiritual resilience of her grandmothers, portraying them as symbols of rootedness, labor, and cultural continuity. The poem’s popularity lies in its evocative portrayal of generational pride and feminist affirmation—it honors women’s unacknowledged labor and contrasts it with the speaker’s own self-reflective question, “Why am I not as they?” This closing line captures a timeless sense of disconnection and yearning for inherited strength, making “Lineage” both a personal and collective tribute to African American womanhood and ancestral memory.

Text: “Lineage” by Margaret Walker

Copyright Credit: Margaret Walker, “Lineage” from This is My Century: New and Collected Poems. Copyright © 1989 by Margaret Walker. Reprinted by permission of University of Georgia Press.

Annotations: “Lineage” by Margaret Walker

Line	Annotation	Literary Devices
1. My grandmothers were strong.	The poet begins by praising her grandmothers, emphasizing their physical and emotional strength as hardworking women. This establishes admiration and reverence.	Repetition, Tone (admiring), Anaphora
2. They followed plows and bent to toil.	The grandmothers worked hard in the fields, following plows and laboring under the sun—symbolizing endurance and perseverance.	Imagery (visual), Alliteration (“bent to toil”), Symbolism (plow = hard work)
3. They moved through fields sowing seed.	They planted seeds in the soil, showing their role as nurturers and life-givers, both literally and metaphorically.	Symbolism (seed = life, legacy), Imagery, Alliteration (“sowing seed”)
4. They touched earth and grain grew.	Their hands brought life to the soil; it suggests a spiritual connection with nature and productivity.	Personification (earth responds to touch), Imagery, Symbolism (growth = creation, fertility)
5. They were full of sturdiness and singing.	The grandmothers are strong yet joyful, combining resilience with a sense of contentment and harmony.	Alliteration (“sturdiness and singing”), Juxtaposition (hardship & joy), Tone (celebratory)
6. My grandmothers were strong.	The repetition reinforces respect and pride in their strength, underlining a generational bond.	Repetition, Anaphora, Emphasis
7. My grandmothers are full of memories	This line shifts to the present tense—showing they live on through memory and tradition, filled with experiences and wisdom.	Shift in tense, Personification (memories “full of”), Tone (nostalgic)
8. Smelling of soap and onions and wet clay	A vivid sensory image evoking domestic and rural life—the smells of cleanliness, cooking, and earth connect to their daily existence.	Olfactory imagery, Symbolism (soap = purity; clay = earth, origin), Alliteration (“soap and”)
9. With veins rolling roughly over quick hands	Describes their aging yet active hands—veins show years of labor, while “quick hands” reveal skill and energy.	Visual imagery, Alliteration (“rolling roughly”), Synecdoche (hands represent labor)
10. They have many clean words to say.	Their speech is honest, wise, and uncorrupted—“clean words” suggest moral integrity and life experience.	Metaphor (“clean words” = truth, purity), Tone (respectful)
11. My grandmothers were strong.	The repetition of this line throughout the poem creates rhythm and a refrain that emphasizes admiration and remembrance.	Refrain, Repetition, Anaphora
12. Why am I not as they?	The poet questions herself, expressing a sense of loss, inadequacy, and disconnection from her ancestral strength. It ends with self-reflection and yearning.	Rhetorical question, Tone (introspective, melancholic), Contrast (past vs. present)

Literary And Poetic Devices: “Lineage” by Margaret Walker

No.	Device	Definition	Example from the Poem	Explanation
1	Alliteration	Repetition of initial consonant sounds.	“Full of sturdiness and singing”	The repetition of the “s” sound creates musical rhythm, emphasizing the vitality and strength of the grandmothers.
2	Anaphora	Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive lines.	“My grandmothers were strong.”	The repeated line underscores the admiration and continuity of heritage, reinforcing the poem’s central theme of ancestral strength.
3	Assonance	Repetition of vowel sounds within words.	“Veins rolling roughly over quick hands”	The recurring “o” and “i” sounds create internal harmony and emphasize the physical vigor of the grandmothers.
4	Connotation	The emotional or cultural meaning of a word beyond its dictionary definition.	“They touched earth and grain grew.”	“Earth” connotes fertility, creation, and nurturing power—qualities associated with womanhood and motherhood.
5	Contrast	Juxtaposition of two differing ideas or states.	“My grandmothers were strong… Why am I not as they?”	The speaker contrasts her weakness with her grandmothers’ strength, revealing generational distance and self-reflection.
6	Enjambment	Continuation of a sentence beyond one line without a pause.	“They moved through fields sowing seed / They touched earth and grain grew.”	This smooth continuation mirrors the flowing, continuous nature of life and labor.
7	Imagery	Descriptive language appealing to the senses.	“Smelling of soap and onions and wet clay”	This vivid sensory detail evokes smell and touch, grounding the poem in earthy, domestic reality.
8	Irony	A contrast between expectation and reality.	“Why am I not as they?”	The speaker ironically feels disconnected from the very lineage that empowers her, highlighting modern disconnection from roots.
9	Metaphor	A direct comparison between two unlike things.	“They touched earth and grain grew.”	The grandmothers are metaphorically portrayed as life-givers whose strength brings forth growth and sustenance.
10	Mood	The emotional atmosphere created by the poem.	Entire poem	The mood shifts from reverence and pride to quiet introspection and longing as the poet contemplates her heritage.
11	Parallelism	Use of similar grammatical structure for rhythm and balance.	“They followed plows and bent to toil. / They moved through fields sowing seed.”	Parallel syntax mirrors the steady, repetitive rhythm of labor, emphasizing endurance and devotion.
12	Personification	Attributing human qualities to non-human things.	“They touched earth and grain grew.”	The earth responds to human touch as if alive, symbolizing harmony between women and nature.
13	Repetition	Reiterating words or phrases for emphasis.	“My grandmothers were strong.”	The refrain reinforces admiration and continuity, echoing like a chant or ancestral prayer.
14	Rhetorical Question	A question asked for effect, not for an answer.	“Why am I not as they?”	Expresses the poet’s self-doubt and yearning to inherit her ancestors’ strength.
15	Simile	A comparison using “like” or “as.”	Implied: “Why am I not as they?”	The speaker compares herself to her grandmothers, acknowledging the gap in endurance and resilience.
16	Symbolism	Use of symbols to represent deeper meanings.	“Plows, seed, earth, grain”	These symbols represent fertility, sustenance, and the life cycle—core aspects of womanhood and ancestry.
17	Syntax	Arrangement of words to create emphasis or rhythm.	Short declarative sentences: “My grandmothers were strong.”	The simple syntax mirrors certainty and pride in ancestral identity.
18	Theme	Central idea or underlying message.	Entire poem	The poem explores lineage, feminine strength, generational continuity, and the loss of connection to ancestral endurance.
19	Tone	The poet’s attitude toward the subject.	Entire poem	The tone blends reverence, nostalgia, and melancholy—honoring strength while lamenting its perceived loss.
20	Visual Imagery	Imagery appealing to the sense of sight.	“With veins rolling roughly over quick hands”	The visual detail captures both age and activity, symbolizing the hands that built and sustained life.

Themes: “Lineage” by Margaret Walker

• Enduring Strength and Resilience: “Lineage” by Margaret Walker powerfully establishes the theme of enduring strength through the speaker’s repeated admiration for her ancestors. This is not a passive or abstract strength; it is a physical and spiritual fortitude born from relentless labor and a deep connection to their work. The grandmothers “followed plows and bent to toil,” actions that depict a life of demanding physical exertion. Walker emphasizes their resilience by describing them as “full of sturdiness and singing,” suggesting they possessed an inner joy and robustness that transcended their hardships. The declarative refrain, “My grandmothers were strong,” acts as an anchor for the poem, grounding their identity in this unshakeable quality. Their strength is presented as a fundamental, defining characteristic, a legacy of perseverance that the speaker deeply reveres and measures herself against in the poem’s final, questioning line.
• A Foundational Connection to the Earth: In “Lineage” by Margaret Walker, the grandmothers’ strength is intrinsically linked to their profound connection with the natural world. They are not merely laborers working the land; they are nurturers in a symbiotic relationship with it. The imagery of them moving “through fields sowing seed” and the almost magical phrase, “They touched earth and grain grew,” elevates their work from simple farming to a life-giving, generative act. This bond is further cemented in the second stanza through visceral sensory details. The memories of the grandmothers are associated with the smells of “soap and onions and wet clay,” rooting their identity in the domestic and the elemental. The earth is not just something they worked; it was a part of their scent, their hands, and their very being, symbolizing a grounded, authentic existence.
• The Legacy of Heritage and Memory: While the first stanza of “Lineage” by Margaret Walker focuses on the physical prowess of the past, the second stanza explores the living legacy of heritage carried through memory and wisdom. The grandmothers “are full of memories,” shifting the focus from what they did to what they know and embody. Their hands, with “veins rolling roughly over” them, are testaments to a life of hard work, but they are also “quick” and capable, ready to impart wisdom through their “many clean words to say.” This suggests that their legacy is not just one of silent toil, but also of oral tradition, guidance, and moral clarity. The specific, domestic smells of “soap and onions” evoke a rich, sensory history, showing how heritage is passed down not only in grand stories but in the intimate, everyday details of life.
• Generational Disconnect and Modern Identity: The final, poignant question in “Lineage” by Margaret Walker introduces a critical theme of generational disconnect and the speaker’s own sense of inadequacy. After two stanzas spent building a powerful image of her grandmothers’ physical and spiritual strength, the poem turns inward with the line, “Why am I not as they?” This question reveals a profound sense of separation from the “sturdiness” and grounded identity of her ancestors. It reflects a common modern anxiety of feeling less capable, less resilient, and less connected to the foundational, life-sustaining practices of previous generations. The speaker reveres her heritage but feels she has fallen short of it, creating a tension between admiration for the past and uncertainty about her own place in that powerful lineage in the present.

Literary Theories and “Lineage” by Margaret Walker

Literary Theory	Explanation	Textual Reference from the Poem
1. Feminist Theory	From a feminist perspective, “Lineage” celebrates women’s strength, endurance, and wisdom. Walker honors her grandmothers as pillars of resilience, contrasting traditional patriarchal representations that overlook women’s labor. The poem recognizes female lineage as a source of power and continuity.	“They followed plows and bent to toil.” — portrays women as laborers and nurturers rather than passive figures. “They were full of sturdiness and singing.” — merges strength with grace, highlighting feminine identity.
2. African American Literary Theory / Black Feminism	This approach focuses on the cultural and racial identity embedded in the poem. Walker connects her grandmothers’ labor to African American heritage and survival through generations of struggle, slavery, and resilience. Their physical strength symbolizes racial endurance and collective memory.	“They touched earth and grain grew.” — symbolizes creation and continuity rooted in African American experience. “Smelling of soap and onions and wet clay” — evokes the sensory imagery of Black domestic and rural life.
3. Psychoanalytic Theory	Through a psychoanalytic lens, the poem reveals the speaker’s internal conflict and identity crisis. She admires her grandmothers’ power but feels disconnected from it, showing unconscious guilt and longing for strength. The poem reflects a quest for self-integration and connection to ancestral identity.	“Why am I not as they?” — expresses self-doubt, inferiority, and a yearning to recover a lost sense of wholeness and belonging.
4. Ecocritical Theory	Ecocriticism highlights the poem’s deep connection with nature. The grandmothers’ bond with the earth reflects a harmonious relationship between humans and the natural world. Their work—plowing, sowing, and nurturing—embodies ecological balance and respect for the environment.	“They moved through fields sowing seed.” — emphasizes cultivation and coexistence with nature. “They touched earth and grain grew.” — signifies reciprocal nourishment between human labor and the land.

Critical Questions about “Lineage” by Margaret Walker

Literary Works Similar to “Lineage” by Margaret Walker

• “My Mother’s Kitchen” by Choman Hardi: This poem resonates with “Lineage” through its focus on matrilineal heritage and the power of memory, finding strength and connection in the domestic spaces carved out by a mother.
• “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” by Langston Hughes: Similar to Walker’s poem, this work explores a deep, collective ancestral memory and a soul-deep connection to a heritage that has endured through centuries of history and labor.
• “Digging” by Seamus Heaney: This poem shares the theme of generational contrast, as the speaker compares his own labor as a writer to the physical, earth-connected work of his father and grandfather, reflecting on his different connection to his lineage.
• “Nikki-Rosa” by Nikki Giovanni: This work echoes the celebration of inner resilience found in “Lineage,” focusing on the richness and love within a family’s memory that defines their heritage beyond outside perceptions of hardship.
• “Woman Work” by Maya Angelou: Like “Lineage,” this poem catalogs the endless, elemental labor of a woman, portraying a strength that is both deeply personal and connected to the natural world she must tame and tend to daily.

Representative Quotations of “Lineage” by Margaret Walker

No.	Quotation	Context	Theoretical Perspective
1	“My grandmothers were strong.”	This refrain opens and closes the poem, establishing the theme of inherited female strength and admiration for the matriarchal lineage.	Feminist Theory: Celebrates women’s labor, endurance, and identity, challenging patriarchal invisibility by centering grandmothers as archetypes of strength.
2	“They followed plows and bent to toil.”	Describes women working alongside men in physically demanding agricultural labor, symbolizing both survival and equality.	Marxist-Feminist Perspective: Highlights class and gender intersections, portraying women as productive laborers whose work sustains both economy and family.
3	“They moved through fields sowing seed.”	Symbolizes fertility and creation, both literal (agricultural) and figurative (continuation of generations).	Ecofeminist Theory: Connects women with nature’s cycles of growth, portraying them as life-givers in harmony with the earth.
4	“They touched earth and grain grew.”	Suggests a spiritual connection between human effort and nature’s reward, implying sacred feminine energy.	Cultural Materialism: Examines how agrarian culture venerates labor and productivity, linking survival to ancestral wisdom and human-nature reciprocity.
5	“They were full of sturdiness and singing.”	Expresses resilience mixed with joy, emphasizing balance between hardship and hope.	Humanist and Feminist Theory: Portrays women as not just laborers but bearers of emotional and cultural vitality, harmonizing strength with creativity.
6	“My grandmothers are full of memories / Smelling of soap and onions and wet clay.”	Evokes sensory imagery that connects domestic life to labor, memory, and identity.	Cultural Studies Perspective: Associates women’s identity with the sensory realm of home, grounding collective memory in material and olfactory symbols.
7	“With veins rolling roughly over quick hands.”	The imagery of aged, hard-working hands conveys both wear and vitality, bridging past labor with present reflection.	Psychoanalytic Theory: The hands symbolize transference of generational energy; the speaker’s observation reflects unconscious admiration and desire for reconnection.
8	“They have many clean words to say.”	Suggests moral purity, wisdom, and linguistic simplicity, rooted in honesty and tradition.	Postcolonial Feminist Theory: Interprets language and morality as cultural inheritance, positioning women as preservers of communal truth and linguistic identity.
9	“My grandmothers were strong. / Why am I not as they?”	The concluding self-question contrasts modern disconnection with ancestral strength, expressing self-doubt and generational rupture.	Existential Feminism: Reflects alienation and the search for meaning within identity, as the speaker confronts the gap between inherited ideals and personal reality.
10	“They touched earth and grain grew.” (Reiterated)	Serves as both metaphor and spiritual testament to creation and endurance; the act of touching becomes symbolic of empowerment.	Archetypal Feminist Theory: Positions grandmothers as mythic “Earth Mothers,” embodiments of life’s creative power and continuity.

Suggested Readings: “Lineage” by Margaret Walker