# The People — Poetry character guide > The People in Poetry by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper. **Role:** supporting **Also known as:** the People, ye, Their, their **First appearance:** 0000-eliza-harris ## Snapshot The collective voice of the oppressed, the Israelites in the wilderness and the bondsmen in the land, whose sorrows and prayers rise together toward deliverance. ## Who they are They are the many rather than the one: the lonely wanderer, the hunted sister sent back to slavery, the mourners clasping pale fingers over the dead. Their grief is communal, and so is their hope, voiced in the cabins while the master prays in the parlor. Harper uses them to insist that justice is the right of every race and that the cry of a people cannot be silenced. ## Relationships ### [Moses](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/characters/moses) _professional_ Moses leads and mediates for the People of Israel, acting as their prophet and judge. ### [Unknown Narrator](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/characters/unknown_narrator) _social_ The People are a collective presence observed or addressed by the narrator in the unfolding story. ### [Pharaoh](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/characters/pharaoh) _rivalry_ Pharaoh oppresses the People of Israel, creating a dynamic of ruler versus subjects. ### [Lo](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/characters/lo) _social_ Lo interacts with the People as part of the broader community or crowd. ### [Moses](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/characters/moses) _professional_ Moses leads and mediates for the People of Israel, acting as their prophet and judge. ### [Pharaoh](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/characters/pharaoh) _rivalry_ Pharaoh oppresses the People of Israel, creating a dynamic of ruler versus subjects. ### [Unknown Narrator](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/characters/unknown_narrator) _social_ The People are a collective presence observed or addressed by the narrator in the unfolding story. ## In the story ### [The Slave Mother](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters/the-slave-mother) Implied as the cruel hands that tear the child from the mother. ### [Ethiopia](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters/ethiopia) Ethiopia's sons and daughters, depicted as suffering under oppression and awaiting redemption. ### [The Slave Auction](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters/the-slave-auction) The enslaved individuals at the auction, including young girls, mothers, women, men, and children, who suffer the trauma of being sold. ### [Died of Starvation](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters/died-of-starvation) The rich and proud are feasting while the poor man and his family starve. ### [The Fugitive's Wife](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters/the-fugitive-s-wife) Implied as the enslaved family, including the children playing around the cabin door. ### [Be Active](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters/be-active) Addressed as 'sons of freedom' and 'men of every clime and nation,' called to action against oppression. ### [To the Union Savers of Cleveland](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters/to-the-union-savers-of-cleveland) Addressed as 'Men of Cleveland,' the collective Union savers who failed to act with mercy. ### [Moses](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters/moses) The Hebrew slaves who mourn Moses' departure and later his death; they are the collective recipients of his leadership. ### [The Parting](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters/i-the-parting) The Hebrew race, whose oppression and suffering Moses chooses to share, seeking their liberation. ### [Flight Into Midian](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters/iii-flight-into-midian) The Hebrew laborers are oppressed, aged, and hopeless, but some harbor secret wrath. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters/v) The Israelites suffer under the increased burdens, faint, and reproach Moses and Aaron for their plight. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters/vi) Israelites who panic and murmur against Moses, then witness God's deliverance and sing triumph. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters/vii) They journey from Zuphim's sea to Sinai and hear the Decalogue. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters/viii) The people weep in unbelief, turn toward Egypt, and ask for a captain to lead them back into bondage. ### [The Death of Moses](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters/ix-the-death-of-moses) The mourning Israelites who watch Moses ascend, offering blessings and farewells. ### [Lines to Hon. Thaddeus Stevens](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters/lines-to-hon-thaddeus-stevens) Implied as the nation that has been purged by fire but risks stumbling on the cinders of God's wrath. ### [An Appeal to the American People](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters/an-appeal-to-the-american-people) Addressed as the American people, reminded of their debt to those who fought for freedom. ### [Death of Zombi](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters/death-of-zombi) The community that suffers mourning, famine, and death, ultimately yielding after days of resistance. ### [The Dying Fugitive](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters/the-dying-fugitive) Implied as the community witnessing the fugitive's death and his struggle for freedom. ### [The Freedom Bell](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters/the-freedom-bell) The collective nation enduring throes and renewing life. ### [Vashti](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters/vashti) The king's counselors and lords who witness Vashti's refusal and advise the king. ### [Words for the Hour](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters/words-for-the-hour) Addressed as 'Men of the North' and 'Northern men', called to rise up and fight for justice. ### [President Lincoln’s Proclamation of Freedom](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters/president-lincoln-s-proclamation-of-freedom) The oppressed millions waiting for freedom are referenced as the beneficiaries of the proclamation. ### [Fifteenth Amendment](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters/fifteenth-amendment) The rising race, newly crowned with freedom and the right to vote. ### [Retribution](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters/retribution) The guilty nation that ignored warnings and faced divine retribution. ### [The Sin of Achan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters/the-sin-of-achan) The people of Israel are depicted as initially flushed with hope but then routed and defeated, later purging the evil from their tents to win the battle. ### [The Little Builders](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters/the-little-builders) Implied as the beneficiaries of the children's labor in building freedom's throne. ### [Our English Friends](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters/our-english-friends) The English friends are collectively praised as noble men who stood for freedom. ### [The Tennessee Hero](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters/the-tennessee-hero) The savage throng and cowardly crew who torture and kill the hero. ### [Lines](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters/lines) The people are represented as the trembling Future and the throbbing bosoms asking about the country's doom. ### [The Slave Mother](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters/the-slave-mother) The poem appeals to 'my country' and 'men and Christians' as the collective people who must choose to stand for freedom. ### [A Fairer Hope, a Brighter Morn](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters/a-fairer-hope-a-brighter-morn) The oppressors who sowed the wind and now fear the tempest of their own guilt. ### [The Martyr of Alabama](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters/the-martyr-of-alabama) The white toughs who murder Tim Thompson and represent the guilty nation. ### [A Story of the Rebellion](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters/a-story-of-the-rebellion) The crew of the boat, trapped and desperate, who are saved by the hero's act. ### [The Hermit's Sacrifice](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters/the-hermit-s-sacrifice) The Roman crowd that initially cries for the hermit's death but later becomes thoughtful and ends the games. ### [Songs for the People](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters/songs-for-the-people) The collective audience for whom the songs are intended, including the weary, children, the poor, and the aged. ### [An Appeal to My Countrywomen](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters/an-appeal-to-my-countrywomen) Referenced as 'sin-laden and guilty' people who will face God's retribution for their crimes. ### [Then and Now](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters/then-and-now) The collective nation, built through struggle and oppression, now experiencing freedom. ### [The Present Age](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters/the-present-age) Represented as diverse nations and faiths uniting across boundaries. ### [Dedication Poem](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters/dedication-poem) The aged residents of the home are the beneficiaries of the gift. ### [A Double Standard](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters/a-double-standard) Society that hypocritically condemns the woman while excusing the man. ### [Our Hero](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters/our-hero) The passengers on the Hannah who are saved by the hero's actions. ### [Home, Sweet Home](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters/home-sweet-home) The soldiers from both camps who join in singing 'Home, Sweet Home' ### [The Pure in Heart Shall See God](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters/the-pure-in-heart-shall-see-god) Referenced as 'they' who shall see God in various natural and spiritual phenomena. ### [“Do Not Cheer, Men Are Dying,” Said Capt. Phillips, in the Spanish-American War](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters/do-not-cheer-men-are-dying-said-capt-phillips-in-the-spanish-american-war) The poem addresses the collective 'you' who might cheer, representing society's complicity in war. ### [The Burdens of All](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters/the-burdens-of-all) Implied as all humanity—black, brown, and white—who must unite to ease burdens and build the kingdom of God. ### [The Ragged Stocking](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters/the-ragged-stocking) The throngs of parents and children on Christmas eve, representing the joyful community from which the narrator felt alienated. ### [The Fatal Pledge](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters/the-fatal-pledge) The bride and the young man are the central figures in this moral tale. ### [The Resurrection of Jesus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters/the-resurrection-of-jesus) The disciples are portrayed as mourning, fearful, and later transformed into heroes after witnessing the risen Christ. ### [Simon's Countrymen](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters/simon-s-countrymen) The 'dark-browed sons of Africa' are the oppressed group, bearing a 'cross of shame' in a Christian nation that fails to live up to its ideals. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/characters/the_people - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_7_se/characters