A Wreath for Emmett Till by Marilyn Nelson

Bibliography

Nelson, Marilyn, and Philippe Lardy. A Wreath for Emmett Till. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin, 2014. ISBN 0547076363

Summary

In profound and haunting sonnet, Marilyn Nelson tells the story about the 1955 murderous lynching of Emmett Till, the fourteen year old African American boy killed in Mississippi. 

Analysis

An illustration of a young, smiling Emmett Till with a flower and blood red tree roots greets readers on the cover of A Wreath for Emmett Till. The large red font of his name leaves no room for confusion on who this book is about. The fifteen poems inside are sonnets of fourteen lines. They are unique because they are a crown of sonnets, fourteen sonnets with each last line the first of the next poem. The fifteenth poem is made up of the first lines of the previous fourteen poems. In an introduction by the author, Nelson explains how this particular poetic structure served as a way of protecting herself “from the intense pain of the subject matter”. After all, these poems are about the brutal murderous lynching of a fourteen year old boy. Along with the introductory note is a short biography of Emmett Till’s life and death and a section of sonnet notes explaining the meaning and background of each poem. This allows the reader the unique experience of listening and feeling the poems as well as learning the historical information behind each poem. 

As described in the sonnet notes, many of Nelson’s poems are allusions to other works of poetry like in the first sonnet which alludes to Shakespeare’s Hamlet in which flowers are used symbolically. Emmett Till’s wreath, according to the poem, would include “...heliotrope, for justice shall be done./ Daisies and white lilacs, for Innocence./ Then mandrake: Horror (wearing a white hood,/  or bare-faced, laughing). For grief, more than one”. The poems are beautifully melodious and rich in their language while at the same time tragic, full of grief and horror. It is a truly remarkable book. 

Sample Poem

Rosemary for remembrance, Shakespeare wrote.

If I could forget, believe me, I would.

Pierced by the screams of a shortened childhood,

Emmett Till’s name still catches in my throat.

Mamie’s one child, a body thrown to bloat,

Mutilated boy martyr. If I could

Erase the memory of Emmett’s victimhood,

The memory of monsters…That bleak thought

Tears through the patchwork drapery of dreams.

Let me gather spring flowers for a wreath:

Trillium, apple blossoms, Queen Anne’s lace,

Indian pipe, bloodroot, white as moonbeams,

Like the full moon, which smiled calmly on his death,

Like his gouged eye, which watched boots kick his face. 

Activity Idea

Many students may not be familiar with the story of Emmett Till. Read the poem once and let students share their initial reactions and thoughts. Read the “Who was Emmett Till?” section with students. This video is also good for sharing with students the story of Emmett Till as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ojlufrQj2w . Read the poem again, and ask students again to share their reactions and thoughts. Since this is such a tragic and heavy story, they may need to process their feelings after hearing the story. 

This book has a very unique style, and depending on your students it might be appropriate to share it with students and allow them to try a version out where they write a poem, switch with a partner, and use the last line of their partner’s poem as the first line of a new poem. Because of the topic, I would focus on that first and then move on to other elements of the poem as you see fit.